Speaker 1 (00:35)
I was telling Stormy I'd watched her documentary last night and Stormy it has resonated with me at so many levels. And you start out with Mark Rashid whom I've seen since I was in my teens. I was fortunate in our area that we had him come to the area and my parents rode in a lot of clinics. So I got to watch him start my dad's horse and
Just in the whole movie, it's always going into us focusing on ourselves and realizing that it comes from us, which I think a lot of people hear when they are being taught, you know, it's the writer's fault, it's, know, but that on the surface, it's so superficial and it doesn't, the depth isn't.
always communicated and Mark does a beautiful job communicating it in your documentary does an absolutely phenomenal job of communicating that because it's there's so many levels and I think as and that was neat too to watch your journey as you were you know you were describing how you had to go through this process and everybody in the fair we're going to have so many people at at such different parts in their journey.
And each part causes us to to see things a certain way, and it leads us into the next place on our path. And I think if we learn to listen to both our inner self, but also our horses, because they are really our greatest teachers, and you get into that as well, which is so cool. I think it it allows a person to go on the journey that is going to really create pretty profound change in.
their life. thank you for sharing your documentary because yeah, it's it's meaningful and I'm so excited for people to see it in the fair. And you have you were saying you have a new documentary coming up. So please tell us.
Speaker 2 (02:22)
So it really is the continuation of the path of the horse, but the path of the horse most people don't realize I made it 13 years ago and so Since then yeah, I mean it still seems so relevant, but it was such a long time ago for me And just I got more and more into it is personal development It is being the person you want to be and living the life you want to live and how do you create that? With horses and in the rest of your life
And so I studied with the teachers in the path of the horse and then a lot more since then and really refine down kind of a very effective, very current way to step out of conflict and into harmony. You know, we're sold the idea that, well, once your horse is trained, then you can be happy, then you can have peace, and then, you know, they'll respect you. But
that never comes or if it does it's for a fleeting minute and then something else happens. So what I found the key is is to live that beautiful harmonious peaceful compassionate life every day and then you don't have to wait until your horse is trained or till you have the right combination of circumstances. You'll have it later because you know how to have it today.
So that's what the new documentary is about. And I'm hoping for it to actually be a mini-series of these ways that are very effective at getting us the life we want to live, both with horses and the rest of our life. So the actual story that we're going to build this episode around is a trip to Switzerland that we just took this summer. And we filmed one of my online students.
have another woman that I'm collaborating with and.
We're going to tell her story as she progressed through learning these things and then show her with her horses and the changes that were made. So that's what I'm up to.
Speaker 1 (04:12)
That's excellent. And I think it's so neat to be able to see, and you're doing this, you're documenting, in the movie you've documented, or in the last documentary, you documented your journey. And now we're getting to see it through one of your students, which should be so interesting because everybody's journey is so different and it's so personal to where they're at and who they are. And I love how you're talking about how it needs to happen now.
It doesn't have to be this thing that, you know, it's somewhere in the future, we'll get there because really it's how you show up today that matters. And that's so cool. That's so cool to hear. So when can we expect this? I know you said soon.
Speaker 2 (04:54)
Yeah, and it depends on the air date and you know, we're recording this ahead of time. So likely actually by the time people are watching it, at least the trailer will be out. We're doing some fundraisers to get the funds to finish production. And then, boy, this year, this year, a months.
Speaker 1 (05:14)
Excellent. under, so if you're watching this interview, under the interview, we're going to definitely get a link to the trailer and a way to access the series. And I'm sure they have to sign up for it somehow. And so we'll get you get you that information so that you can take a look because I am 100 % certain you're going to find some super valuable information and insights in this and I'm excited to see it. Really excited to see it. So thank you for sharing that. So
On your journey, what would you say?
Speaker 2 (05:43)
Thank
Speaker 1 (05:44)
has given or yielded, well, first of all, so a lot of people, they feel like they're a failure or they're failing their horse or they're not good enough. what, can you share, because I think it's good for people to know, what was your biggest failure with your horse? But then how did you take that and transform it?
and change it into something that was actually okay because it brought you to where you are now.
Speaker 2 (06:10)
Yeah, I would say I had two real low points and that they both were part of what drove me to make the path of the horse, which was, you know, the flowers that I grew with the fertilizer. But the low points were actually two particular horses I had. One was a Dutch warm-blood mare who was going to be my Olympic dressage horse. And she was just not okay with being ridden. You know, she loved me. She was great on the ground.
you know, no problems there. But once I got on to ride, it was just a fight every time. And she had so much potential, so, so frustrating. And I tried everything. I tried the gentle techniques, I tried the harsh techniques, and it was still this ongoing battle for 11 years. I'm persistent, yeah. Until I realized she's right. You know, this riding thing is not something that is gonna work for her and I together.
At that point I was already a successful horse trainer, so I didn't really doubt my methods, but of course I was always looking for better ones. And then really the last straw was this pony mare that was sent to me as a three-year-old to be started and trained as a kid's pony. And she too just wanted nothing to do with that. She was fine on the ground, but once she started to force her into doing things, she just said no. And I didn't like who I was.
forcing her to do this. Like I thought there was this mysterious way that she would want to do it and I would want to do it and we would do it together. So that's when I said, okay, I can't keep doing this because it looked like me hurting a pony and not okay. I was the gentle horse trainer, you know, like, and if I couldn't find anything better and if I sent her to somebody else, they would have done it more. So that was just not okay. I just said, forget it. I'm not going to keep doing this.
And that's when I found the solution, which was go and study from these amazing masters of horsemanship and really assimilate.
Speaker 1 (08:01)
all in. mean you went.
Speaker 2 (08:03)
I sold the ranch, I really did sell the ranch so that I could have the money to do it.
Speaker 1 (08:07)
big, you know, that's huge because, I mean, you we've had our farm and so I understand you get so attached to it and to, you know, the farm, the animals, the lifestyle, everything. So that's a huge jump. So for people that are listening, sometimes you do have to maybe make a pretty big change because if you don't change yourself, it's not going to change itself.
So really it does come to us making the changes. that's, yeah, I just wanted to share that you made this huge, huge change.
Speaker 2 (08:42)
Thank you. So after that, we're still 13 years ago, I started studying then more with human teachers and human development teachers and all sorts of different modalities, every sort of healing technique and therapy and all that. And I found that what it really came down to was certain exercises.
there would be certain exercises that you would do that would lead you to this sense of peace and freedom in a moment. So that's what I spent years and years practicing and still practice because I see they're like mental hygiene habits, you know, so really what gets in the way of what was just where you started, you said, you know, people think that they're not doing it right or they're, yeah, I forget exactly what you said, but
that they're having these troubles, they're having these struggles because what they think they want to do isn't what is happening. So really it's a problem in our mind. The problem isn't out with the horse. The horse is just doing what the horse does. You know, like a two-year-old human child is having a problem because they're having a tantrum. They're not having a problem, they're expressing themselves in the only way they know.
So if a horse is bucking or bolting or rearing or shying or whatever, it's not a problem. They're doing what they need to do. So the problem is we have a problem with that. So how can we come into harmony with accepting the horse as they are in that moment? And then that's what allows the horse to shift. Because if we're not adding fuel to the fire, they come back really quickly and are like, ⁓ you're not going to hurt me. You're not going to
force me, you're not going to hit me, you're not going to scare me. Okay, I feel safe with you. And that's the basis for this new relationship, where it is true partnership, not I say you do or else, but what are your ideas of what you want to do? What are my ideas? And let's come up with something in between the two where we're both having fun together and no force is necessary. Because I don't want to be the kind of person who
hurts a horse, even to the extent of, you know, if I really don't need to, am I going to put a halter on and pull them where I want them to go? You know, of course, if I need to, if it's an emergency, sure, of course. But what else am I doing it for? Is it for myself because I think I want to show that I can control you? Or is it really for the horse's benefit?
Speaker 1 (11:10)
Right, that's cool. And it sets it up so that the horse has to want to be with you. And you have to then therefore come from a place where you create that, which is any friendship, right? Any relationship. It's a two-way thing. it needs to be, you have to bring something in in order to get something out. And that's what I hear you saying is.
What are you bringing into the relationship?
Speaker 2 (11:36)
Yeah. Why would the horse want to be with you? What are you bringing to the horse's life? What are you enriching the horse's life with?
Speaker 1 (11:43)
Right, neat, that's so cool and I think that's so important. So would there be like a exercise that somebody could try to help them with their mind and the mental side of things, some simple takeaway that we could, or you could offer people that.
Speaker 2 (11:59)
Yeah, and actually with this series, I'm going to be offering that awakening with animals audio series. Those are all great ways into finding this place within yourself so that then you are in a space to connect with your animal. And so those are more like guided visualizations. And they also have this music soundtrack with them that helps your
Speaker 1 (12:05)
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:21)
brain synchronize the different hemispheres. So you end up feeling a lot more still and present and positive than when you started. As far as something real quick we could do right now, well, let me back up. So there's two kinds of exercises that I find are very useful, most useful. I'm just kind of making these two categories because they are rather different. The first is presence.
So that would be anything that brings you out of your thinking mind and into this breath. How does the air feel? How does my foot feel? What does it feel like inside and out? Because if you're having a problem, I can almost guarantee it's because you're thinking something. It's not a nice thing. There was a study recently done that said we think about 50,000 thoughts a day.
and of those 95 % of them are repetitive and 80 % of them are negative. That's our problem right there. For sure. It's not like we chose this, but this is what our parents did. This is what our teachers did. This is what the government does. This is what everybody around us is doing. So of course we're doing it, but we're just now really waking up to the fact of, oh, we can change it. I'm not stuck just because I was raised this way.
doesn't mean I have to live the rest of my life that way. So that's where presence addresses. Presence addresses, do you recognize that you're even in a thought right now? Or are you saying, well, that's me and I'm right. This is the way things are, which is so common. But we don't recognize we're doing it. We recognize when somebody else is stuck in it. But when we're in it, it's like we're right. Right.
So that's where it helps to have somebody else along with you on this journey to help, you know, point you back on track. So that would be that type of exercise that following the breath or listening to the sounds or any sort of state where you're not in your normal mental thought pattern. And then the other type of exercises are inquiry. And these are the kind of inquiry where
you are thinking, you know, recognizing that we can't stop thinking for long, even if we wanted to. So let's influence our thinking. So that 80 % of negative thoughts can turn to something either more neutral or hopefully positive. So, you know, that's where thinking like, my, my horse won't get on the trailer. And if you're feeling really bad, cause he should be able to get on the trailer. And then
This is kind of a weird example. I don't know why it's coming to me. But then next thing you hear is the horse was in a trailer accident. And then you think, wow, maybe there was a good reason that he didn't want to go in the trailer. So not being so sure or so stuck in like it has to be this way. And maybe a better example would be
So that's weird. I was thinking like with supplements, like you think your horse has to have this certain supplement for their hooves. So you feed it for a year and their hooves look like they look. then.
the horse goes to a different owner and they aren't feeding that supplement anymore. And then all of sudden the horse's feet look better. So questioning those kinds of things where we're sure that we're doing the right thing, but is that thought bringing us peace? Is that thought feeling in the flow? Is that thought feeling like something that is adding to our harmony or is it another one of those negative thoughts that's disturbing us?
And again, you have to have the presence part first because otherwise you're not even realizing that you're stuck in a thought. you become present and then notice this thought. And for a lot of us, the ones we notice first are repetitive ones like, I don't have enough money or I need to move or I can't deal with that person or my horse is so naughty. know, those ones, if we could just change those, it changes our life.
Speaker 1 (16:07)
Right. So are you encouraging people to, when they have a thought, go into more of that presence or that feeling state and see how that thought is influencing where you're coming from right now?
Speaker 2 (16:20)
Yeah,
and that's a good way to put it. Really, as you start to study yourself in this way, your negative thoughts and your negative emotions become your guides. They become what, you know, because that, we don't have a problem with our good thoughts and our good emotions, so let's leave those alone for now. But what about those negative ones? Our guidance system saying, hey, this doesn't feel right. Like when I was hitting that pony, it's like, no, this doesn't feel right. I gotta change.
So yeah, it's not bad that you're having a bad thought. Another perspective could be, that's great, I'm human, I'm alive. I could use this because I'm being shown this is what's wrong, like watching the news. It's not nice to watch the news, but now you know where the problem spots are in the world. So it's like watching the news in yourself, where are the problem spots? then how can I find some effective tools to...
wake up and shift those perspectives around so that I'm finding my own harmony regardless of what anybody else is doing or what's being done to me.
Speaker 1 (17:19)
Cool, is so, yeah, that is so special. I mean, it really holds a lot of keys there. And I think that's a path that just kind of keeps going. I don't know that there's an end goal, but I don't think that there necessarily ever is an end goal because it's that path that we're on in the growth of ourselves.
That's so neat. like how you divide it up into the two different categories. Because I think for the thinking mind, helps us differentiate and be able to know that just because the thought is here, there's also this other piece that, although related to the thought, can be more powerful.
maybe allow us to kind of let go of that and and transmute it into something you know better and so it's it's very it's very interesting I think it's a side of horsemanship that doesn't always get
how do I want to say it addressed in like a lesson situation or in a place when you're with the horse because it's almost like work that you have to do. This is like the before, right? This is the work you need to do before you come to the horse. Yeah, that's I gonna say. And then while you're with the horse, it's going to point at a few other things, just like you're saying you help with people and point them back on the right path. It's kind of your horse is your guide in a way too to help.
Speaker 2 (18:31)
before and during.
Speaker 1 (18:45)
redirect you and point you on the right path. Now the audios, tell us a little bit about the audios a little more. So it's got the music that kind of helps calm and drop you into that state of flow. And then tell us a little more about how they work and how they guide you.
Speaker 2 (19:02)
Yeah, so they are, they're, they're fun and also really important. Um, like I think the first one is introduction to presence. So just talking about what presence is, what it isn't, and, and then giving you time to practice coming into presence. So how does it feel when you're in presence versus how does it feel when you're in a thought? Um, and then some of the other ones, like one of them is dancing with your animal and that's a really fun one.
And you know, we see people dancing with their animals and it looks fun. It looks good. It looks like, I wish I could do that. So this is something you can do in your own living room or your own stall or your own paddock. And it gives you permission. It guides you into that state of finding those steps that can happen together. I think another one is finding peace with your animal.
overcoming obstacles. So just different ways that that you can play with your your state of consciousness and and raising your state of consciousness in order to really connect with your animal. And this is totally appropriate for dogs, cats, birds, whatever animal. You can do it with wild animals. See what happens. Because it's it's gives you the step by step guidance to bring yourself into
that flow state, that harmonious state where everything just is. It's not, nothing's wrong with whatever's happening.
Speaker 1 (20:25)
That's interesting. think your message is so important in this day and age because everybody is getting so much more disconnected from nature. It's not a part of our everyday life. on devices or, you know, we work on a computer. Some people are stuck in cubicles, you know, for the whole day and then they go home and watch TV and there's this huge separation and
you're helping people discover the real piece, the real reason that we're all here. And it is that importance of connecting with what is, which is nature, right? The real world and maybe getting off of, you know, just being fixated on screens or rushing from one thing to the other and that sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (21:12)
That's where horses really are our teachers. You know, we're spending so much of our horsemanship time thinking, what can I teach the horse? But really the magic is what can they teach us? And I don't mean that as a metaphor. I mean, really, what can they teach us? I mean, we think another common myth is that horses need a job. What if they were created and their job is to graze and to have a social herd, you know, like
They got this covered. It's us that thinks that they need a job because we think we need jobs. So when we're learning from them, like maybe it would be okay to graze with friends a little bit longer. Maybe it's okay to go and wade in the river. Maybe it's okay to enjoy, you know, be curious about the butterfly flying around because that's where they are still connected in ways that we have become disconnected.
So by really following them back into their world, into their culture, into their experience, we find peace, we find compassion, we find empathy, you know? And it really is studying who they are, studying what they do. There's this great book called Kinship with All Life. It was written in the 50s and it's about all sorts of different animals, but it's very...
Speaker 1 (22:23)
to write that down.
Speaker 2 (22:24)
Yeah, Kinship with
All Life. The author is J, just the letter J, and then Alan Boone, B-O-O-N-E. And it was written in the 50s. And this guy comes with such an innocence to animals and just wants to learn all about them. And it starts with him studying this dog that was a big film star in the 50s. And then goes to
describing his encounters with skunks and worms and flies and horses and dogs and cats and all sorts of other animals. But the way he writes about it is very much, he's not trying to teach them anything. He is trying to listen to them, learn their language, find the wisdom that they have to share. So I think this path is very similar. It's what do the horses have to share?
that can help reconnect us back with us as humans. know, really, if you think back to why we started using horses for our own purposes, it was for meat, it was for transportation, it was for warfare, it was for farming. These are all human things. You know, it never has been, you know, who are they for themselves? Well, other than maybe people who study wild horses and wild herds.
So this is really going back to.
removing us as the dominators of nature and back into real partnership with nature, where it's just as much about what you want to do as what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (23:53)
I am so glad to have been able to spend this time together because this is such a meaningful message and I can't wait to see your new documentary. I am certain it's going to be fantastic and informative.
Speaker 2 (24:07)
Well, I want to thank you for bringing this group together because I think a lot more of this is needed and thank you for making this happen right now. Because I think so much people get stuck in like, this is the person I follow and they don't recognize all these other opportunities. So, know, very much like what I did in the path of the horse, you know, here are all these different peoples, people and here's
how their messages are coming together. So just you creating this event and inviting all these people to share their wisdom in different ways is wonderful. Because I think that's what it's gonna take. I've done a lot of, my big goal here is world peace. And world peace is a lot of people with individual peace. So as people see different ways to find that.
we're all walking towards a more peaceful world. So thank you for doing this because you're doing what needs to be done and really cross pollinating all these horse lovers.
Speaker 1 (25:05)
Thank you. I appreciate you seeing it for what it is too. And it does, we have so much to learn from one another. And we can only grow if we can come together in peace, right? And be able to recognize the goodness in what others have to offer, even if it doesn't quite mesh with where we're at right now, because it might help somebody else come along that path.
or it might be beyond where we're at and we just, we can't even comprehend the things that they are speaking to. And so, yeah, so I'm glad to have you as a part of the event because I think there's going to be a lot of people that are going to get a lot from what you have to offer and it's going to help bring them along to that next step in their journey. And I think a step into what you're working on is a very meaningful one, a very, very meaningful one.
Speaker 2 (26:01)
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:02)
Cool.
All right. Well, I'd like to thank everybody for joining us and, and yes, and thank you to Stormy for, for sharing her story.
