We had a beautiful week as you’ll see in the photos for the Women’s Retreat! And the food was spectacular. We took turns bringing lunch each day. On Thursday night, we ate a
yummy barbecue steak dinner and then sat next to the tipi around a warm fire attempting to drum.
Right, and we played with our horses. There were many opportunities to reflect about what the horses were showing us. Not surprisingly, each human-horse combination was
unique and so each person worked on their individual relationship with their horse. They did what they needed to do, where they were at, with what they had. It was a testament to the evolution of all of our workshops. Thinking back to Dawson Creek, it was the same thing. Some people didn't even ride while others were working on body position, mobility, balance, all from the ground up. It’s not a cookie-cutter process.
Each day was comprised of meeting at the barn, gathering and spending time with the horses. We groomed them, fed them – just enjoyed them. And it was so peaceful and quiet
in the barn. Some mornings we talked about horse care and health. We measured the height and weight of each horse. We sat on the lawn discussing how to tell if our horses are
healthy, supplements, herbs, de-worming strategies, and more.
We had yummy coffee and bagels mid-morning. We got into the routine of establishing what each person wanted to do in the upcoming riding session during the coffee break.
Tex and Dagmar worked on getting used to each other. Dagmar is a new rider and Tex, more experienced: a good combination. And Tex loves his role almost taking care of Dagmar and showing her when they were on the right track. They got to where they could trot along the rail in an organized fashion. Tex loves patterns and so Dagmar used that to her advantage.
Ringo and Holly just rode a bit. Ringo, a rather large, young, growing horse who was having some soundness issues and so they worked together on his physical stuff. Ringo got to where he loved being in his stall (a brand new experience). You could almost see on his face the enjoyment of being at the Liberty Stables “Spa”. Holly tried a new saddle out and got Ringo started on some herbs. He was most interested in what the other horses were doing and he loved it when Holly did Reiki on him.
Pronto and Tina are a new combo. Pronto is only 3 and Tina is brand new with horses. Now you would think that would be a risky proposition. However, they are doing awesome
together. Tina got riding Pronto early on in the week and she practiced the ground exercises from the saddle. Pronto is a quiet boy but he is also a young horse and so he
challenged us just a bit each day with a little something new.
Star and Bridget are a dynamic duo. Star is just 4. Bridget is a lifelong horse lover. They found each other and are now enjoying a wonderful relationship. Bridget is working on body position in order to help Star move more easily. They got some neat things happening! The highlight of the week for them might have been the trailering. We found a really neat new way to teach horses to load and Star was a good example of a success.
Dessa will hopefully be writing more about this approach. It was something she had done with her horses in the past not realizing why it worked so well. It definitely works! Now you’re curious!
Wind Walker and Andrea are another wonderful pair. They’ve been together about 2 years which is how long we figured it takes to establish a really strong relationship. Wind
Walker loves coming to Liberty Stables. On the first day when we were meeting the horses one-on-one in the arena , Wind Walker came in, went to the other end and laid down! And she stayed there for several minutes! Through the week, Andrea worked on her body position. Dessa told the group that most people are a bit crooked and it shows up in
riding when horses can’t stay on the rail or their shoulders lean causing them to fall in on the circle. Wind Walker and Tex became close friends. That was neat to see.
We had a guest instructor do yoga on horseback with us. Margit McNaughton is a yoga instructor and horse lover. She put the two together and showed us how to limber up and get connected while on horseback. The horses really enjoyed it too. We did a bit of yoga each day after Margit’s visit.
On the last afternoon, we free-jumped some of the horses which is always fun.
We did a little theory as well. We sat around the table one day after lunch and talked about balance/energy/relaxation as well as mobility/flexibility/collectability. We used
crayons and magic markers to draw circles and write colorful notes.
On another day, we colored Mandelas which is a very meditative exercise. You can go on-line and print off Mandelas to colour at home.
It was a wonderful week and we truly enjoyed each other and our horses. Some folks who were unable to make it this year are already signing up for next year, same week in
September (September 20th to 24th, 2010). Mark your calendars and contact us if you’re interested.
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