Starting April, 2013 we are holding a “Happy Horse Hour” most Fridays, from 11 am – 1 pm. Join us for a casual ‘meet & greet’ with our team of horses at Horse Journey!
You can relax, watch, pet or groom a horse and find out how we partner with horses to help people. Karin will be present to answer any questions about Equine Facilitated Counselling and Therapy.
You may also bring your lunch; we have a lovely, big, shady tree to sit under and eat while watching the horses. Our rocking chairs on the “Journey House” porch are always popular for quiet reflection and relaxing.
If you have been curious about Equine Facilitated Personal Development, or have clients you would like to introduce, this is an excellent time to do this! (If you are bringing clients, please notify Karin ahead of time). Children must be supervised by an adult during “Happy Horse Hour”.
Are you feeling Spring in the air? Do you need to put a little more ”spring in your step”? Is it time for a little tune up or to reach new personal goals? Well, if you’re looking for support and are chomping at the bit to get going, I’ve got good news for you!
While it has been a seemingly long winter here in Kelowna the temperatures haven’t been that cold. Up here in the higher elevations of S.E.Kelowna we still have snow but the roads are clear and the sun is burning the snow off quickly! I, too can’t wait to resume sessions at Horse Journey and it feels like even Link and Rollie have been asking me when we start up again!? So here is the plan! Please take note of the following program re-start date:
I will be in Arizona and Tennessee March 7 – 25 taking in the exciting EAGALA Conference (EAGALA stands for Equine Assisted Growth and Learning). This means that right after the Easter weekend (Mar 29-Apr 1) Horse Journey will re-open its doors on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 for client sessions!
I am currently utilizing the weeks before my trip to prepare for program re-start getting registrations, bookings, and session schedules organized.
If you are a returning client, please be sure to contact me in February to secure your preferred session time and day for April and beyond. I am happy to reserve your spot and look forward to seeing you! (For Youth programs, after school hours will be filling up quickly!)
If you are a new client or considering trying the Horse Journey program, welcome! Please be sure to contact me soon as well. I am happy to arrange a meet & greet at Horse Journey. It would be beneficial to get started with an assessment and completing intake forms. As well, we can secure your preferred session time and day for April sessions and beyond.
I am looking forward to a great year and am excited to help you reach your goals with Equine Facilitated Personal Development and Learning!
p.s. Daylight savings time change is March 10th, 2013 -this will give us longer daylight for afternoon sessions!
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, RSW by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
Happy New Year to all friends and clients of Horse Journey! Wishing you a great 2013, success, love, joy, peace, fun and healing! From Link, Rollie, and Karin at Horse Journey.
Happy New Year 2013!
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
In these three short video clips, Coaches Link and Rollie at Horse Journey demonstrate interesting behaviors that can be seen as a metaphor for life situations. It’s fun learning by watching horses as they communicate non-verbally!
Coach Link is the horse on the outside of the round pen, Coach Rollie is on the inside. Just before this video begun, Link had herded Rollie into the round pen by himself, and Rollie went in quite willingly. Rollie chose to play his role inside while the gate remained open the whole time. Link chose to play his role on the outside, and notice he chose not to go into the round pen. While I wasn’t sure at first why they chose to set it up like this, this was their game.
Watch to see what happens next. While you’re watching ask yourself:
What do you see happening? Is Link in control or is Rollie? Or are they both?
Which roles do you see each horse playing in this scene? Is one horse more dominant, the other more passive? Does it change?
Which horse can you relate more with, the horse on the inside or the outside of the round pen? Why?
This is the beginning of observing horse’s behaviors thus giving you a chance to learn about yourself. To really tune into yourself, pay close attention to each horse’s behavior, subsequent reactions, and their/your feelings!
Video 1:
Before we go to the next video, what was your feeling as you watched the horses play?
What did you notice in this first video about the horses? Is there any situation in your life you can relate to when you watch the horses? Have you ever gotten yourself into a situation where you got yourself stuck in a place and then felt blocked or frustrated to get out? Was your gate wide open and you could have left, but for some reason didn’t try too hard to leave, keeping yourself stuck? Maybe even sabotage yourself? Keep watching to see what happens next!
Video 2:
Did you notice the beautiful mirroring and matching they are both doing? At times they are literally doing the same movements at the same time and non-verbally!
Rollie’s side:
What do you think Rollie (horse inside pen) feels like when Link blocks him from coming through the gate? Could Rollie get out if he really wanted to (at one point he started to canter towards it but then stopped)? Is there a part of Rollie that stops himself short before he could escape? What does he have to gain by staying inside? Does he feel safe there? Is he afraid to come out? Did you see how Rollie’s reactions got bigger as they went on, escalating to rearing up and trotting off? How do you think Rollie was feeling when he reared? What do you think he was trying to communicate by that?
Link’s side:
What do you think Link feels is his purpose in the game? Is it to keep Rollie inside? Is he protecting something by keeping him in? What role does Rollie play for Link here? Does Link feel a responsibility? What role does Link play when Rollie bites his legs through the fence? Couldn’t he just walk away instead of pawing the ground? Did you see how Link held his ground and consistently guarded the gate (perhaps a boundary he had set)? How Link put his ears back at Rollie before Rollie even got close to the gate? Why is Link biting Rollie’s bum/neck over the fence (and why does Rollie let him)? What is he trying to communicate?
Feel free to watch the video again if you missed any of these scenes!
Did you ever play similar games when you were a child? I recall playing similar games, cops and prisoners, (involved a prisoner who tried to escape and a prison guard or gate keeper who tried to keep him in).
Some thoughts to ponder…. Secretly do you feel more like a horse trapped inside trying to get out from something? Or like a horse on the outside trying to keep something in? And which horse would you rather be? Why?
Video 3:
In this next video, Coach Rollie demonstrates beautifully what we humans often miss out on: Emotional Agility or peaceful conflict resolution. Yes they had a time to play fight; but then they both decide on a time out! They disengage and give each other space. During this break from the play fight, Rollie does not hang on to any frustration or upset; instead he rolls it right off his back! That is emotional agility, to “roll with the punches”, to let it go and not stew over who won, who got the better deal, who was wronged or what could have, should have been done! No, Rollie just enjoys the snow and Link gives him the space as they calm their energy. Acceptance!
So did you notice how this game between the horses started and ended? Both horses seemed to choose their own roles freely. The gate remained open, they had free choice to engage, and yet they played their roles. When they finished, neither horse seemed upset. Rollie is so relaxed he lays down in the snow and rolls around. He is letting it all go, modeling forget, forgive, move on and eat some snow! Link also walked away, giving himself and Rollie his space.
This scene seems like such a wonderful metaphor of what we humans could also practice. Get it out, get it over with, realize your own roles, see the choices you’re making, accept it and choose to let it go! Walk away. No hard feelings! Thank you coaches Link and Rollie for this great coaching session!
Feel free to watch all three videos again and again, as you will see more and more subtle clues, like ears, body language, timing of events… and you may get more and more insights of your own from these observations! Feel free to share your insights with me, I’m always curious what you’re learning through this blog.
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
Horses are very good at accepting themselves. They are who they are and they accept themselves.
The question is: Can you accept yourself? All of yourself?
What if we …
…think more like horses?
…find a way to accept ourselves?
…stopped caring so much about what others think?
…simply accepted ourselves completely?
Too much in life is judged, or deems us as not acceptable they way we are or do things. Do we need all this approval from others? Or dare we be different? Dare we be who we are?
This picture shows me riding Link without a saddle or bridle. He is wearing a halter and a rope. Link is a strong horse. He accepts me on his back. I accept Link for who he is. Link is a trail horse and a therapy horse. We do not care about what others think about our dressage moves. Whether they say he’s good at it or not, he does not care. I may not look perfect, collected or controlled, and I do not care. I enjoy what he is giving me, I accept who he is. So here we are in this moment accepting each other’s movement together, flowing and feeling and enjoying. Through play and freedom to move, we are performing a beautiful dressage move without force or resistance — we simply are in harmony and balance, accepting the moment, the freedom, the peace. This is what simple acceptance can do.
As I learn to accept my horses for who they are with all their different ways of being, I come to accept and appreciate myself more too. It’s a beautiful dance with simple, sometimes remarkable, and always enjoyable results.
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
How many obstacles are in your way right now? Do you feel sometimes there are just too many things to overcome or to tolerate? Well, here at Horse Journey we actually have gone out of our way to built obstacles! These obstacles are created to find ways to overcome fears, anxiety, uncertainty and indecision! Take a look!
To you this obstacle might just look like a harmless gate with flapping plastic streamers, but to the horse this is intimidating and scary! Ask him to walk near it or underneath it and you will see just how Rollie really feels! This obstacle is called a “car wash” as when the horse walks through it, the plastic will touch his sides and he may not be all that comfortable with it. The purpose for this obstacle is that it’s the person’s job to reassure the horse, gain his trust and build confidence.
Other obstacles we built include white barrels, and orange pipes, which we use to simulate a tunnel walking through, or a tight, long and narrow space to navigate. Horses are not naturally keen on doing this as they are claustrophobic. A horse may just simply refuse to go through it or will want to go around it. The purpose of this exercise is to show how a horse will get comfortable with something he is scared to do, and eventually gets used to doing this with trust and confidence. This experience teaches many clients to find their own courage through the “horse’s try”. Clients are given the chance to practice team work by applying savvy “horse communication” techniques and tools in problem solving. And, it’s a lot of fun!
This obstacle represents a bridge or creek as the horse is asked to step on an unusual looking and sounding object. It is made of a piece of plastic and logs. The horse not only has to figure out how to step on the plastic which makes rustling sounds, but also how to step over a maze of logs. It requires coordination and timing. Again, a person guiding the horse has to make sure that the communication of “let’s go over this scary thing” is working and that the horse will understand that he is not getting hurt when stepping on the scary thing.
While we may decide that we can handle one problem comfortably, what happens when it multiplies? Here we have the two horses, Link and Rollie very interested in being guided through obstacles by the person. Problem solving and being in touch with ones’s own confidence, savvy skills, emotional agility, and flexibility will come up when situations suddenly change. The horses always seem to know when to add that little “extra” to the sessions!
Well done Link and Rollie, good job!
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
Can you hear the music playing in your heart when you’re with horses?
Karin dancing with Joey: “Connection”
I got to dance with these beautiful horses with music recently! I can still feel the energy and hear the music in my heart… I was so thrilled to feel the connection, rhythm, and communication with these horses that I had only just met. Dancing with horses is very inspiring, therapeutic and fun! I am sharing these pictures to inspire you to connect with a horse today!
(Pictures taken at Waterhole Rituals Clinic in Chilliwack, B.C. More info about the clinic see previous blog post. Photos courtesy of Diane Armitage. Horses are owned by Irene of Four Horse Healing.)
”Hello new friend.”
Karin dancing with Sugar: “In sync. Communication.”
Karin dancing with Sugar: ”Quiet Understanding”
Karin dancing with Joey: “Expressing Emotion”
Karin dancing with Sugar: “Rhythm”
Want to learn to communicate and dance your life dance with horses?
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
As my last pair of shirts and jeans are finally unpacked from my travel bag, I reflect fondly on my adventure to see some amazing horsemanship in action at the NW WA Horse Expo. It was the first ever Horse Expo in Lynden, and I was lucky enough to be there for this exciting, inaugural event.
What I witnessed
Beautiful horses, great people, trainers, clinicians, authors, interest groups (equine dentist, Back Country Riders). Clinics and demos from mounted shooting, vaulting kids on Belgian horses to the ever entertaining Extreme Cowboy Race (hosted by Craig Cameron from Texas!). I really enjoyed the different breeds being presented. As for breed demos, my favorite was the Haflinger demonstration. Not just because when I was a kid, I grew up learning to ride on Haflingers but these little horses and their riders rocked! Watch this!
Everyone was talking about it!
We enjoyed the Extreme Cowboy Race tremendously as it was open for everyone to enter and not just for professional trainers showing off their “stuff”. The contestants were of all ages, and with varied backgrounds and experience. The contestants had to ride their horses through a variety of obstacles and it was a timed event. It became pretty apparent that while you can despook and teach your horse to do a lot of things, what you really need is a solid, trusting relationship with your horse. And a few people had it!
We watched a very fine example of an amazing relationship, it was a young woman (Chesna Kimek) riding her 14 hand little Haflinger gelding “Pippin” in the Extreme Cowboy Race. While everyone else participating had saddles, she rode the race bareback, that’s right, bareback, and completed all obstacles with ease.
Watch this video and watch the trust her horse has in her. Their relationship is what everyone aspires to. I love the fact that she had so much fun doing it! This is what I aspire to do with my horses!
After the race, I talked to Chesna to congratulate her, and to tell her I’ve never seen a Haflinger go this fast! She laughed and said she does it just for fun. I thought that was really amazing because it is so easy to get competitive and put pressure on yourself and your horse. They had fun and it showed!
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
Rick Brighton doing a clinic on gaited horses, Rocky Mountain and Kentucky Mountain horses. I took a lesson with Rick earlier this year and it was great to see him again!
Karin meets a Mini horse stallion. So cute!
Cowboy Mounted Shooting clinic at the expo.
Clinician Heather Gastelum, Cowboy Mounted Shooting clinic. They practiced on the ground, without horses first, shooting at balloons.
“With the Resnick method, you start with liberty. You don’t start with the round pen or small confinement to arrive at liberty later”. Bingo!! This statement grabbed my attention! How many trainers tell us the round pen is “it” and that liberty comes later, only after gaining the horse’s trust in the round pen first? And yet, when I was a child, I played with my horse countless hours at liberty, playing catch and hide-and-go-seek, no tack, no round pen (we didn’t even have an arena). Sometimes I took my horse for walks along the trail, no rope, no halter. I had complete trust from and in my horse that he would stick with me and would never run away! Resnick’s method reminded me of my own childhood with horses, when horse ”training” was playful and fun.
It’s a lovely book Carolyn Resnick has written. I can so relate to her stories. With a very catchy, intriguing title “Naked Liberty”it may not be what you expect (yes, it really is about training horses, in case you wondered). Carolyn’s memoirs of her childhood horse “Mustang” remind me so much of my own childhood spent with my horse “Many”. I had even started writing a book about my horse adventures at the young age of 14; because I was so thrilled with my horse’s friendship. Carolyn’s experiences of getting to know wild horses and learning their behaviors helped her be accepted into their herd, which is how she formulated her Waterhole Rituals horse training.
I had been curious to read Carolyn’s book for a while and was delighted when it was gifted to me by participating in a clinic in Chilliwack, B.C. recently (see picture taken at clinic, Karin, left). The clinic was held by Sharolyn Wandzura (centre) from Ears Forwardat a farm called Four Horse Healing owned by Irene Attema (right). It was a great clinic; I learned about the Waterhole Rituals, met some wonderful people, and will never forget dancing at liberty with the lovely horse, Sugar (picture) in the warm October sun. I do hope to return to another clinic next year. This has been amazing, I had lots of insights and fun!
One of my insights is that the Resnick horse training method has many similarities that apply to Equine Facilitated Personal Development. For example, sitting and “sharing territory” with a herd will not only connect you to horses but will allow you time and space for your own inner awareness; it can be great for grounding yourself. Who hasn’t fallen into the trap of trying to control too much of what simply cannot be controlled in life? Imagine evolving to the point of letting go of the “need” to control everything and actually being okay with it and eventually flowing with it; a true “shift” for those who have struggled with this for a life time. As a professional life coach and counsellor I have utilized exercises like this to promote self-care, inner strength, healing and recovery from unhealthy conditioning. Other very interesting exercises I would utilize in my practice include Resnick’s relationship, trust, and leadership building exercises. I am therefore combining parts of Waterhole Rituals with my life coaching and equine assisted therapy practice with clients as well as with horse training.
If you’re interested to learn more, experience a session or have questions about your horse or life, feel free to contact me! There is so much to share and explore in this Horse Journey and I’m happy to be a part of it playing a positive, supportive role.
If you would like to explore Your Journey further…
Questions, or interested in experiencing Equine Facilitated Coaching and Personal Development sessions in Kelowna? Please contact Karin Bauer, BSW, by calling 250-860-1964 or karin@horsejourney.com
