In this episode, Patrick King interviews Donna Snyder-Smith, a seasoned equestrian educator with over 40 years of experience. They discuss Donna's recent retirement, the challenges she faced, and her journey through the equestrian arts. Donna shares her insights on the evolving equestrian industry, the importance of continuous learning, and the impact of her experiences with horses on her life. The conversation highlights the significance of balance in training and the deep connections formed between horses and humans. In this conversation, Donna Snyder-Smith discusses her journey with PTSD and the profound healing she has experienced through her connection with horses. She emphasizes the importance of understanding trauma, the energy exchange between humans and horses, and the ongoing nature of healing. Through personal anecdotes and insights from her book, she illustrates how horses can facilitate personal growth and emotional healing, highlighting the need for trust and sensitivity in the horse-human relationship. In this conversation, Donna Snyder-Smith shares her journey in horsemanship, discussing the challenges she faced, the influence of masters like Nuno Oliveira, and the importance of groundwork and energy exchange in building trust with horses. She emphasizes the need for a deeper connection with horses, the future of horsemanship, and the lessons learned throughout her career.

Links mentioned in this discussion...

Donna's Facebook page: Horses as Healers - the new role of Equines in the 21st century  

The Alchemy of Horses (Donna's new book)

Direct from publisher: https://rdrpublishers.com/products/the-alchemy-of-horses-a-journey-of-self-healing

Amazon: https://a.co/d/3qHKoBT

In episode # 58, Donna Snyder-Smith joins me to talk about how horses assisted her learning, growth, and healing from PTSD.

Links mentioned in this discussion…

Donna’s Facebook page: Horses as Healers – the new role of Equines in the 21st century  

The Alchemy of Horses (Donna’s new book)

Direct from publisher: https://rdrpublishers.com/products/the-alchemy-of-horses-a-journey-of-self-healing

Amazon: https://a.co/d/3qHKoBT

The post Ep # 58, Donna Snyder-Smith TALKING ABOUT HORSES appeared first on Patrick King Horsemanship.

We’re BAAAAACK! New Episode! (with loads more to come!)

In this episode, Jec Ballou joins to discuss developing a fitness plan for your horse.  Find out more about Jec and her books, programs, and services at jecballou.com, Facebook at facebook.com/JecAristotleBallou and YouTube at youtube.com/user/jecballou

The book we were talking about in this episode is 33 Strength and Fitness Workouts for Horses, and it can be found here: jecballou.com/store/p/33-strength-and-fitness-workouts-for-horses-pre-order

The customized fitness plan can be found here: jecballou.com/store/p/private-online-coaching

The post Ep # 57: Jec Ballou, TALKING ABOUT HORSES appeared first on Patrick King Horsemanship.

In this conversation, Patrick King and Jec Ballou delve into the intricacies of equine fitness and conditioning. They discuss the importance of customized fitness plans for horses, evaluating movement through video analysis, and understanding horse physiology to enhance training effectiveness. The conversation emphasizes identifying imbalances and asymmetries in horses, training techniques for dressage and working equitation, and the significance of frequency, intensity, and duration in a comprehensive training schedule. Jec shares insights on how to build confidence in horses and the necessity of varying training to achieve optimal results. In this conversation, Jec and Patrick discuss the importance of variety in training sessions for horses, emphasizing the need for different durations and intensities to prevent plateauing and enhance fitness. They explore the significance of proprioception and how it can be affected by repetitive training. The discussion also covers the benefits of incorporating high-intensity workouts, the cumulative nature of fitness gains, and the value of utilizing natural obstacles for training. Additionally, they address how to tailor workouts for individual horses, monitor the fitness of senior horses, and the advantages of track systems for promoting movement.

Find out more about Jec and her books, programs, and services at jecballou.com, Facebook at facebook.com/JecAristotleBallou and YouTube at youtube.com/user/jecballou

The book we were talking about in this episode is 33 Strength and Fitness Workouts for Horses, and it can be found here: jecballou.com/store/p/33-strength-and-fitness-workouts-for-horses-pre-order

The customized fitness plan can be found here: jecballou.com/store/p/private-online-coaching

This episode somehow was lost in the shuffle and missed getting an official “episode number,” so I’m calling it episode 53.5, as that’s where it fell on the calendar of interviews (between episode 53 with JJ Tate, and 54 with David Koss).

In this episode, Charles de Kunffy joins me to talk about the principles of classical horsemanship. 

The post Ep # 53.5 “The Lost Episode” with Charles de Kunffy, TALKING ABOUT HORSES appeared first on Patrick King Horsemanship.

This episode somehow was lost in the shuffle and missed getting an official "episode number," so I'm calling it episode 53.5, as that's where it fell on the calendar of interviews (between episode 53 with JJ Tate, and 54 with David Koss).

In this episode, Charles de Kunffy joins me to talk about the principles of classical horsemanship. 

In episode 53, JJ Tate joins us to talk about classical dressage in the competitive arena.

In this episode, Charles de Kunffy joins us to talk about riding in Academies and the importance of remembering history.

In this episode, Dominique Barbier talks about his background, relationships with horses, and the idea of collecting the horse rather than compressing the horse.

In this episode, Anja Beran joins to talk about classical dressage and her history and approach.