EQUINE WELLNESS CENTER & SCHOOL OF MINDFUL HORSEMANSHIP
Training for Connection
INNER LIBERTY HORSEMANSHIP
Our Inner Liberty system is a signature part of our work. This method was established as a byproduct of working with hundreds of horses over the course of many years. We now use it as a systematic way of resetting troubled horses and initiating the education of the young ones. We have also found it to be a powerfully captivating path for internal awareness and personal growth, which has led us towards the development of new therapeutic and educational programs here at Reimagine.
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Horses are extraordinary conduits of energy. They are also highly social, domesticated animals that have evolved into extremely capable learners. These attributes give them the unique ability to develop transformational partnerships with us that can help us become better versions of ourselves in many ways.
Training Value
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Our Inner Liberty system looks to establish two key objectives: communication and connection. We first synchronize ourselves with the horse, then draw in his attention and give him an opportunity to connect with our energy centers. We then stimulate his cognition by teaching him a simple cue system using a process we refer to as the Learning Sequence. Once the horse becomes fluent with the fundamental cue system, we combine and refine cues to work on the quality of his movement. This is when the horse binds dynamically to our energy in a way that feels like a telekinetic link and the horse and human undergo a shared state of flow. And this all happens without ever even touching the horse.
If users can achieve correct use of this system, then they also authentically earn status above the horse in his social hierarchy and thereby obtain the leadership role relative to the horse during their interaction. They also instill in the horse both a process for learning new things and a process for calming himself when there is a spike in his adrenaline. This all happens while simultaneously establishing and practicing a functional language with the horse that serves as a sensible foundation for a progressively more complex education in any direction and within any discipline.
Educational and Therapeutic Value
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Horses are incredibly perceptive to even the most delicate shift in energy. They are far more tuned in to their senses then we are. Human beings tend to get locked into thought patterns that can overwhelm our consciousness. This is an unhealthy state of being that makes it difficult for us to feel joy or reach our potential. Working with horses at liberty draws our awareness to our senses and energy centers which enables us to obtain and sustain a mindfulness state that eliminates these thought patterns and helps us focus on the moment at hand.
In order to earn leadership status relative to the horse, we must prove that we can obtain and sustain a higher level of awareness than him throughout the interaction. This cannot be faked. The horse will provide indisputable, immediate feedback that reflects our actions. He will respond the way we would like him to only if we do things correctly so he is invaluable guide towards gaining control of our energy and awareness.
One of the first steps we take to achieve connection with the horse is to synchronize with his energetic flow. We initiate this with an approach and retreat exercise we refer to as mirroring. This is the process in which we work on polarizing the sending and receiving energies that we share with the horse. This opens our lines of communication with him using his natural language, and teaches us about his individual tendencies and sensitivities to energy. This process also helps us find balance between trust (receiving) and respect (sending). When we become adept at mirroring, we bring more focus to our seven main energy centers, summoning and releasing varying degrees of energy to influence the horses movement in with a steadily increasing level of fluidity and grace.
This is no simple task but it is incredibly absorbing, so it offers us a feasible path towards mind-body coordination, wellness, and residual joy. We work on ourselves without realizing it while working with the horses. We must be in control of our energy, compulsions, and emotions to be successful at these exercises. Our interaction with the horse becomes increasingly more enriching and profound and we strengthen our aptitude for authentic leadership and further mindfulness practice.
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Working with horses at liberty not only offers us a path for personal transformation, it also grounds us to nature. Nature is the only barometer for absolute truth. Horses are a part of nature. They can guide us down an honest path that teaches valuable life skills while also enhancing the quality of our lives. We practice patience, poise, empathy, and compromise with an animal that can absorb our attention just by the sheer magnitude of his presence. We learn concentration skills because the only way to hold the focus of the horse is to hold it ourselves. We become better communicators because in order to teach a horse a cue, we must break it down into components that he can understand. We then need to observe or "listen" to him closely enough to acknowledge his responses so the language can continue to evolve.
The Journey
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This is not easy. It's not supposed to be. Meaningful relationships must be earned. This is an extremely dynamic and challenged-based approach to horsemanship. It is not for everyone ... but for those who possess the patience and discipline to work through the challenges that will inevitably arise, it is highly rewarding and transformational for both horse and human.
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We have many students who have fallen in love with our liberty system. We use it as the bottom layer of our training program and add further complexity as the language develops and the connection strengthens. It is a wonderful way to be with horses and translates well into classical work both in hand and under saddle.
Lessons and life enhancement sessions are offered throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley or at our home farm in Poughquag, NY. Remote lessons can be arranged globally. To check availability or book a clinic,