Release stress from your body

Sometimes, to help your horse, you have to step away and help yourself. I did it, and the change it’s had on me as a horseperson (& human!) and the change in my horses has been incredible to be a part of and witness. (And of course, I’m not going to leave you hanging, so I created a new course to help you with it, too!)

Here’s my story:

I remember the day I put Sota “to pasture.” It was spring 2021 & we had spent 3 years battling on-again-off-again lameness, unpredictable behaviour, & constantly going one step forward-two steps back. I put thousands of dollars (& millions of tears) into her healing but nothing was working.

I was so burnt out. I didn’t trust my intuition because I couldn’t hear it & looked to everyone except myself & my horse for answers. I was trying everything & was so emotionally drained that I needed a break from it all as much as she did. I joked that I was putting myself out to pasture as well. We both needed some time to just “be.”

That time is what started to change everything for us. Rather than putting all my energy into her & leaving myself a tense, reactive wreck, I was able to focus on healing from all of the stress I had accumulated in the past few years. In doing so, I watched Sota change.

I transformed from a version of me who couldn’t trust myself, always had a tense body, struggled to sleep, would let my mind trail off in worse-case scenarios, & whose heart was always racing, into a version of me who recognizes and listens to my intuition, softened & can recognize when my body is tensing, sleeps soundly and feels energized, recognizes when my mind is playing tricks on me & can course-correct. I watched my horse go from reactive behaviour, unable to stand still, so tight and tense, into a kind, relaxed, curious, & confident horse who wants to be with me.

All I changed was myself. I started intentionally moving my body to release the stress and unprocessed emotions I was holding onto, I learned to breathe properly and notice when my breath was shifting, to become aware of the tension and understand how to release it, and so much more. This shift in me shifted my mare & allowed her body to accept modalities (like the Balance through Movement Method, osteopathy, etc.) which provided real change to heal physically (before she was so blocked that even if the modality could have helped her, it couldn’t get in).

I created my Somatic Movement for Equestrians program for the people who feel how I felt; who have stress & emotions stored in their body & can’t make real progress until they let it out. I called it “Turn Yourself Loose” in dedication to the day I slipped Sota’s halter off & said, “You’re safe, you’re worthy, and I’ve always got your back.”
I had no idea that I was saying it to myself, too.

If you’re interested in learning more, click here to check out my new course, “Turn Yourself Loose: Somatic Movement for Equestrians.”

▪️ What it is: An online program for equestrians to release stored stress & unprocessed emotions from their body through Somatic Movement exercises and yoga.

▪️ What is Somatic Movement: Somatic movement is moving with full-body awareness, focusing more on how you’re feeling rather than meeting a specific fitness goal. It’s a way to connect your emotions to how you’re feeling physically.

▪️ How it helps: Regulating the nervous system, connecting deeper with your body, releasing stored stress & emotions so you no longer feel so anxious, tense, & dysregulated, and being able to show up as a more self-aware human and horseperson.

My desire to combine human & equine methodologies came from my struggles with my horses and the need to connect with my mind & body before I could expect my horses to connect with theirs.

I understand that to help our horses, we must also help ourselves. This is why I’m proud to offer a combination of human & equine services to help build a thriving partnership.

Please, reach out & ask me questions anytime!