Owia salt pond and Bobby stallion

About two weeks ago I got message from Stina that she invites me to Garifuna gathering in Owia. I was so excited,because I recently discovered that there is salt pond in Owia and I really wanted to go there. So,I didn't have to wait for too long to have a chance and see this beautiful place. And I also couldn't wait to meet Garifuna people and learn something new about their culture.

When I came to St.Vincent to study horses Stina once mentioned that there is one man called Boby who has stallion and mares and we should go visit him one day. Oh,I couldn't wait for this trip. Boby lives in Georgetown,so its was on the way to Owia and we decided finally go and meet his herd.

Next day we head out early,excited about our adventurous trip to the other side of the island. I must say that the other side of the island is so beautiful,with lots of palm trees close to the shore. Big cliffs coming out from the sea was another breathtaking scenery I can't forget.

It was about 3 hours ride with car,but when we came to Owia and went to see salt pond,only thing I could think of was ”This place is amazing”.We went for a swim,water was so clear and clean that I could see lot of colourful and different fishes. The half side of the pond is surrounded by big rocks which divide pond from the sea and protects us from big waves. We took lot of good pictures and video as well!!!

After we met some of Garifuna people and talked about their upcoming show in town. It can't be missed for sure.

And then it was time to finally go and meet Boby horses. That was the moment I was waiting for the whole day.

Before we went Stina called him to make sure he is waiting for us. I didn't know what I was expecting to see when I went there,but I knew one thing for sure-I would meet horses that have good life.

When we came Boby wasn't around so we walked a little to see what's happening and if we see any horses. Yea,here she was-old mare behind the gate grazing peacefully. Later I found out she was the lead mare of the herd.

Boby has 12 horses,one of them is stallion who I wanted to see so much. Bob also has lot of sheep and cows. They produce their own cheese and yogurt which I think is so nice,because it's so much more healthy to make own products and the taste is so much better.

Finally we see Boby coming with his son. We introduce each other,talk about little stuff and then Boby asked his son to call horses,but they were not to be found anywhere,so we decided to go inside the pasture and look for them. I must say horses for sure have amazing life here. They have so much grass to eat and big pastures to run around and feel free. For horses it's heaven, but not all people can afford to have that much land. We walk and walk and it seems horses are lost somewhere, because we can't find them.

But a little bit farther, here they are,grazing so peacefully. They look so happy and shiny. I see some young horses too-two new stallions and one mare. Others are mares,some of them are pregnant and expecting soon baby's. They come slowly to greet us. Some are more cautious and stay back. They look more like wild horses to me then domesticated, though they live with people. It's amazing how well Boby is taking care of them,giving them exactly what they need the most-water,lot of good grass and some love and attention.

I am trying to look for stallion,but he is somewhere in the back and doesn't seem to rush to greet us. But we are patient and soon he comes closer to greet us. He is so beautiful,brown fur,long mane,full of wild spirit. When you look at him you have no doubt he is the leader of the herd. He just radiates wisdom and power,that you simply now he is the one who keeps the herd together and safe.

He and Boby are like best friends. It's so nice to look how Boby treats him,hugging him with love and affection and horse seems to like it.

Bob doesn't keep all the baby's who are born in his farm,some of them go to another places and hopefully they have such good life with other people as they would have here with Boby.

I think it's amazing place to study horses in their natural habitat. Just by watching them in the herd I could learn so much about their language and how they interact with each other. I hope I will have that chance to go one day and spend it with all herd members.

Boby is such a nice person with so much love for his animals and I am glad I had this opportunity to meet him and learn something new about horses.

Escape into your Caribbean Fantasy - St. Vincent and the Grenadines

People are such a mystery to me!!!

My life mostly is all about horses,but very often I like to go into spiritual world and explore what's behind it. My other passion is reading books. I often read philosophical and spiritual books and they help me to understand world around me, myself and most important they help me to understand other people around me who are so different. Actually it's such a pleasure to study how other people think,how they see world around them.

Every person is like a mystery,like a secret you want to uncover to see what treasures are hidden underneath. If we really look at the people we're talking to or the ones we live together, then we will realize how special they are in their own way. We often hear people say “I know this person so well,even better then he does”. And when we do so we make that person less special,but how can we claim we know somebody if we actually know about him nothing at all? If we approach the person we know like we see him for the first time and we know about him nothing at all and we let an open space for secrets and mystery to uncover then we will never say we know that person for 100%. Because we are different every single day, we are never the same-our mood is different,we maybe see the world differently today. I hope you get the message behind it. Sometimes it's hard to explain what's inside you,but I did my best:))

When I am with some one I am really trying to give my full attention to what we do together,I keep that connection alive between us,so I don't miss anything special.

And I never try to judge others because you never know how you would live that's person life and how you would react to things. Instead I try to find out the reasons what made people react like that.

We grow in so different environment and every parent raise their children so differently,so you will never find two same person-it's impossible. And that's good!!! That's why it's so good we meet as much new people as we can,because that's one of the ways how we learn different ways how to look at the world and how to live here. Maybe I can find something very valuable for myself to learn or there are times when some one tells something to you-it can be just one sentence or word,but it hits you so suddenly and you finally realize what you have to do.

Those moments are so precious to me and that's why it is so important to be in the moment when you do things and you talk to people,cause only then I can realize how special the world is and people who come into my life!!!

HORSES AS HEALERS

I always believed that horses are not just some animals who we use for our own pleasure and purpose. I was looking at them as spiritual beings who carry message for us.And I see them as wise teachers who can teach us so many things about ourselves and world around us.

I know that its not a coincidence that we attract specific horses at different times in our lifes.They come with purpose and message,only thing we have to do is to recognize it and learn everything what horse wants to teach and show us.

Sometimes these lessons are full of pain and sorrow and sometimes these lessons are full of joy and sudden discoveries.Both are very valuable and teach us something new about ourselves and our lifes we live.

I was lucky to attend Kathy Pike clinic in Amsterdam and experience myself how horses can easily read your emotions and how they help you to recognize who you really are and what is your life all about!!!

I experienced such an emotional break down and I realized what exactly was missing in my life and what I was avoiding all the time and this happened with a help of my horse I chose for the clinic.She was supporting me during this hard time of self healing and she was guiding and helping me to realize what exactly I was missing in my life to be happy again.

The most important lesson I learned in this clinic was not to hide your emotions,because horses read you as an open book.They can feel you and what's happening inside you from a long distance.So we should never hide our true feelings and emotions when we are around them.

If I feel sad or angry or unhappy and I know I have to work or be with horses,I never hide any emotions from them.I go and talk to them about what I feel and I know they understand me because they start to relax ,lick and chew.

But if I go to them and deny all the bad feelings I have they don't come close to me,they move away.And when I recognize what's bothering me and accept my emotions, only then horses come back to me and feel safe around me.

This is how horses help us to listen to our inner world and become fully present and enjoy the moment we live in.

That's why so many people are so attracted to these spiritual beings.Because being just close to them bring us peace and calmness in our busy and stressful life. It brings us back to that state of blisfulness that lies deep in our hearts.

IMPORTANCE OF SHARING TERRITORY

Before I got to know Carolyn Resnick and her unique method of waterhole rituals, I never realized how important it is just to be with your horse and do nothing.Carolyn calls it sharing territory ritual.

When I go to share territory with my horse,first we greet each other and only then I sit somewhere to enjoy my horse presence or I could as well do some work around him.It doesn't really matter.The most important thing is not to pay attention to horse but to pretend doing something else.And when you do that horses start to show interest in you,come closer and try to explore who you are.This is the time when you start to make small steps to build magical connection between you and your horse.

I never thought I would enjoy these precious hours I spend with horses and do nothing.Some people may think that its waste of time,but during those special moments we actually learn so much about horses and their behaviour,because we have so much time just to watch them interact within the herd and its the best way how to learn their language and get closer to them.

During sharing territory,I have experienced so many good things and even miracles happening,so I am 100% sure that there is nothing better than just be with your horses and discover magic raising in the air.

When we don't ask anything from horses they start to be more interested in us.Because often when we come to them we need something and we don't spend enough time just being close to them.That is why horses are avoiding us,they don't want to be just slaves for us.They would love to be there as friends and to know that we are not gonna ask anything from them.

During sharing territory I always learn so much about myslef too.I learn to be patient and wait for the horse to come over to me.Believe me,sometimes it's not easy!!!

And when horse comes and explores me with his soft muzzle,I need to remind myself to be calm and still and do nothing,just sit and feel something happening between me and the horse-I call it magical connection.It's not that simple,because when horses are so close to us we want to touch them and feel their soft and warm body.So here I learn about patience a lot!!!

No matter what training I do every day,I make sure I spend enough time sharing territory and getting ready to work and see in what kind of mood my horse is today.And it is very important,because then I choose what training me and my horse would love to do today,what energy he has and do we have good connection before we start our training.

I wish more people discover how magical it is just to sit with their animals and do nothing,just enjoy their presence.

FOR ME,THE BIGGEST DISCOVERIES ARE FOUND IN SILENCE!!!!

BEING IN THE MOMENT

Horses are experts to teach people how to be in the moment,staying present and enjoying what's happening right now. They are prey animals,so they have to be alert and keep an eye on their surroundings,otherwise predators may eat them.

For lot of people it is a real chalange to stay in the moment,be calm,enjoy nature and stop their thoughts for a while. That's why horses can help us to learn to be present and enjoy every little thing that is around us. They could bring us back to that state where you connect with nature and your soul and reborn again.It helps people to understand what their life is all about,what choises they should make in life to become happy and satisfied.

I have experienced myself and lot of other people how horses can change you and your life.

They came here to bring peace and wisdom on this planet.Every day they show me the importance to be in the moment and listen to my inner voice.

This world now is so demanding and it seems that time slips through our fingers and we have so much things to do,but we never have enough time.

The most important thing for me was to understand that I will never have all the things in the world and actually I don't even want to.Being in the moment when sharing teritorry with horses made me realize what I want in my life and how to achieve it without rushing things but taking it slowly,believing that everything I want I will get and just enjoying everything I already have.

Here is one story I would like to share with you.It happened when I was sharing territory with three horses.

It was a sunny day, but the wind was cold.When I came all three horse ladys-Railija,Livonija and Rafaela came to greet me.That day my mind was full of different and chaotic thoughts.I was trying to figure out about my life and what I should do with it.I was trying to find some voluntier work abroad and got two letters saying they can't accept me.But that didn't stop me from trying to find some other people who would be willing to share their knowledge with me about horses. I knew deep in my heart that there is somebody out there who needs me as much as I need him.I went to sit down and quieten my mind. I started to breath deeply and became more and more relaxed.After some time Railija came up to me,she stood close to me and started napping. Rafaela and Railija joyned us later. I was so relaxed that I could feel energy runing through my body.My heart beats resounded in my head and with every heart beat I opened up more and more. And then came silence. Nothing was there except the sound of my heart beats playing the rhythm of the drums.They awakened the silence around me,nature was dancing with the same rhythm as my heart did.Then I felt I have made a deeper connection between me and horses and now everything is possible.And something happened,I call it miracle-Livonija,she is a lead mare in the herd,she just layed down next to me. That moment was so special for me,because I know that for horses to do that it means they trust you enough to lay in this vounerable pose and that you have bond you share togather. My heart beats opened up the doors between us to a deeper connection and bond we will never loose.

This is how important it is to take time and do nothing with horses.Once you experience that, than it will change the life of you and your horse forever.

Discover horses naturally (THE NON AGRESSIVE PATH)

Few years ago I started new and exciting path with horses: called natural horsemanship and my believe that no one can take away from me is that horses are spiritual beings with soul, feelings and big heart and should be treated with respect, patience and lots of love.

The art of horse whisperering has always facinated me. I thought it was some kind of magic or voodoo that professionals use in communicating with horses which in turn aids in the training and healing of any horse. Little did i know that know that almost everyone and anyone could become a horse whisperer, there is no magic! The art of horse whispering has one important factor to it though, that factor is time. It is a lot of work, patience and the use of instinct.

After studying lots of natural horsemanship methods, reading many books and attending seminars/clinics to further my education of horses, i realized that there were so many natural horsemanship techniques out there, but none of them really spoke to my heart until I found Carolyn Resnick.

I read her blog, bought her book and immediately felt that her methods were for me. The oustanding message of her method was that, the Carolyn Resnick method would teach how to be, positively with horses, how to understand them better and finally how to become the good herd leader the horses are looking for. I also like the fact that with Carolyn Resnick methods, as a horseman, one does not have to follow any one programme or process, particularly when it comes to dealing with horses individualy. These methods should also be applied at the descression of the horseman. The best thing about Carolyn Resnick method is that it sets the horseman free to explore.

My dream was to go to Carolyn and study her methods in person, I realized I couldn’t afford it, so I started to look for other options. I found several certified trainers on her blog, one of them is Stina Herberg.

I chose to write to Stina Herberg because on her website and youtube videos, i was amazed by her approach to the training. I saw such strong connection and trust in the ralationship that I just felt I had to visit her on her ranch and experience it myself. As my luck would have it, she was looking for working students so I emailed to her and got a positive response after just two days. I couldn’t believe my luck ! I was now to journey to St.Vincent to paradise-to fulfill one of my biggest dreams!!! Finally, I was on the right path and I knew this journey would change my life forever.

When I arrived to Richmond Vale Academy in St.Vincent where Stina now lives with her horses, it was already dark. I stepped out of the taxi and Stina came out to meet me. I couldn’t wait to see the horses so I asked her if we could go and have a look at them. She immediatley agreed, I would be surrounded by these lovely animals for the next three months.

The first thing I noticed was how small the horses seemed to me. I was used to larger horses here in Europe so this was a bit surprising. The horses were very cautious about me at first, they only sniffed my hand and that was it. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with them.

What can I say about Stina? She is a very strong woman, but with a gentle heart. I haven’t met any horse person like her. She loves her horses so much but at the same time she doesn’t spoil them too much. She is a very good leader for the herd and she uses lot of intuition and feeling when working with them. I like that she doesn’t stick to one program of management but changes her methods if she sees that a horse is not responding well. For her, its always all about the comfort of the horse. She makes sure to give a lot of love between trainings and she always respects the animal. This is what I admire in her, the balance between being firm and giving them love. I never knew that horses could talk so much to their owners. With Stina, they talk a lot! I think this is made possible because Stina always talks to them and treats them like her best friends. She has 7 former wild horses. Stina found these wild horses on the island when she arrived for the first time. They were abandoned, malnaurished and abused. They were so wild, she couldn’t touch them. It was a challenge working with these horses and today they are able to express themselves and run free, it is obvious to see how happy they are.

I was intoduced to the Carolyn Resnick method by Stina after a while on the ranch. This ritualistic method seemed so easy to understand and use. She explained to me how important is to pay close attention to ones own body language when around and training horses, I experienced it myself and found it to be true. If a trainers body language is mixed and he or she is not sure of what he or she wants a horse to do, then there is no guarantee of a positive outcome of the entire training process with the horse.

I was taught and told to always follow my instincts when I was around horses, ”Be flexible, change the program if a program is not working” these were most frequent words I heard from Stina during my stay. I really enjoyed working with her, she is not just a good leader for horses but also good teacher of people. It was my pleasure to meet her and learn so much from her and her horses.

I learnt so much in these 3 months about horses and the method and there is so much, much more to learn. It is a never ending study and journey I am happy to take. Every single day has been different and exciting for me and I will always be thankful to Stina Herberg who believed in me and gave me this chance and to Carolyn Resnick for showing me the positive path of being with horses.

How it all started

Well,let me introduce myself. My name is Kristine and my life is all about horses.

I have been attracted to horses all my life. Ever since I was a little child, I was always surrounded by these beautiful, magnificent and spiritual creatures. The sound of their hooves as they galloped along made my heart jump from excitement and wonder. Yes wonder, the sight of these strong animals, so wild and free made my spirit yearn to be like these. To my surprise, after imitatiing and  pretending to be a member of the herd, there was a tranformation. Suttle at first, my spirit began to unravel.

I never had horses of my own but I made sure that i found a way of with being horses. I went to local barns to help with the daily tasks just to be closer to them to enjoy the musky fur smell, the sensation of stroking the soft fur, with all this, I knew deep in my heart that one day I would own my own horses. It was just a matter of time and the ability to be patient and wait for the right time and opportunity. Ever since a child, i was always happy and, I was always happy the way things were as long as i got to see and be around horses.

As all children, no child ever knew how to treat a horse but every interaction seemed so natural. Children connect with horses with open hearts and without any agenda, children enjoy being with horses in the moment. This is how I approach my work with horses now, and these horses have shown me what it truely means to be wild, strong and free.

This is the first time I am writing a blog and the reason I do this is very simple.I would love to share with other people my passion for horses and my journey with them and where it will take me....

Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do;))