Night Riding

This film was taken on a long ride in the darkening Norwegian forest. 
The moon was full and clear. 
Happy and safe on the back of my dear Icelandic horse,
no bridle, no saddle,
just a free, wild run to the top,
and a slow walk home. 

This is life, this is love!

Meditating with my horse

Total experience of presence with a horse is a wonderful practice.
It can be the real key to the deep connection we are longing for.

This is a clip from one session I did together with my horse in August 2009.
I used tools that I have learned from my teacher Arjuna Ardagh in the Awakening Coaching Training.
First I used theese tools with other people, but I was soon to discover their great potential in the relation to horses.

This kind of practices has been my main preparation for the transition to ride bridle-less with my horse. When the deep connection was established, there was no longer any need for the two of us to make any decision alone: The ride became an uninterrupted flow of love and trust between us.

A feel of the mountains

One September weekend we visited my friend Tina, and 11 natural living Icelandic horses in the mountains.

I got to ride an amazingly sensitive and cooperative gelding, Sindri. I am always happy to get to know really mental healthy horses, but Sindri was a special one. Sindri had no reason not to meet me with an open heart and we quickly got a deep connection. He was such a gentleman, very polite to respect everybody’s space, and always making sure I was comfortable in every situation.

Tina is always there to look after the horses’ wellbeing when they are doing their job to bring tourist to the mountains. She is clearly in her instructions to those coming to ride with her, and is highly aware of how to interact with horses in a way that inspire them to do their job. Well trained and cooperative, there is of course no need for bits on the bridles to have a pleasant trip.

These horses are living outside on large areas always moving in a big herd, and their hooves are healthy enough so they can go on these long mountain-rides without shoes. I have ridden many shoed and barefoot horses, and always enjoy the feeling of bare hoofs in the terrain with this special flavor accuracy and balance.

You can watch more pictures from the trip on my Flickr

Read more about Tina and Dreamvalley at:
www.dreamvalley.no


When we left the farm after the weekend, Sindri followed us to the gate and waited, and I was touched by the depth of our short meeting.

The Dressage in the Fourth Dimension Expirience

I had the privilege to take the first part of this clinic series and meet Sherry Ackerman in her home at Mount Shasta.

Mount Shasta is located in northern California, and this volcano mountain has the magic and the most perfect beautiful surroundings for a real Fourth Dimension experience.

Sherry absolutely has what it takes to teach such an integrated clinic. The days where thoroughly planned so that everything was flowing almost by itself. I had lessons of yoga, meditation, philosophy and psychology. And of course, there were several lessons with dressage riding and theory. All off this was put together in a way that allowed me go even deeper in my understanding of relating to horses and riding dressage.

The morning started with some fresh air Yoga. The Yoga lessons had the purpose to enhance the body awareness, to notice where the body can be softer. It also teaches how it feels to stretch, like we always ask the horse to do in dressage, and it is not always that comfortable.

I got closer to the horse I was riding every day. Lippy challenged me a lot where I needed to change my attitude, attention and balance.
Lippy and Sherry taught me how to strengthen my intention and energy into the dressage and the movements.

One of the things that made a lot of difference in my dressage-riding  is the awareness of how to use the Psoas-musculature. Knowing of to use them is really a key to good riding. My own horse was amazed when I got back.

This first clinic comes with a workbook which was great during the clinic and now is a wonderful resource when I continue to work with processes that was initiated or strengthened during the clinic.

I think this kind of clinic is especially interesting if one has their own students, because it offers so many tools that helps one understand many more of the issues that comes up for all riders in the process of training dressage.


Sherry Ackerman is the author of the book Dressage in the Fourth Dimension – in Norway this book can be bought at the book-shop at NVH/ Norges Veterinærhøgskole.

Horses for Life

I love my subscription to the web-magazine Horses for Life. I have looked at it many times, but some weeks ago I decided to actually pay to get full access to all the back issues. It is just perfect for me when I have some time by myself on the couch with my laptop and need some input and inspiration. I like the fact that it is a online magazine, because I don’t need to store it to keep it when I want to get back to an article sometime later. Horses for life covers all of of what interests me about horses today – classical dressage, biomechanics, philosophy, mythic, horsemanship and a broader perspective about our relationship to horses. Enjoy!!

Manifesto to my horse - expressing my intentions

Taktur and I have spent 11 years together. Hour after hour, day after day we have been communicating in a non-verbal way, learning with each other.
This morning I tried to verbalize my true intentions for my relationship with my horse, and it came out like this:

Dear Taktur, my horse

This is my manifesto in my relation to you:

• I am your guide in the world of humans and I feel obliged to take care of all your needs in every dimension as long as you live
• I know you are free and that no one can ever own you
• I wish to give you the space you need, so that you can show me your needs and limits
• I will present you my limits in a precise and gentle way
• I wish to see you evolve so that you can continue to give the world your gifts
• I will support you. I will show you and the world how beautiful and wise you are
• I will clearly show you how grateful I am for everything you are, and for every second you bring me closer to reality and love

I love You

Bucanero - lessons with Dave Thind

Some pictures from great, inspiring and hard lessons with Dave Thind this week on the beautiful Spanish horse, Bucanero!








Pictures are taken by my friend, Hanne Strøm

I had to loose myself

This winter I found the trust in myself to let go of the bridle or halter to ride my horse in the forest. They are tools and can never be anything more than tools. The real communication based on intention and still present became more clear to us than ever.

Vinter

Det er blitt skikkelig vinter i Oslo. Masse snø og herlige galoppturer i skogen på mykt underlag med en og annen snøklump som faller ned i nakken fra trærne.

Det er jammen på tide at du stoler på meg!

Etter snart 11 år sammen... satt jeg meg opp på hesten min uten sal og hodelag og red på tur i skogen. Det var sent på kvelden, mørkt og kaldt, og vi galopperte rundt på skogsveiene i snøen. Så stod vi lenge stille, helt stille og lot det hele synke inn sammen. Så småtravet vi litt nedover bakken og ruslet rolig hjem.

Unleashed!

Dr. Sherry L. Ackerman er professor i filosofi, dressurrytter og trener.
Hun har skrevet boken Dressage in the Fourth Dimension.
I dette klippet fra YouTube snakker hun om det å frigjøre seg fra mentale blokkeringer som hindrer oss i ridningen.



For mer informasjon om Ackerman, hennes arbeid og bok - se mine linker.

Taktur fra Sviland - før han kom til meg.

Taktur ble født på Sviland i Mai 1991.
Han ble vist og kåret som 3-åring.



En blogg som forteller litt om Taktur før jeg traff han sommeren 1998.

Pictures from clinic with Perry Wood November 2008

A clinic with Perry Wood i Norway November 2008.

My dear friend Hanne Bratholm took this pictures. Hannes website: http://www.hannebratholm.dk/

More pictures can be seen at my Flickr:

Training without bridle - just fun!

Desember 2008 was our first times training without the bridle:

Taktur - my beautiful icelandic horse

The summer of 2008 in Arendal on the south coast of Norway, Hanne Bratholm took some nice pictures of Taktur with me on his back. We had been treining dressage since 2007.