more freedom * more joy * more horse
Sometimes the simple solutions are the ones that work brilliantly! If you want to greatly reduce the frequency with which you have to dump your water troughs and scrub them out, OR, if you have an algae problem in yourRead more
One of my subscribers asked if I could do a video on my paddock/pasture setup for my herd of 5 horses. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Langley, BC) so my setup is designed to keep horses healthy and happyRead more
I shot this video on Juno’s 1st birthday, doing what we all love to do best – hanging out and having adventures! Of course while viewing the footage I realized how much interesting stuff was going on at the sameRead more
We know that relationship-based teaching works really well; resulting in an empowered horse, a truly intimate, loving, soul-based relationship, and lots of fun! But can this play-based method stand up to the pressure of a deadline – a vet visitRead more
Last week, Andrea Datz gave us a thorough education in what “no” means in horse-talk and how to work with it. She spoke beautifully on the topic of letting go of expectations and trusting the process – that listening toRead more
By Andrea Datz It’s a lovely idea to give my horse his voice, to take his thoughts, emotions and opinions into consideration. I will never forget the first time I made a conscious choice to connect with my horses andRead more
If you want to sink a little bit into nature, or feel a wee bit of magic in your life right now, then join us in this foray into the woods. Among giant tree elders with their wisdom and theRead more
I’ve been smitten with flower essences ever since I saw my horse Audelina responding so strongly to flower essences and I have now accrued a veritable forest of flower essence sprays from Lotus Wei that sit on my nighttable andRead more
How accurately can you, your vet, or your trainer, read your horse’s body language and facial expressions to determine whether your horse is experiencing pain – even if your pony is not limping or showing any outward signs of injury?Read more
1. Birdsong When we first came here, the air was eerily silent. Above the roar of the river and the clatter and squeal of the occasional logging truck, there was an absence. I used to find it ironic to travelRead more
Let’s take a look at a ground-feeding hay net called the Hay Pillow. I’m going to give you my review and what I think are the pros and cons of this slow feeding solution. And then, I’ve got a funRead more
I’ve written a fair amount on my health blog about why people struggling to heal, or wanting to stay healthy, need to avoid factory-farmed animal meat. And that it’s FAR better to eat less meat, but buy pasture-raised, free-range meatRead more
What if you can’t ride your horse? Or your horse doesn’t want to be ridden? There is such a world of pleasure waiting to be experienced simply by BEING with these magnificent earthlings out in nature. There are few thingsRead more
Our very own Kesia Nagata has recorded all the raw tracks for her debut album, Looking For Horses, and now we need to nail down the CD cover design. That’s where you come in! We’ve narrowed it down to aRead more
Whether you’re looking for a new revenue stream, or you’d like to host a fun activity with your friends or family, I’m going to tell you about an intuitive, creative, art activity that both horses and humans love to beRead more
About 10 months ago, I started giving my Belgian mare Audelina some alfalfa hay each day – because she was nursing a colt. Then it became too much hassle to segregate her and ignore the pleas of the others, soRead more
Why must we chop the balls off all our male animals? Why is this considered normal and even necessary? Luckily I was able to take my dog Kumba across the border for a canine vasectomy. But when it came toRead more
I’m taking a break in this series from my poetic ramblings about adjusting to life on the land to get my junior scientist cap on and nerd out about horse herd dynamics. I hope you’ll bear with me; don’t worry,Read more
How is it that by doing very little with my horses; mostly meditating, doing chores, and avoiding the rain together… when I put us in scary or high pressure situations, they respond like an old cow horse? You know, oneRead more
Let me say right up front that this post has nothing to do with horses. Well, I suppose if I wanted to stretch things, I could make a case for how crows are related to horses… simply by the factRead more
What do you do when your horse asks you to go so far out of your comfort zone, that you start counting off a list of all the things that could go wrong…? Last week I told you how myRead more
I created a painting around the theme of Expectations & Insanity. And then I asked my horses to show me more about these concepts – so my Belgian/Fjord asked me take him onto 20 acres of unfenced land – unhaltered,Read more
Whether you’re looking for more games to play with your horses, or wanting to see if any of them enjoy jumping, I’m going to show you the easiest (and cheapest) way to make two different kinds of proper horse jumps:Read more
BodyTalk can be used with humans or animals and can be done in-person, or surrogately, or remotely (distance healing). A friend of mine said he’s had amazing results for himself after a few sessions. But I was really interested inRead more
I could blame it all on the horses. In fact, when exhaustion and overwhelm creep in, when I momentarily lose my footing and wonder how in the hell I got here, when the van gets stuck in the mud andRead more
When I attended the Horse As Muse workshop with Linda Kohanov and Kim McElroy in Amado, Arizona, part of the experience was a live demo watching how Kim created her chalk pastel drawings. Although more commonly known for her strikinglyRead more
By Pat Rothchild I haven’t had much access to embodied horses for well over a year now while I have been dealing with health issues. Several bands have populated my dreamscapes though. I feel/sense them as closely connected as anyRead more
You may have noticed we talk a lot about meditation and mindfulness on this blog. One of our readers tagged me on Facebook and asked if I could explain more about my own meditation technique. So here we go… ButRead more
For those of you that live in rainy climates (like the Pacific Northwest or the U.K.), or, maybe you get a really intense rainy season that lasts for a couple of months, then you know how nasty your paddock andRead more
The Healing with Horse Collective is an organization of 3,000 equine-assisted therapists worldwide. And every year, they host an experiential learning symposium. So if you work in this field – I call it the field of 1000 acronyms! (EAL, EAGALA,Read more
The snow is gone. With a 40 degree shift in weather during some weeks – from -26 to +15 – our icy kingdom becomes, for a few hours, a dripping, sodden expanse of mud and poo. Oh! the poo. ForRead more
This blog post kicks off a series where we’re going to examine a number of different mind/body/spirit healing techniques that work well with horses. Whether your horse came from a rescue situation, or performance barn, or you raised him/her yourselfRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp The 4-year-old mare was all shining palomino dapples, her creamy mane and tail were soft with brushing. Her name was Ghrian, Gallic for sun, and she was as beautiful as any golden sunrise. She stood on alert,Read more
Jini and I both signed up for Carolyn Resnick’s awesomely priced Chair Challenge (only $15!) and although we’re only on Day 3 of the 21-day program, it’s already stimulated some great discussion and questions. Here’s what we’ve been tossing about: We both reallyRead more
Alright my fellow Horse Listeners, if you have not yet signed up for your FREE access to this year’s Healing With Horse Tele Summit, I strongly encourage you to do so as the line-up of talks is really juicy. RightRead more
I want to share a simply marvelous video with you from famed nature filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg (who also produces footage for Disney). But before I do, I want to tell you a story that will make the video even moreRead more
By Pat Rothchild The decision to heal humans with horses is huge. There are loads of factors to take into consideration, whether you’re in the field as a horse person, therapist, educator or spiritual guide. This piece is about workingRead more
This video from Nicole Lampe in the Netherlands is a beautiful pictorial story of how one horse can teach each another useful skills, support him through facing his fears, and lovingly support his growth and expansion. Not surprisingly, horses don’tRead more
By Pat Rothchild A few years ago, a fellow set loose three spent hens (hens whose egg production had dropped) in the yard where we kept our horses. Unbeknownst to us, the plan was that the local predators would dispatchRead more
What happens when we honor our horse’s body wisdom and our own intuition alongside, or even above, our vet’s instruction? Let’s go on a pictorial journey of one such incidence. Warning: blood and flesh will be shown… The place whereRead more
Those Scandinavians – they always seem a step ahead on welfare… A Swedish labour union is seriously considering extending rights and services to working animals, particularly those in the therapeutic field. Animals have worked for the benefit of humans forRead more
By Pat Rothchild Burnout is the number one occupational injury for healers. It’s no joke, so don’t be fooled by all the hilarity surrounding it. It’s super real and destroys untold numbers of careers before they even get off theRead more
As a South-Coast bumpkin, I never really had my horses in snow, unless you count the usual one-day affair with a few inches of fun before the inevitable melt-and-muck. It never affected feeding, just made poo-collection more arduous. But whenRead more
By Pat Rothchild Forty-two years ago, when I began my journey to become a healer of the soul, which was psychotherapy’s original mandate, I dove into a murky world that wrestled with the pathology of those most healers were unwillingRead more
Our very own Kesia Nagata is currently in the studio working on her debut album for 2017. So here’s a preview of one of her songs, appropriately titled, Looking For Horses, paired with some footage of my herd on aRead more
By Pat Rothchild Stress is ubiquitous in the human population these days. In the west, a little more than half of us are currently reeling from elections in which hard-right conservatives prevailed in a big way on two continents. PressingRead more
Oh lord, I know it can be a big hassle to give feedback, however, our feedback is pretty crucial to the lives of thousands of animals. These are animals without a voice that can be heard, so if we don’tRead more
Winter came sudden and succinct to the valley, after a long and lulling autumn. Where do I begin? The crisp, low, golden light heaving itself over the snowy mountaintops? The squeak and crunch of light snow on the driveway? TheRead more
By Pat Rothchild I made mistakes as I was transitioning from being a retired performance equine trainer to a holistic co-facilitator with horses. One was to become overly attached to what the new experts thought about how horses function. IRead more
I have been having so much fun buying horse-themed art from artists on Facebook, that I thought I’d share my top picks with you. Along with some other horse-themed gifts for whenever you need to buy for a horse-lover, orRead more
Double Yay!! You can now upload your own photos or videos when you leave a Comment or Reply to one of our blog posts! This is so fabulous because it means that we can ALL see the horse, or situation,Read more
By Pat Rothchild I left the competitive horse world in my mid-twenties, once I figured out that the more successful horses and riders became, the crazier they got. The horses I loved and worked with did the impossible for meRead more
Last week I told you about the Horse As Muse workshop I attended with Linda Kohanov and Kim McElroy and showed you some of the art I created, as the inspiration from the horses informed my artistic expression. I alsoRead more
As many of you know, I was down in Amado, Arizona last week for Linda Kohanov and Kim McElroy’s workshop combining equine-assisted learning with art and creativity. Kim is a well-know equine artist; who collaborated with Linda on the WayRead more
Hey gang, I need your help. I was digging through old emails trying to find something I’d sent myself long ago, and in the process found something else. It’s the beginning of a story, or maybe the middle, that myRead more
If you are an Equine-Assisted therapist, teacher or educator, or thinking of working in this field, then you are NOT going to want to miss this enlightening teleseminar with the very experienced head of the Healing With Horse Collective (2500Read more
The Downside and Challenges of Equine-Assisted Therapy [ 1:22:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
I walked into the paddock area and Montaro briefly smelled my hand in greeting, then tried to nip me. Zorra turned her head away as I came near. Aude stood patiently as I approached, then brushed by my extended handRead more
One of our adored readers – Emily MacDonald – asked me to make this video showing the way I teach my semi-feral horses and foals how to lead on a halter. You’ll notice that my way is somewhat backwards toRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp It seems a small thing, to lend a friend a book. We don’t necessarily recognize when life changes. Trumpets and fireworks don’t usually accompany the quietly profound moments, when we may hold a catalyst for change inRead more
When I was fourteen and lost in my own dark mind, I found comfort in this particular paradox presented by my Buddhist father: everything is sacred and thus nothing is sacred; everything is profane and thus nothing is profane. ToRead more
I used to look up at various points of the year and be shocked to see the season had changed. Despite my commitment to Paying Attention and my deep need to be in rhythm with the natural world, I’d stillRead more
Does the latest de-worming research contain anything promising? There’s a brand new video of a presentation to a group of veterinarians, given by hottie doc Nielsen, presenting his research department’s latest results. You can watch the 43-minute video on Horse.comRead more
Psychotherapist Pat Rothchild talks about how the horse has more mirror neurons in its brain than dogs, cats, or even humans, “which cause them to experience and reflect the emotional state of those in their territories. Mirror neurons enable ourRead more
For those of you who found my post about healing trauma stored in the horse’s body from previous riding experiences (using equine chiropractic, bodywork and Psych-K) weird… here’s another one to throw in the pot. Australian trainer, Jenny Pearce, tracksRead more
Last week I had the fine priviledge of visiting my friends on a ranch I used to work on in the beautiful Cariboo region of BC, and trimming the hooves of a couple lovely equids I’ve known for years. IRead more
When my new mare arrived, some people called her “food oriented”, I called it NUTS! She used to be so crazy for treats that I was thinking about getting her a big bag of carrots and dumping them in aRead more
Klaus F. Hempfling has made his new movie available for free – all 1.5 juicy hours of it! Have a look and then below I’ll get into my thoughts about the film… I have read a number of Klaus’ booksRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp Three different people warned me this client’s mare would bite. The leasee, who’d arranged the appointment, said in her message that the mare was wonderful under saddle, but would bite at the least provocation. Having worked withRead more
I seek this thing called wildness. I crave it, I move toward it in body, song and thought. I exalt it even as I huddle in my toasty little log cabin, safe from the elements, the fridge humming obtrusively fullRead more
As we head into winter, some of us are going to get lots of snow, while others are going to get lots of rain! As it’s much easier to protect your hay stack against snow, I’m going to give youRead more
In my last post in this series, I talked about the purgatorial state that follows big changes – that part nobody warns you about, when you’ve done everything in your power to make your dreams come true and they obliginglyRead more
I’ve written about the trauma my Andalusian mare suffered from her brief Dressage training before. And I thought we had pretty much processed and healed that trauma – through several bodywork and EFT Tapping sessions. Followed by me giving herRead more
I’m going to start this review by telling you why I wanted to go on a retreat and why I chose Equinisity. Then I’m going to get into what I loved about this retreat and also what’s wrong, or notRead more
I rode my horse the other day. This sounds fairly unremarkable, but it’s been awhile. I wrote about this a while back – I gave up riding as a singular goal, or right as a horse owner, several years ago.Read more
The story I’m about to write is so bizarre, that initially I wasn’t going to write about it – or perhaps just a simplified, more palatable version. I had only told a few people, in person, and I figured that’sRead more
I received this beautiful question from one of our readers in Europe. I say the question is “beautiful” because it shows this woman is in that precious space of opening, transition, and transformation. And yes, this space also feels veryRead more
So was my one-week-old foal delivering a spiritual message and facilitating emotional healing for me; or was he just attacking me for fun, or testing me? Let’s start with a bit of background… Last August, when Kesia and I hadRead more
We all have those pervasive, often toxic species of ‘weeds’ that take over our horse pastures until there’s barely any grass or edible forage left. One solution is to dump a layer of chicken manure over your pasture and justRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp I read an article on Facebook, the gist of which was, I am enough. Such a small statement, yet profound if you just sit with it for a few moments. At least it was profound for me.Read more
What it takes for me to write these days is 12 hours and counting of heavy rain. The absolute reticence to leave the tent until a break in the deluge propels a run to the log house. The puppy sprawlingRead more
As we move into the full bloom of summer, my herd is getting attacked by horse flies, deer flies (the worst as they select a spot and concentratedly gnaw through flesh!), mosquitoes, and the West Coast version of no-see-ums. HavingRead more
Several weeks ago I wrote about the vision of this journey I’m setting out on with my human-and-critter family: buying the land and living the dream. Or, whatever the dream looks like when it lands on firm ground and becomesRead more
I know there are many ways to decide what name to bestow upon your animals or children. But here’s what I do: I ask the being, What is your name? or What name do you want? When I asked MontaroRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp I feel so confused. This morning my horse and I went to war. Maybe I should explain what that looks like. Make the wrong thing difficult, right thing easy… you know, that whole horsemanship deal. So itRead more
95% of Canada’s hens live in conventional egg farms in cramped, barren cages. But a better life is possible! For the first time, Canadians are being asked for our input on our national standards for egg farming. Don’t miss yourRead more
I just returned from an Equinisity retreat up near Kamloops, BC, featuring trainer/filmmaker Elsa Sinclair. Elsa talked about the difference between using Extrinsic Motivation with your horse (pressure/release, whip, flag, etc.) and Intrinsic Motivation. Intrinsic motivations include things like matchingRead more
This may seem like a weird topic for a horse blog… but since most of us with horses also have dogs, I figure it’s all good! I’ve had my female dog Tiah for two years now. And after going throughRead more
Every so often I get frustrated or discouraged – because I have 3 young horses to teach and there’s only one of me! Audelina has now reached the point where she will leave the other three and go out onRead more
So in my continuing hunt for great horse books – and may I put in a plug here for anyone who is thinking about writing a horse-themed memoir or novel – please do so! Every month I comb Amazon lookingRead more
In my experience, the root of violence, bullying, aggression, etc. is often FEAR – because the being has been wounded and is super afraid and armored against being wounded or suffering again. We see this in the human world andRead more
By Ainsley Beauchamp I was thinking about horses and how sensitive they are to our thoughts and intent… As an equine therapist, I’ll be happily massaging away, some sweet horse melting into the strokes, and sometimes, just as I think,Read more
One of our favourites around here is Emily McDonald, a horse and dog behaviourist in the UK who rescued a family of feral horses dubbed the Meadow Family. Her videos are fascinating, enlightening and delightful – she demystifies the languageRead more
The driveway climbs sharp and slow, gravel crunching beneath the tires. For some reason my heart is pounding as the realtor says in his nasally drawl, I think you’ll like this one. It’s not for sale but we’re looking anyway.Read more
Even though I purchased a Weaver rope halter specially sized for draft breeds – it was just a bit too small! So then I decided to venture into the scary territory of making my own rope halter for my BelgianRead more
This article by Stormy May was originally published in Horses for Life magazine Oct. 2008, titled: The Truth in the Back. The information in this article is very similar to Chapter 3 of Stormy’s book, The Path of the Horse;Read more
This is an excellent presentation by an experienced Veterinarian, Geoff Tucker, who’s been to many different farms and barns. Geoff has then collected photos of some of the do’s and don’ts we can apply to our properties and barns. InRead more
Carrying on from my earlier post on herbs & medicinal plants that horses will eat, I wanted to give you some recipes for herbal blends I’ve been using with my herd. These are the herbs I get from Mountain RoseRead more
In this film, trainer Elsa Sinclair asks the question: If a wild mustang were given the choice – without ropes, halters, whips, food rewards, etc. – of whether to be ridden, or not, would the horse let Elsa ride her?Read more
Emma Massingale is a British horse trainer who came up the traditional hunter/jumper route and then migrated over to liberty training and trick riding. She has 2 fabulous films out showing her journey with her wild Connemara herd. You mayRead more
I first became aware of the icky, shocking and viscerally repulsive parallels between sexual domination and the way we treat horses when I was reading the book, Saving Baby: How One Woman’s Love for a Racehorse Led to her Redemption.Read more
