In my family, we have a little tradition. It’s not a food that we share on a particular day. It’s not a place that we

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

Last week I wrote about the times and situations where our horsing life is not a source of solace but a source of stress and

Continuing on with our “Showing Up” Conversation! We started yesterday by talking about two different situations that can share the same outward manifestations, and how

Yesterday, I talked about showing up and how showing up for yourself is a very different conversation from showing up in spite of yourself. We

Showing up is something that’s talked about a lot. Personally, I’m a fan of it. After all, nothing happens, changes, or gets discovered if you

I was musing yesterday about a couple of memes circulating the internet (I know they are often not meant for deep contemplation but there you

Most of us are masterful at dissociating from our experience; from being anywhere other than truly where we are right now. And what’s more, the

Depression is a really big conversation, and I know it’s something that many people struggle with, as either an intermittent or regular feature of their

If I was ever to get a phrase or motto tattooed onto my body, this one would be it: Don’t make the story more important

This face right here is the face of a four-legged pup wot needs a lot of exercise. And if she doesn’t get it, she can

These days, breathwork is pretty standard practice. If you are looking for solutions for dealing with fear and anxiety, I would put large swathes of

Boundaries- your ability to recognize a need for them, to create them, and to hold them- is always an interesting discussion. As with everything, there

This morning I was tagged in a post on another page that was asking for help and advice on how to deal with “I’m not

In many ways, the world has cracked open with the discussion of trauma. It’s facilitated a greater degree of empathy and understanding; it’s allowed many

In our movement work in JoyRide over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been working with the centreline of the body. When I refer to

Many moons ago, I was watching a dressage test on YouTube and at the end of it, I started scrolling through the comments. “Wow”, one

The thing is, I don’t have time. Yes, another chimed in. We are time-poor. We would love to do this but it’s so hard to

A common situation for you. Your horse spooks and you find yourself completely discombobulated. In fact, you are so out of sorts, that the only

Let’s talk about “aiming for calm” as the end goal. But first, let’s talk about sensory input (so your nervous system taking information from your

I get asked from time to time how I deal with being online so much (as far as navigating the different conversations goes), and how

A quote that struck a chord with me today… “I need to listen well so I hear what is not said” ~ Thuli Madonsela  

The structure of our body, the way that we move, how we relate to our environment and each other all change in relationship to our

Let’s say we’ve been thinking about something we’re finding quite hard or working through a sticky spot in training. We need a plan, we tell

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