Perspective. It’s kind of everything and yet at the same time, how much of our perspective is informed by reality? The answer to that is,

My horses are on holidays until the end of the month- I’m devoting so much time to putting my new program together that an equine

My eldest little boy is obsessed with skiing. He reads books about it, studies YouTube clips online, is thrilled at the onset of winter and

We humans have a funny relationship with failure, and perhaps the most curious aspect about it is that the whole thing is completely made up.

Lupin is 12 weeks old today. I picked her up just over 3 weeks ago and began the puppy tending duties that are not dissimilar

There’s a meme or a quote that I’ve seen floating around recently that speaks to the idea that “extreme independence” is a trauma response. I

Yesterday, we jumped into a conversation around learning that centered around the fear of ruining your horse. If you missed that and want to have

Afraid to take action for fear of ruining your horse? You are in good company! It’s something that I hear about a lot, and it

I’ve taken some time off social media this last little while to have more time to devote to things behind the scenes, and one of

At the start of the week, I had a little gigglesnort to myself that the most motivational mantra that I could come up with when

Last week, I sat down and I made a list of all the things that I had to do that had been sitting on the

This week I participated in/ watched a human dissection of the central nervous system. It’s the first time that I’ve been a part of anything

It’s often interesting to observe what you have taught and then to observe what you think you have taught… but then realized that you really haven’t. Let’s

So, two facts about me that I don’t think are known outside my immediate family. I love rock climbing. Like, I love watching people do

Intuition is a subject of particular fascination for me, and the more that I study and understand the nervous system, the more I realise that

While we are hot on the topic of motor responses this week, let’s talk about the term “muscle memory”; it’s one that we hear a

When it comes to biomechanics and alignment, the conversations centre around structure and functional optimization, but very rarely does that same conversation include references to

Yesterday, we talked about mental models and maps, and I briefly mentioned how they were a function of our sympathetic nervous system. I thought we

The ol’ “too much of a good thing” comes into effect in so many ways, and often well outside the parameters that we expect. Take

How will you know if you’ve succeeded if you don’t know what it feels like to fail? The very definition of learning for the brain

On the final day of the clinic, Dee and I were merrily trotting around on a circle to the right. A little obstacle course had

I remember at one point walking around the indoor arena with Dee last week and realizing that I needed to bring the focus back to

The last couple of days of the clinic went by in a blur, so I thought I would give you a smooshed together breakdown of

So, some updates from Day Two for you! I’ll break it down horse by horse… Dee 🦄 It’s been really interesting to manage my expectations

It’s Day One of this week’s Clinic Diaries (I’m running a day behind as I couldn’t keep my eyes open last night)! So, the initial

Along with Nadia, Dee has also come back into full-time work, and it’s so exciting to be able to observe your progression in ways that

It’s always interesting to listen to discussions around whether or not the different environments that we ride in are supportive or not. I’m thinking competitive

Overthinking is the product of a system functioning from sympathetic mode. When we are in a place of sympathetic dominance, the parts of our brain

Last week, I shared some thoughts on empathy and how my understanding of survival patterns have made me more aware of my responses and how

Prior to this moment, I had just been tinkering away, doing my thing. Compared to my previous competition life (when even the slightest hint of

Well, true to the plan, Nadia and I ventured out for our first Working Equitation Competition and much giggle snorting ensued! For those of you

Most of us humans have a pretty skewed relationship with bodily sensation. Depending on our experiences, labels, and stories, we categorise certain feelings in the

This is not necessarily a new discussion, but one that’s interesting to have, nonetheless. These days, it’s not uncommon to go to an event or

Nadia and I cantered past the barrel with the long pieces of dowel sticking out that were doubling as makeshift garrochas. I reached my hand

One of the fundamental shifts and changes I have made over the last 12 months has to do with my understanding of empathy. It used

{This week, I asked my JoyRide members if they had any questions or thoughts they would like me to share in my daily posts. My

{This week, I asked my JoyRide members if they had any questions or thoughts they would like me to share in my daily posts. My

Nadia and I have decided to enter a local winter series for Working Equitation that’s coming up in a couple of weeks. At first, I

Normally I’m quite a productive little creature. I don’t really notice this about myself until I have a day where the inspiration just isn’t flowing,

My riding has become an exploration of responsiveness. I understand now that as soon as I require my leg to be here, or my arm

I saw a meme the other day that said something along the line of “Anxiety is not of the mind. Anxiety is of the body”.

The other day was one of Those Days. Those Days are tricky because they often sneak up on you. You can even have a streak

When I started playing the Ukulele, there were some chords that were easy to get my fingers around and there were others that… weren’t so

The thing with much of what I’m teaching now is that it’s not really a quick fix. I’m cool with that. I’m not sure anything

I’ve got to reading another book recently called The Electricity Of Every Living Thing. It’s by Katherine May- you might remember a couple of posts

I was told once that failure is nothing more than a blind spot in our awareness where new information can enter. I love this definition.

If I have the belief that there is a right way to do something, I’ve eliminated all possibilities for learning. My quest for “right-ness” can

I’ve been playing with this definition of resistance for myself. If I understand learning to be a releasing of old patterns as much as it

On Saturday, it began again. I went outside, grabbed the halters, and one by one, I worked all three of my horses in the arena.

Those of us in the southern hemisphere are noticing the days becoming gradually shorter and the light change from a white milky brightness to a

Who’s had a chance to listen to this week’s podcast? I’ve plucked this quote out of the conversation because whether or not the actual subject

Changing your future experience is simply a matter of paying attention to your present experience. If it’s change you are seeking, figure out how to

“I just want to get back to normal” A sentence that I hear all the time. But in this instance what truly does normal mean?

“You know Jane, it’s always about the letting go. An unwillingness to let go is always going to be the biggest stuck point”. I’m paraphrasing

I was making up horse feed the other day, listening to the radio, and they were discussing various the various funding cuts and allocations being

Something that you hear a lot around discussion of the nervous system are the terms regulation and dysregulation (and if you’ve read my posts or

What if every moment you find yourself in is not about having to fix yourself or get better or be better… What if instead it

Micro-dosing is my new favourite word. I don’t use it in relation to medication. Instead, I think of micro-dosing as a means to increase vitality

I get a lot of questions asking if my programs are suitable for someone who isn’t currently riding, is returning from injury, is “just” working

We are all products of so many things. The school systems we were a part of. The cultures we grew up in. Our particular family

A lot of what we perceive as “personal problems” or “weaknesses” are more often than not explainable reactions and responses that we lack context and

When it comes to working with my own horses (and really, we can expand that out to encompass life generally), I don’t set goals anymore.

There’s a lot of discussion around relaxing and releasing tension- but not so much about what we are releasing into. The fact is that tension

How’s this for something to practice? When it comes to evaluating or reflecting on a training session, it’s easy to become outwardly focused. “My horse

If you have a similar obsession (or even interest) in learning about the body, you might also enjoy learning about the origin of some of

My relationship to rest is such a curiosity to me. I am in the enviable position of being passionate about the work I do and

This morning, when I sat down to write, I fell into a familiar feeling that sometimes meets me when I’m thinking of what to share.

So many of us have a complicated relationship with sensation, energy, and activation in the body, meaning that any time we feel the stirring of

Any resistance that you have in your mind has a corresponding pattern in the body. If you are finding that you have no idea where

The last year or so, I’ve been working more and more with people who are coaches and practitioners themselves, and doing that kind of work

If there’s one thing that I am continually reminding myself of, it’s that you have to play the long game. The long game is not

You know, Dee, I’ve realized something. I used to think that to be mentally strong meant that you didn’t deviate from the plan. That you

When you think of being calm and centered, what comes up for you? How do you picture this experience in your mind’s eye? How do

I thought I would share a little story with you, because I’ve had a couple of 1:1 sessions with people lately who needed to hear

In the podcast that was sent out today, I talked about how my horsemanship for me has become a practice in everyday activism. As I

Just before Christmas, I jumped on the phone to talk to my friend, and she asked the standard question we all do in those moments:

You can’t train a horse out of their horse-ness. You can’t train a human out of their humanness. Let’s think about spooking. A question I

Something for you to play with, should you fancy. In my work, whenever I begin a discussion with someone and it’s clear to me that

What my horse has taught me about… dealing with confrontation. Let’s start by defining what I mean by confrontation. Confrontation in the context of this

When we feel safe, we play. When we feel concerned, we control. If you find yourself clinging to the need to control, seek out more

How about this? How you feel about your body is learned. Those parts that you don’t like? You learned to think of them that way.

The other day, Sausage and I decided to go for a walk on the inlet together. It’s been an exciting time for us- she was

Where is the point that you stop yourself? At what stage does the self-consciousness arise? What is the thing that you don’t allow yourself to

I’m fascinated at how quickly you lose rapport with your horse when your attention deviates. Many a time, I have been working on something and

The scene is set. There’s a palpable sense of tension that streaks across the screen. They are standing in what looks like a drawing-room. Every

Here’s an example of how this story unfolds: Person A- let’s call her Suzie- has a question. She starts to type and finds after a

I came to a really great definition of learning recently: Learning is not the process of accumulating, but the process of giving up. The bigger

In the beginning, a dream is a fragile thing. When it’s felt in your belly and makes itself known in your mind, it can feel

You know, Dee tells me, it seems to me that humans worry about failing a lot. We ride softly across the sand. Huh, I tell

The other day I was participating in a Facebook thread around nerves and anxiety, and one of the commenters asked if the person in question

Investigating the source of our nerves is secretly a call to ask more beautiful questions of ourselves. It’s an opportunity to observe those parts that

Wait, wait, mum, I want you to watch! I turned around to see a complicated series of structures that all fed into each other. A

“Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you  Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as

What do you think it would look like if we all just practiced trusting ourselves? How do you think that would make things different for

One of my favourite parts of JoyRide, my membership program, is the weekly Q&A session that we have. It’s such a great platform for discussing

Another conversation I have been reading online that I’ve been musing about and wanted to chime in on. Let’s break it down into two parts:

Over the Christmas break, I got tagged in a post of a group I am a part of that was considering the concept of “free-floating

In ancient Greece, Cassandra was one of the Trojan Princesses of Apollo. As the story goes, Apollo took a bit of a fancy to her

All this talk of red mares is nothing new. Feisty. Furious. Opinionated. Difficult. Unpredictable. The category of options in the red mare handbook written by

I had a conversation the other day and something was mentioned to me that I had never heard of before: A silent disco. What, I

Confidence is something that we are all in dynamic relationship with, and I am in constant conversation with riders who tell me that they have

With a handful of exceptions, most riders I work with have a pre-disposition to the flight and freeze response and as a consequence, I’ve developed

If you need to rest, you should do that. Life is not a race to fill in the gaps. ❤️ Jane

Vitality: exuberant physical strength or mental vigor; the capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence; the power to live

There’s a great quote from Jack Nicklaus which is: The most important part of winning is losing. I’ve come to understand the importance of this

Imagine that standing next to you there is a little girl (or a little boy).   They come with you everywhere that you go.  

I’ve spent a good part of my life not being very nice to my body. It’s kind of been like a low-grade relationship with the

In the field of horses and humans, there is so much knowledge around. We know about the nervous system, training systems, methods of managing our

Nadia and I often adventure around the farm.   She’s mostly brave mixed in with a little bit of not-so-braveness. In her not so brave

Now this one… this is something that you need to continually practice. And you know why? Because every time you leave yourself *off* the list,

This one has stung at times, but here’s the thing you have to remember:   Standing up for yourself…   Operating within your own integrity…

“You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest? … The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.” ~ David Whyte   Wholeheartedness, you now

Moving has become your anti-freeze practice. I mean, granted, you’ve always moved. For years you’ve done yoga and walked and run and been diligent about

It’s interesting, because a few years ago if someone had asked you to describe the word “anticipation”, it’s like that you would have paired it

With so much going on in the world at the moment, it’s important to realise that you are more resilient than you might give yourself

Well, this year has been quite the time. There’s been stuff come up which has never really crossed your radar in terms of being on

Outsourcing your power to trainers, clinicians, coaches, people at your barn. It’s a conversation that I am having with riders I work with all the

A big little thing that makes all the difference not only to how I evaluate my training sessions but also in my ability to stay