Embodied Horsemanship: Natural Partnership for You and Your Horse & TTouch for Horses

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Click here to watch the Embodied Horsemanship Slideshow

Prayer, by Stuart Kestenbaum, from Prayers & Run-on Sentences

Our problem - may I include you? - is that we
don't know how to start, how to just close
our eyes and let something dance between
our hearts and our lips, we don't know how
to skip across the room only for the joy of the leap.
We walk, we run but what happened to the skip
and its partner, the gallop, the useless and imaginary
way we could move through space, the horses we
rode before we knew how to saddle up, before we
had opinions about everything and just loved
the wind in our faces and the horizon in our eyes.

Sometimes the reason we were first drawn to horses gets lost. We lose touch with the playful, joyous part of being with a horse. We become automatic and hurried - fragmented in our attention. I like to think of horsemanship like yoga. In yoga, where you place your feet and hands, how you move into and out of the pose, your breathing – all are essential to that asana. Being with horses requires that kind of mindfulness and a curious, friendly beginner’s mind.

Horses can teach us a great deal about ourselves if we are willing to listen. On the ground or in the saddle, finding harmony, softness and balance with a horse is like sitting with a Zen master. There is nothing terribly abstract about being around a 1200-pound flight animal. You have to wake up and be open to the moment. I love horses for their clarity, honesty and generosity. They teach me again and again what is really important – softness, balance, listening, connection and love.

Download Embodied Horsemanship brochure

EMBODIED HORSEMANSHIP includes:
  • Helping to resolve physical and emotional issues with your horse using Tellington TTouch, Clicker Training and groundwork.
  • Building feelings of confidence, mindfulness and a spirit of improvisation by connecting with the horse using practices that are intuitive, playful and non-dominant.
  • Expanding embodied consciousness, intuition and authenticity.
  • Developing better communication with your horse on the ground and in the saddle by learning basic movement awareness and listening skills.
  • Creating the physical and emotional alignment needed to build a harmonious relationship with your horse.

    OFFERINGS:

    NATURAL PARTNERSHIP FOR YOU AND YOUR HORSE
    is about learning to be more relaxed, confident and improvisational in your relationship with your horse. Slowing down, feeling your own body, focusing your intention and being present are often the biggest missing steps in horsemanship. They get lost in the rush of preparation, in the push of riding goals, the pressure of competition. Natural Partnership is a simple, six-step practice that helps you to be more connected, more playful and successful as a rider and horse person, whether your goals are competition or pleasure.

  • Because she is a movement therapist and educator and has many years of experience dancing with horses, Paula is uniquely qualified to help humans discover a deeper attunement and harmony with their horses. PW
  • A mind-opening experience. I've never left a class feeling like I've learned so much. JP

    TTOUCHING HORSES: The Touch That Teaches
    uses TTouch, Clicker Training and groundwork exercises to help resolve physical and behavioral issues. TTouch is called "the touch that teaches" because it helps the horse to feel and think rather than simply reacting. TTouch releases held patterns of tension, injury or imbalance. The result is greater freedom of movement and balance. Sessions include instruction for the owner or trainer in specific touches and groundwork exercises that you can do with your horse.

    RIDING WIDE AWAKE: Movement Classes for Riders
    is NOT conventional riding training. It IS a mindful riding practice for those seeking to improve their communication and connection with their horse. Simple, non-habitual exercises both on and off the horse help develop awareness, breath support, connection and balance. These engage the brain in new ways, creating a more harmonious relationship to the horse’s movement. When you “come into the body" and release old habits, you become a more feeling, effective rider regardless of your discipline or competitive level.
    Read Riding Wide Awake in Dressage Today
  • The exercises were really mind-opening and made me realize a new way of thinking about the body. LJ

    HORSE DANCING and THE HERD*
    with Paula Josa-Jones and Sarah Hollis
    Horse dancing isn’t just about dance or even horses. It is about listening, relationship and connection. With equine performance trainer Sarah Hollis and Paula Josa-Jones, this workshop focuses on building an intuitive and attuned relationship with the horse, using the movement language and consciousness of the herd. The experience of partnering with a horse with both movement and stillness cultivates awareness, clarity of intention, and an open heart.

    Because horses mirror our physical and emotional expression, they can show us when we are “out of sync" - in other words when our inside and outside are not congruent. Participants find that learning to be with a horse in this quiet, reflective and embodied way builds confidence and expands the way they see themselves and their relationships at home and at work. No previous riding or horse experience is necessary.

    *This workshop is offered in a one or three-day format.

  • Getting quiet and just waiting to see what the horse would do next was a revelation. CL

    Contact Paula to inquire about upcoming workshops or to schedule an appointment.

    Embodied Horsemanship
    Download Embodied Horsemanship brochure

    I am available for individual sessions and workshops. For more information or to book an appointment:
    josajones@gmail.com or fill out my form


    Embodied Horsemanship from Paula Josa-Jones on Vimeo.