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The Aftermath….

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

Well. I give one last cough and sneeze in the settling dust of the whirlwind Mane Event weekend now behind me and give pause to reflect upon it all……….

First and foremost, I would love to Thank some very special ladies for their help above and beyond….. Joan, Erin and Becca. Becca and Erin have been constants in my life since working with me as very capable apprentices and it seems I have yet to scare them off, and they still amaze me with their dedication…:) And Joan, Erin’s mom has been a source of support and friendship that is deeply appreciated as well. Joan and Erin for all the elbow grease setting up and tearing down, astute decorating tips, food, breaks and dog walking! Becca for the astonishing Scrapbook she pulled together with all those heartfelt and moving testimonials for clients as well as feedback and spring boarding ideas with me. Thank You Girls! Also EC for being such a tolerant pack horse at the end, and being gracious with a tired cowgirl… and of course, Jeanne and girls….for keeping me from sleeping on the sawdust of my trailer by going the extra mile and lending me the grand ole Kustom Koach! :)Without you guys, this whole, impromptu shenanigan would have been sooooooo much more challenging and the belief you have in me is humbling……

Next I would like to say it was an absolute blast!
Seeing old friends, new friends and meeting so many great new folks was just fabulous! This was a big stretch emotionally for me, putting myself out there so much and being proud of what I do, and seeing such positive feedback made it all ok. I have a saying that I like to stick with and it is ” Do something everyday that scares you” and boy, this sure did! It was very last minute and require alot of focus and timing, confidence and belief, and I know the person I was five years ago would never have done it which I find somewhat astounding…..hmmmmm belief in your dreams………

For all of you who stopped and said Hello, chatted and expressed interest in Training or Camps, and swapped tales with me….I sure do appreciate the time you took and your consideration. I love what I do, and am blessed to share it with interested folks like yourselves. I am passionate about ‘Do less, Feel more and be conscious’ I love everything around Feel and bridle horse development. As some of you know, I suddenly become Chatty Cathy about these topics…hahahaha!

So on that happy note, I am leaving you with this great picture of the infinitely patient dogs, who deserve every bite of the extra big welcome home supper they got!

What a team! What a weekend! What a great, great bunch of people we are, us Horse People! What a Life! 🙂

Testing……..

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

Testing…………………

Testing…………………..

Anyone still out there??????????????

eeeesh! Its been a 3 month dry spell for no writing and I am missing it and looking forward to getting to blab on and on again…!

BUT! hahahahaha Not tonight! But, I would like to share and invite everyone (all 2 of you….:) to come and visit me at the Mane Event this year!

YES! I will have a booth, #606 or alternatively, just look for the dogs. I am very excited/nervous, and look forward to trying something new and different again….because you can’t hardly do too much of that growing and learning stuff!

So swing by and have a coffee/tea and we will get the chance to catch up face to face….Happily, this event is also causing me to set some Camp Dates for 2011 (2011!!!!!!!!!) very early (especially for me!:) and just as a sneak hint, the 71/2 Diamond ones will include COWS!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your support, patience and love, see you soon!

PS the pics are of Carson in the water jump, me holding the camera and lead rope out of the water, and Indy, Cita and Ivy teaching him how to splash, play and do the Can Can……… Why I am the one who gets paid, I’ll never know…………….


Finding a Feel

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

So….we did it! Just fresh back from the Island and the Finding a Feel Workshop with Alexa Linton in Duncan….! What a weekend! And Twin Creeks is such a idyllic spot to hold the workshop, with the weather co-operating perfectly as well it unfolded as 7 brave folks explored a new frontier of Feel…and broke the ice on some very fascinating depths and challenged themselves to slow down, breathe and gently enter their horses world, on their terms. A challenging topic to teach historically ( and for real, I might add!) but intensely important and the next piece for a more complete picture of our horsemanship journey. I for one, again became a student as the the roles are constantly flowing between student and teacher; horse and human.


Feedback loops of soft tries, hard spots, awkward moments, judgments, raw spots, tender connections, belly laughs, and surprises of insight. Touching the places in stillness where we so often shy away from with our busy minds and allowing the space for our horses to come to us….


This certainly was a different clinic lots of meditation, exploring our senses and beliefs, becoming open to new possibilities of interactions with our equine partner with things we take for granted such as bridling and leading, and how they can hold such learning and connection for us……

Alexa’s work with body talk, energy reading and intuitive readings was truly remarkable with epiphany’s everywhere all weekend. She did a great job of leading us through the fascinating Meditations and being such a pleasure to work with…the scope of Alexa’s knowledge and feel, dovetailing perfectly with my exploration of awareness and sensitivity of the horses……blending into a uniquely personal journey for all.





I loved the ‘Feel’ of this weekend.


The easy camaraderie, laughter, questions raised, and support shown for all of that are us fascinated in raising our understanding of this horse/ human connection, with all its rewards, mirroring, interweaving of lessons and deep truths. It was a pleasure to witness and be a part of and Heartfelt Thanks to all who participated and allowed Alexa and myself to be both student and teacher alongside you and your horses….. There is still a couple spaces available for the Squamish Feel workshop in September if this causes any interest to raise up in you……:)

This Phenomenal series of photos were taken once again, by my unsung Best Friend and support Crew Chief of Staff…….

Inet Sladecek!

Thanks, Sister!…without your insight, talents and friendship, I would sure not be where I am….:)

The Girls….

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Meet Khali and Khassidy….Half sisters, half Arab and with me for 3 months of Equine college education….:) The girls are from Metchosin, B.C., and have been with me for a month and a half. They are as different as sisters can be (or so they tell me, as being sister free, I lack first hand exposure:) and loads of fun!
They are here for mostly ground work thanks to their wise and long seeing parents, Lesley and John, and are building that solid foundation for a future of long happy rides and sensible behavior…

If all young horses were to get this good a start, exposing them to new sights, sounds, dynamics and experiences, I am supposing there would be a lot of confident horses around that took new things in stride….It is an investment in their and YOUR future, and pays off for years and years to come…

K & K have dragged tarps, logs, feed sacks full of cans, had ropes on every part of their body, around their flanks and under the tail. They will lead from their legs with a rope, and had it dragging alongside. They will stand untied for brushing and foot trimming, bath and trailer load.
Backing through the low narrow alley of the old log barn is a YAWN….as is backing out of the horses trailer. Bathing clippers, ponying out on the hills and thru mud creeks and brush, walk, trot and canter, with crazy Danes galloping in and out of view. Sitting on them bareback, bathing and fly spray.

So…. Inevitably, tacking was next, even though they still need some size on them to ride much, we made a group decision, Khali, Khassidy and I and up went the saddles….YAWN!
Whatever……

They did not move a toe, and were as relaxed as if they had done it 1000 times before….and THAT is what makes me happy. no stress, no fear, no rushing…no sweat. Nothing to un-do down the road……….So, as things were so casual and they felt relaxed, they went for a short ride alongside Carson and Gumby yesterday and in the play field today, walk, trot canter, play in the water jump, and untack like a pros….. and that’s that.
Nice work Girls! A +’s for you both and hats of to savvy Owners that want the best for their ‘kids’ future……it makes me so happy and what a great thing to be a part of…..

Thanks Lesley and John…….:)