respond accordingly. For Tibor, that meant consistently testing Lisa’s intentions. This is where coaching came in handy. By using Lisa’s coaching skills of revealing the ‘real issues’ behind the things in her life that created lack of clarity, as a team we were able to uncover her feelings about boundaries and were able to work through her concerns. We practiced this on the ground until she could act with confidence and clarity and communicate this feeling and intention. With each session she became more clear and concise while Tibor became more respectful of her space and her aids. Their relationship became much stronger as a result of this new and powerful energetic connection between them. Interestingly, this whole issue of boundaries translates
into how people relate to each other without horses. This is where the horses become Equine Coaches. While I worked with Lisa and Tibor on their boundaries while riding and jumping, I was also preparing Tibor for his Equine Coaching. How the clients perceived their ‘space’ in the relationships in their lives creates a parallel in how they perceive their ‘space’ and boundaries in working with the Equine Coaches. It is much easier to see this behavior in a round pen than in a complex relationship!
P H A S E II
Alternative Therapies
Once Fergie, our dressage horse, felt safe and was willing to stand quietly for her grooming I was able to begin the energetic work with her. As part of my holistic approach to preparing a horse for Equine Assisted Coaching and performance, I introduce alternative therapies to go deeper into addressing both the physical and non-physical aspects of the horses. Through techniques such as Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and energy balancing, I can begin to connect and impact the horse on different levels. Remembering Fergie’s limited ability to stand still I began with short 15–20 minute sessions and over time expanded them to an hour. She couldn’t handle the intensity of my hands on her so initially is worked on her from a distance without actually touching her. With each session she became more and more trusting in the process and began to really enjoy this new way of interacting with a human. Eventually Fergie would actually point to the locations on her body where she wanted me to put my hands for the energy work! Tibor loves attention, so the energy work was a big hit
“... we have gotten to a point in our riding where they will respond to the mere thought of a movement.”
with him. The challenge here, again, was to create a connection that was strong enough to maintain Lisa’s boundaries. Although a seemingly gregarious horse, he is very sensitive—so Lisa incorporated the energy work at a distance as well. Through this intimate work with no expectations, she and Tibor were able to develop an ‘agreed upon space’ for their interactions. This became an excellent way to prepare for our jumping lessons.
Lisa and her retired eventer, their resident equine coach.
P H A S E III
Under Saddle and Performance Enhancements
After a couple of weeks of ground and energy work it was time to apply everything we had done to riding. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean abandoning the ground and energy work! These are a continual and consistent part of the Equine Alchemy herd training program—for coaching or riding.
Warmbloods Today 49
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