Stories & Inspiration
Honoring My Mentors – #6 Of course – My Horses!
Last but definitely not least: the most important mentors have been my horses and the ones I have worked with throughout the years.
Here is a story of a horse I met as a teenager who shaped who I have become.
His name was Carlos – my name being Carla, that didn’t feel like a coincidence.
He was 4 years old when he came to the barn I was riding at. This barn was my second home during my teenage years. I spent all my free time taking care of and riding horses there. I was the only teenager at the barn and ended up being put on all the young horses that were started there. The thinking was: “Well, she is light and she will bounce, so let’s put her on the young ones.” I definitely learned how to hang on. Lol.
Carlos was different though. At his young age, he had already been traumatized. He was extremely head shy, and was the first horse I ever encountered who attacked people.
I started bonding with him. I spent hours gently getting a halter, and eventually a bridle and saddle on him.
Then the big day came and I was to be the first one to ride him. And hell, I wish I had known then what I know now. I was lucky to not get hurt. It was considered normal that he would do a couple of laps of bucking (each and every ride) before he calmed down.
It was considered normal that I had to stop him against the wall because he didn’t understand seat or rein aids.
But at least, I managed to “ride” him and did so for a couple of months. And I was the only person he didn’t try to bite.
I tried all the ideas I could come up with. Some of them good ideas, some of them not so much.
I loved this horse dearly and was heart broken when he got sold to someone who was told: “This horse was ridden by a teenager…”
What I learned:
I wish I had had a human mentor at the time, not just for training the horse, but also to develop my skills as a rider, so that I would have been able to ride this horse in a harmonious way. I wish I had had:
- Someone who had the same horse-friendly ideas and loved them as much as I do.
- Someone who could have saved me the trial and error that hurt me and the horses.
- Someone who could teach me the skills to become a better rider and horse person.
- Someone I could trust to have my and the horse’s best interest in mind.
It’s not so easy to find a good mentor. I am lucky to have found some wonderful human beings that have helped me, and are still helping me to become the (horse) person I want to be.
If you are in search of a mentor, and this resonates with you: Consider if I can be the mentor you are looking for. You can get a taste of what that could look like by becoming a member of The Intuitive Rider Academy.
When To Practice What To Become An Intuitive Rider – #1
Riding is not a linear process, but there is a way to learn in a systematic, step-by-step way. In the coming weeks, I...
Why am I not riding? – Part 3
Here is a story I heard from a mindset and motivation coach: one of his clients wanted to implement the habit of runn...
Why am I not riding? – Part 2
The question “Why am I not riding?” has multiple levels to it. One of them can be hidden (or not so hidde...
Why am I not riding?
I got asked this morning: “I keep finding excuses why I can’t ride. So I am not riding my horse much R...
My End-Of-Year Ritual
Here is an end-of-year ritual that I do every year, and I thought you might find helpful too: Looking back at the not...
Are you using your breathing to improve your riding?
Did you know that you are breathing 20-25,000 (!) times a day? Did you know that breathing is a movement skill? ̵...
My Mentor’s Book “Neuroathletics for Riders”
Finally, my Neuro-Rider mentor’s book has been translated into English! Yay! Here is an excerpt of the descript...
Aristotle was wrong…
“Aristotle was wrong…” That’s how Scott McCredie begins the Prologue of his highly interestin...
Rider, Breathe! – But How?
Have you heard your instructor say: “Breathe!”, or have you caught yourself holding your breath when ridi...
What Flying A Plane And Riding A Horse Have In Common
One of my clients is a pilot. When I introduced the concept of Soft Eyes for riding, she said: “As pilots, we d...
About Sally Swift and Centered Riding
Centered Riding and Sally Swift have been big influences on my life. Let me share with you what I learned from Sally ...
A Simple Breathing Exercise: Part 2
Look what I found at the grocery store: a wellness magazine called “Breathe” We all breathe. You wouldn&#...
Here is what AI says – about balance and riding
I did an experiment this morning. I asked ChatGPT (an AI-powered language model): “Please write a paragraph on ...
A Simple Breathing Exercise
A Simple Breathing Exercise To Use In The Saddle (Or On The Ground). Use this exercise when you need to calm yourself...
What’s Working? What’s not Working?
“What’s working, what’s not working?” is a question I like to ask my clients before a lesson....
How A Tongue (!) Movement Can Make You Feel Safer In The Saddle
In the Ask Me Anything About Horses Session today, we did a tongue (!) movement that can improve your balance and coo...
Improve Your Riding With The Shake Out
Here is a great way to get yourself “warmed up” for your ride. It will instantly improve your body awaren...
Overcome Fear – An Exercise
Fear in horse riding is real, and it can take away from the joy and connection we want to experience with our horses....
My Presentation At The Journey On Podcast Summit
The Journey On Podcast Summit last year in San Antonio was an epic event. I felt so grateful and honored to share the...
Journey On Summit 2022
The Journey On Summit was an epic event on many levels. Here is my personal experience as a presenter: I went with an...
How to get your Brain on Board with Horse Riding
Greetings from Germany, where I am right now for another training in the Neuro-Rider system. The charts in the image ...
Learning Tips
Are you a lifelong learner too? I definitely am. And I have always felt that I owe it to the horses to become the bes...
Principle of Trainings For The Rider
There are lots of Principles of Training that focus on the horse. I have put together The Intuitive Rider Principles ...
Honoring My Mentors – #6 Of course – My Horses!
Last but definitely not least: the most important mentors have been my horses and the ones I have worked with through...
Honoring My Mentors – #5 My Piano
Piano? You might wonder if you were reading that right. And yes, I consider my piano as one of my wonderful mentors. ...
Honoring My Mentors – #4 The Rider’s Body Awareness
When I first started riding as a kid, the instructor just yelled commands and corrections at us without ever explaini...
Honoring My Mentors – #3 Classical Dressage
Here are the mentors who inspired my love for the beautiful dance that dressage can be. And by dressage, I do not mea...
Honoring My Mentors – #2 Sally Swift
Day #2 of honoring my mentors. Sally Swift has been one of the big influences in my life. Let me share with you what ...
Honoring My Mentors – #1 Ursula Bruns
Having great mentors that help you learn and grow is such a great gift! I want to take this week to honor my mentors ...
Cue Your Horse With Your Thoughts!
Would you like to learn how to cue your horse so subtly, it feels like “just thinking it” and it happens?...
“I suck” vs “That’s interesting”
You have heard me talk about the joy in riding, and how important it is to focus on the things that are already worki...
How To Shed Self-Doubt And Find More Joy In Riding
Self-Doubt is one of the big obstacles on our journey to become the horse person we want to be.
Here is an arti...
How Do You Mount Your Horse?
Cate had a stressful day. She is still chatting with her friend in an emotional discussion about politics while dragg...
Feel Your Seat Bones For A More Connected Seat!
Here is a fun, short video on how to feel your seat bones. Enjoy!
...
Feel The Horse’s Movement And Get Your Timing Right
Here is a short video for a first idea on how to feel your horse’s movement and get your timing right, so that ...
Do You Know WHERE Your Horse And You Are Going?
Do you know this one? You have just mounted, you are riding away from the mounting block, but you haven’t reall...
Ride with L.E.O.
One of my instructors once jokingly said: “I don’t know what you are complaining about: You just have to ...
How To Stay Balanced In Turns
Check out this 2-minute video with a great exercise to help you stay straight and balanced in turns. Enjoy!
...
The “On The Bit” Struggle
Three weeks ago I told you about the lungeing and in-hand clinic I attended in Germany. It was all about getting the ...
How To Achieve Self-Carriage In The Horse
Greetings from Germany.
I am the student this weekend. I am deepening my knowledge of a work that I have studie...
What Is There To Learn From Young Horses?
Greetings from Denmark where I will be working with these cute Icelandic horses. I will be traveling through Europe i...
Too Tense Or Too Relaxed In The Saddle?
Have you ever struggled with finding the right balance between relaxation and positive tension? It’s easy to ge...