Most of the recognizable equestrian influencers of the day are competitors, which leaves most of us feeling like everyone who loves horses must compete. But Linda Tellington-Jones, was asked what she had seen change in the industry. “Well there’s so much evolution,” she said. “I think now actually the fact that horses are used for various types of therapy, and when I say used, I mean been brought into this position of being respected for therapy. That’s a whole new thing. And I get a lot of people who come to my courses who have maybe 5 or 6 horses they’ve given a beautiful life at home, and they have no interest in riding them. They just want to be there for them.”

Veteran horse people like Tellington-Jones are being joined by newer faces on the horse healing scene. Even Chrissy Teigen recently brought the healing power of horses to light with an announcement on Twitter. “My therapist says I need something that I do for just me, as I have absolutely nothing currently. LOL. Today begins my journey into the horse world. I hope this dude likes me. He’s so handsome and appears lazy,” she Tweeted, accompanied by a picture of a handsome horse taking a snooze break in his stall.

A week ago my own friend, who I have convinced into returning to the riding hobby she loved as a preteen, sent me a selfie, flushed and smiling, and said, “I looked at myself in the mirror tonight after my shower, and I was like, “Wow who’s that happy girl with life in her veins?” A couple hours prior we had each been astride a horse—simply riding around the inside of the arena while our kids played together. Horses fulfill something within us.

Psychology Today released an article about horses being used as therapy, explaining how horses can serve as an emotional mirror for humans.

The therapy goes deeper than a mom needing to get out of the house. Anne Kursinski, who is part of the #metoo movement, went into detail during the livestream about how she survived childhood abuse by a prominent horse trainer, described horses as therapists for many little girls who “tell the horses everything,” and commented that she was no different. “The horses were my savior. They were my therapy when growing up,” she said.

When Patricia E. Kelly, founder of Ebony Horsewomen, a non-profit organization located in Hartford’s historic Keney Park, was asked about her first therapy horse, she stated, “All of them were therapy horses.”

“Many of the horses had issues—not just the kids had issues, but the horses did too,” said Kelly in reference to using horses in transition for therapy. “We had one horse that had been given up so many times that he had developed an anger about being left. And so as we were using him to help a child, he needed help as well.”

I was intrigued by how we seem to see some horses as needing to be rescued, and some people as needing to be rescued, yet normally only the skilled horsemen and women take on the horses who need to be rescued. And generally, only the horses who have nearly achieved sainthood set foot into the therapy barns I’ve visited. Yet this group of women, with a collective multiple decades of experience among them, commented throughout the program that horse and human—from any respective walk of life—mesh tremendously well together.

Debbie Roberts Loucks, daughter of Monty Roberts and “Legacy Strategist” for the family business, found herself filling clinics with rescue horses when people didn’t want to loan out their “made” horses to be used as guinea pigs for training. What started as a purely functional act of backfilling horses for clinic attendees turned into a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved. Soon horses who were looking for their next career were made more adoptable by participating in the Monty Roberts clinics.

Loucks concurrently decided to stop using the term “rescue” for horses and call them “transition” horses. They launched the Monty Roberts Mustang and Transition Horse Program, available on livestream, and those transition horses are now being used for a program for veterans and first responders called Horse Sense and Healing and a program for at-risk youth called Lead Up.

During the Monty Roberts Horse Sense and Healing program, participants experience Roberts’ infamous “join up” with a horse. According to Robert’s website definition of the method, “Join-Up is an effective tool to help participants rediscover themselves through the eyes of the horse to deal more effectively with emotional trauma, anti-social behavior and withdrawal, anger, stress, combat stress and Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI).”

Loucks expressed her gratitude to people like Kelly who built equine therapy programs before it was common. “It’s really exciting to feel like I’ve got … like you Pat, all these people who have come before us who recognized horses in therapy early in the game,” said Loucks. “Now we’re able to expand on that.”

Loucks gave reverence to the innate traits of horses and power they can hold for human wellness. “The qualities of horses are so amazing for therapy,” she continued. “Not like a dog or cat because those are carnivores. But horses are a flight animal, which is a completely different set of principles. Those qualities of horses amaze me.”

Toward the end of the live discussion, Lynn Palm mentioned how horses have helped relieve our stress. “People are stressed, and horses are taking that away from them … and making them smile,” she said.

People come to the barn stressed from work, a global pandemic, family issues, and so much more, but when they sit in the saddle, it is just them and the horse underneath them. The complexity of life is narrowed down to this moment, and handling what your training ride or trail ride is bringing to you. It breathes fresh air into our world when we really need it most.

The women featured on the live show will also be showcased in the upcoming “Trailblazing Horsewomen” article in the May issue of Horse Illustrated. If you missed the livestream event, it’s still available for replay. These legacy horsewomen unleashed so much wisdom in a short span of 90 minutes, which helped change my perspective on therapy and horses, and challenged me to rise up as a horsewoman.

Watch the entire event replay here.

Watch Patricia E. Kelly of Ebony Horsewomen tell a touching personal horse therapy story:

Sarah Hickner has always been a storyteller and a bit of an adventurer. As a kid, her favorite books were from the Thoroughbred series, and the books inspired her to leave her home state of Mississippi to gallop racehorses in Kentucky while in college. Hickner is now settled down (which sounds more grown up than she feels) in Virginia with her husband, two kids, a horse, a dog, and a bearded dragon. Her book, Stories from the Barn Aisle: Real Life Tales of Humor and Grace from a Horse Obsessed Girl is available for purchase now.

The post Horses as Therapy: Industry Experts Weigh In During Livestream appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The Demand for Cultural Competence

Kelly, who has been running equine-assisted therapy programs since 1984,  mentioned that in her experience, certification agencies who work in equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) do not talk about cultural competence. “It’s a great hole that they leave in terms of working with people,” said Kelly. “If they’re going to work with one demographic, fine, but if it’s going to be open for all people, you have got to understand cultural competency.”

Colbert warned that old systems could trip up progress in many areas of the horse industry. “Our associations are antiquated,” she explained. “They’re cumbersome, they don’t make nimble decisions, they’re weighed down by internal politics that are tied to competition, and the public isn’t tolerating that any longer.

“MPS is what they’re suffering from—which is male, pale, and stale. And they’ve got to wake up to our cultural opportunities within the horse [industry],” said Colbert during this horse industry livestream.

One of those opportunities was highlighted by Lynn Palm, trainer of four American Quarter Horse Association Superhorses, who celebrated her 50th year as a horse professional in 2020.  Palm, who has been a top rider in western dressage and  a successful advocate of dressage  for all breeds,  is on a mission to have American Quarter Horses earn qualifying points in English riding competitions where they formerly weren’t eligible for points.

“If you bring in people who are all involved with the same breed and they’re doing other disciplines where they don’t even recognize them, I mean shame on them,” she said. “If they recognize them in three-day eventing, it may grow their membership.”

Colbert described Palm’s mission as an opportunity for the love of the horse to bring siloed parts of the industry together. “You have to be innovative, you have to be able to implement things that are popular,” she said. “Newcomers are bringing new things, and if we can’t change our board of directors and our methodology in making changes in our industry … we are gonna stagnate.”

Establishing Gentler Training Methods

Another common theme that stood out during the live event was collective support of a conscious shift toward non-violent methods and terminology in horse training.  Debbie Roberts Loucks, a champion of non-forceful training methods through her family business started by her father Monty Roberts, stressed that she doesn’t like using the word “breaking” about horses, women, or anything for that matter. “We are pushing a campaign around #startingnotbreaking.  We could actually do something about that vibe, if we just become cognizant.”

Kelly agreed. “It is a very straight predator term, control and power, instead of partnership—and absolutely we have to change that,” she said. “We cannot use ‘breaking horses’ and teach them to submit to perform, that’s the total opposite I’ve always been my whole life.”

Loucks and her father run  a program entitled The Movement, which touts horses as a pathway to peace for humans.  Another peace advocate featured in the show, world-renowned veteran horse expert Linda Tellington-Jones, echoed the sentiments brought forth by Loucks, talking about training without breaking. “We  actually like to think of educating even,  and I really support Debbie in going for ‘training’ instead of ‘breaking,’ because breaking the spirit, you know, that was considered that you had to do it,” she said.

Tellington-Jones recounted how she would train horses as a young girl in Canada “without bucking, without trauma … I did that for years.”

Anne Kursinski, a five-time Olympian in show jumping and dual silver-medalist, said she has seen firsthand that training breakthroughs can happen through this type of approach, where riders are “trusting the horse, letting the horse be a horse, not breaking, not over-controlling all of those things … It’s not only you feeling the horse, it’s the horse feeling you back.”

A Unique Horse Industry Livestream

The horse was celebrated and honored throughout the roundtable discussion, which was presented in lead-up to the article “Trailblazing Horsewomen,” written by award-winning journalist L.A. Sokolowski and appearing in Horse Illustrated’s May issue.

Colbert, in closing the group discussion, stressed the need for industry leaders to let the horses bring everyone together in new ways so they don’t get left behind. “The horse brings us together,” she said. “I mean like nothing else. From the cities to the country. And if we don’t open our hearts and our minds to that, they’ll run off without us. The people that love the horses will create their own venues, and their own ways to do things. And the long old-time deals will be left in the dark.”

Watch the entire Trailblazing Horsewomen Livestream replay below for lessons for the horse industry.

Watch Linda Tellington-Jones lead the entire group in a TTouch Heart-Hug below.

Follow StreamHorseTV  on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

By Natalie Mayrath, StreamHorseTV Director of Content

The post Top Horsewomen School Their Industry on Cultural Competence and Gentler Training appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Alyssa Mathews

A Trailblazer is defined as one that blazes a trail to guide others. Let me share with you why Alyssa Mathews is a Trailblazer. Her heart has followed her love of horses at all ages. Ever since Alyssa could talk she has talked about horses. She read every book on horses she could find. This is the way she became a top user of the local library—a Trailblazer. She became an entrepreneur before she was a teen—a Trailblazer. She designed a board game online for kids to learn about the breeds and horses in general—a Trailblazer. She was 12 when she posted horse ads for a company. She was 13 when she started her own successful horse training business using gentle techniques that she taught others—a Trailblazer. She was 14 when she started her own online business finding the right horse for others so they could enjoy the world of horses—a Trailblazer. She has ridden in a variety of ways, including western, English, re-enacting the Pony Express, hosted trail rides, rode endurance, rode to her wedding, driven horses, competed, brought her donkey to church for a living nativity and for Palm Sunday and the list continues. Halloween would consist of dressing up and bringing her pony trick or treating—a Trailblazer. She would ride her horse to town to send mail or pick up an item. She would ride her horse through the drive thru at McDonalds—a Trailblazer. She rode horses in the grand opening of the annual rodeo—BUT she wore a helmet and now more people are wearing helmets at that event—a Trailblazer. She used her horses to help people with special needs discover the joy they would have otherwise missed—a Trailblazer. Needless to say, her life is horses.

With a never-ceasing need to learn more about horses, she is now on her biggest Trailblazing adventure. Her Quest is now to ride every breed of horse in the world and to document that journey for others to learn about, enjoy and protect the animal of her heart, the horse. This is something that has never been done, a true Trailblazer. She has developed a website called www.Discoverthehorse.com that allows anyone to join the journey. She will introduce breeds, their strengths, their breeding, their homeland and the continued struggle to keep certain breeds alive-a Trailblazer. Recently she became a licensed drone pilot so she can film from the sky to add different perspectives to her videos. Just recently she heard from a parent of a 2-year-old that had frequent night terrors. He found one of Alyssa’s one-hour relaxation videos with horses. He played this for his son and it relaxed him right away—a Trailblazer She wants to share her passion and love of horses to others and guide them in their journeys into the world of horses. I know that this is not just a dream. She WILL do this! Why am I so sure? Because her whole life she has been one that blazes a trail to guide others, a Trailblazer!

—Nominated by Rhonda Engness

Elizabeth ‘Lili’ Kellogg

Elizabeth ‘Lili’ Kellogg deserves Horse Illustrated’s “Female Trailblazer” Award, because she is one of the early pioneers of therapeutic horsemanship and continues to be a powerful advocate. Today, she serves as CEO of Dallas-based Equest (www.equest.org), the first Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) Premier Accredited Center in Texas and one of the largest in the country. She is also a board member of PATH Intl. Kellogg received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University and has been involved in the therapeutic riding industry since 1987. She is certified from PATH Intl. as a master instructor (one of 24 in the world), site visitor, and faculty/evaluator. She has coached equestrian teams at national and international levels, including the 1996 Paralympics. Lili has served on numerous boards, committees and task forces to advance the industry, meanwhile establishing a world-class reputation of excellence for Equest’s programs, services and therapies. In 2000, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal visited Equest where Lili gave her a tour of the facility and prepared riding demos. In 2002, Lili received the PATH Intl. James Brady Professional Achievement Award, the highest honor in the therapeutic riding industry. Before taking the helm at Equest, she served as the executive director of SIRE in Houston, the director of ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship in McKinney, and the program director and interim CEO at Equest. Prior to moving to Texas in 1984, she served on the faculty in the Equine Management Department of the University of Minnesota Technical College, Waseca.

—Nominated by Susan Friedman

Nadia Heffner

I nominate Nadia Heffner of Double H Horse Farm. Nadia is an exceptional trainer of show horses, but her forte lies within her work with wild Mustangs. Her liberty acts are spellbinding! She is truly a horse whisperer. She will be participating in the Mustang Makeover again this year. In the past she placed in the top four!!!! Her many years of wisdom and knowledge make her a true equine trailblazer.

—Nominated by Michelle M. Eberle

Heather Wallace

I’ve read Heather’s book, Confessions of a Timid Rider, and was blown away by her raw honesty. She basically says what most of us riders are too scared to admit. By starting the conversation, she is opening up and saying it’s ok to have fear and be brave at the same time. She’s also a fierce advocate for supporting other woman in the equestrian world. While everyone is trying to tear everyone else down, Heather is building the bridge for community.

—Nominated by Jamie Baldanza

Thank you to all those who nominated our Female Equine Industry Trailblazers. Winners of our Female Equine Industry Trailblazers Contest will receive a subscription to Horse Illustrated.

The post Female Equine Industry Trailblazers Contest Winners appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

With such an abundance of stories from these featured horsewomen, the conversation with six of the women continues beyond the article during this special event. Livestream guests will include: Extreme Mustang Makeover founder Patti Colbert; Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. founder Patricia E. Kelly; five-time Olympic show jumper Anne Kursinski; Debbie Roberts Loucks of The Movement and Horsemanship Radio podcast; four-time AQHA Superhorse trainer Lynn Palm; and Tellington TTouch Training founder Linda Tellington-Jones, PhD(H).

“With so many amazing women in the horse industry, it was really hard even narrowing it down to 12 women trailblazers for the article,” says Horse Illustrated Editor Holly Caccamise. “We’re so excited to be able to celebrate International Women’s Day with this livestream event and with a partner like StreamHorseTV. We know many in the horse industry look up to these icons.”

A salute to female influencers of the horse industry was already on their docket when StreamHorseTV Director of Content Natalie Mayrath presented the idea for a livestream “sneak peek” and Q&A with some of the feature’s trailblazing women. Mayrath is a former digital producer on women and money at Yahoo Finance and series producer on “The Vanguard,” an Emmy-nominated documentary series about influential women in the media world.

“Our mission is to build a community across equine sports, and getting this powerhouse group of women together in conversation embodies that spirit of breaking boundaries,” said Mayrath. “They represent so many different equine industry sectors, all joining in celebration of the woman, and ultimately the horse.”

The host of the livestream will be award-winning writer, L.A. Sokolowski, whose Best Feature Single Article at the 2020 AHP Media Awards marked her fourth win in equestrian journalism. “We are all hungry for connection and perhaps more keenly aware than ever about the need to share, nurture and encourage young women—and people—who will be next in taking the reins to our industry,” says Sokolowski. “The women I had the privilege of interviewing have much more to say about where our horse industry has been and where it is headed.”

For more information on the livestream, presented by Horse Illustrated and StreamHorseTV, and to find out how to tune in, go to www.horseillustrated.com/trailblazing-horsewomen-livestream. The event will be directly accessible on StreamHorseTV’s Facebook and YouTube at 6 p.m. EST on Monday, March 8. No tickets or RSVP are necessary.

If you can’t attend the livestream, don’t worry—a recorded video of the event will be available at www.horseillustrated.com/trailblazing-horsewomen-livestream and www.StreamHorse.TV.

About Horse Illustrated

EG Media is a leading publisher whose titles include the award-winning Horse Illustrated. The magazine for people who are passionate about horses, Horse Illustrated won the 2019 American Horse Publications General Excellence award for Self-Supported Print Publication (circulation 15,000 and over). Learn more at www.horseillustrated.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

About StreamHorseTV

StreamHorseTV, where horse enthusiasts can join to expand their horizons, is the premier centralized livestream, replay, entertainment and education community for all international equestrian disciplines, sports and breeds. Learn more at www.StreamHorse.TV and follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

About International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day has been observed since 1911 and is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The 2021 campaign theme is Choose To Challenge, because a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. #ChooseToChallenge

The post Horse Illustrated & StreamHorseTV Partner to Present The Trailblazing Horsewomen Livestream on International Women’s Day on March 8 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.