In life, we must always strive towards balance. If one aspect of our lives overpowers the rest, there is a lack of balance and things start to fall apart. The Native Americans call this concept “the Wheel of Life”. Buddhists and Hindu’s believe in Karma, a constant exchange of energy and the concept of action and consequence. Newton’s third law states that; “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In Ancient Chinese beliefs, the concept of Yin and Yang is prominent, a concept of dualism, where there are opposites at play with each other, but also within each other, inseparable in many ways. In Christianity there is a constant battle between Dark and Light and the belief is that faith and dedication will lead to Light overcoming Darkness. What all of these ideals have in common is that duality exists and some form of balance is always at play. This relates not only to our personal lives as humans, but also relates tremendously to what animals, and especially horses can teach us if we are willing to listen. It has been my experience that a lack of balance in some aspect of an animal’s (or their owner’s) life causes visible behavioural issues. The other aspect that horses have to face daily is that we have domesticated them and they have to adapt to the environment we provide for them. They have done this very well over the last few hundred years and they seem to constantly be willing to fit themselves more and more to our moulds and demands. There are cases, however, when horses cannot cope with something they have to live with or do in their lives and this is where I love to come in.
Taking a holistic approach, it has always given me great joy to get to the bottom of certain “problem” behaviours that animals might display. I aim to understand them from every possible perspective and expect the owner to play an active role in the horse’s rehabilitation or “re-adjustment”. I try to tailor every consultation process to each person’s budget and physical and emotional scope, but my main goal is to give a voice to the horse when they possibly feel unheard or when they are so unbalanced physically, emotionally or spiritually, that they cannot cope with their present life. Consultations occur on a case-to-case basis and are priced per session, for as many sessions as are needed, or until the owner feels like they no longer require my services. I am not opposed to referrals and know my own capabilities. It is always my goal to humble myself to the horse, while negotiating with them about what’s expected of them in their current life. I draw from a background of over 20 years of experience in this field, as well as a recent qualification in advanced Equine Behaviour.
Besides working on issues clients’ horses might be struggling with, I have also always enjoyed seeing each human-equine partnership grow from their first meeting, for as long as the team is with me. Since I opened Equanimity Equestrian in 2012, I have loved partnering people with their horses, be that a first horse or otherwise. Drawing from a background in Social Work and Psychology, as well as being empathic in nature, I find it rewarding to journey with clients, especially first-time owners, on the adventure of finding that perfect horse. I am not a dealer and it has always been difficult for me to sell any of my own horses, but I enjoy the process of showing clients what horse ownership entails, assessing the client and assessing horses that they view in order to buy. I am available to travel to horses with or without clients for a fee, in order to assist them in any way they need during the transition to horse ownership. Clients can expect lots of feedback, as well as guidance in terms of service providers to consult regarding the horse’s care and pre-purchase considerations.
I am also available to welfare organisations in terms of assessing equines up for adoption. My background in schooling also affords me the ability to assist in basic training and consultation regarding improving an equine’s chance for adoption or sale.