Mental balance begins with the consistent fulfillment of you and your horse’s basic needs. For your horse, this looks like 24/7 forage and fresh water access, a healthy herd environment, and the freedom to naturally move, play, and sleep safely. For you, this looks like a healthy diet, family and community, practicing self awareness, engaging in learning and growth. These basic needs must be met for both horse and human in order to achieve a balanced mental state that sets the foundation for relaxation. Relaxation opens the door for connection, curiosity, and endless possibility for you and your horse.

The mental and physical bodies are intrinsically connected. A tense mind can create a tense body, just as a relaxed body can create a relaxed mind. By understanding basic biomechanics and behavior and learning each horse’s unique anatomy and movement patterns, we can help them to achieve autonomous physical balance. We have a responsibility to to become aware of our own physical balance in order to effectively communicate with our horses.

In the pursuit of mental and physical balance, we uncover the magic of horsemanship. Clear communication. Energetic awareness. Living in the present. Setting healthy boundaries. Savoring the silence and the softness. Finding power in vulnerability. Letting go of control. The spiritual side of horsemanship is the thread that weaves us all together.