I referenced my training principle pyramid down below but realized I never made a post on here about it- but it is on my instagram under the "Training" highlight reel. Here is a quick overview but nothing here is set in stone- I suspect it will evolve over the years just as I plan on doing!

1. FREEDOM

The first thing we have to have is a horse and rider that are present. The natural state of a horse is freedom- they prefer to move than stagnate so we want to ensure our riding allows that natural state to continue unimpeded. Depending on the horse, rider and the day, the method to getting to a state of freedom will look different but here is a quick overview. 

HORSE: Warming the horse up at the walk with little to no contact- letting them or encouraging them to stretch down.
RIDER: Standing up in the stirrups while the horse walks to let their back have room to lift up and to practice balance.

This can be the entire focus of a ride for the traumatized horse or rider.

Chiropractic adjustments, Massage, TTouch, Yoga, Meditation are all helpful therapies to assist in maintaining freedom in horse and rider. 

Essential oils can also be a great addition! The nervous horse and or rider may benefit from lavender. I put a couple drops in my hand, rub it together to warm it up and then let my horse sniff it and if they respond positively, I'll wipe around the ears *sparingly*. 

2. FLOW

Once freedom is established, then it is time to add more energy and direction. Flow will require a gas pedal that is functional (we can't flow without forward momentum). So, this stage means training your horse to reliably respond to your leg. The goal is that we can tell our horses to walk/trot/ canter and they stay in that gait without constant nagging or gripping. This stage is a continuation of the first one, so still maintaining constant stirrup pressure and balance is key. This is when we start to ask the horse to lift and engage their back. We want our horses on the contact and "through" so that they are using their bodies in an efficient way and so as to recycle their own energy through their bodies. This happens when the horse is able to stretch their hind legs under the body, push forward with the use of the hind legs, round their back up and engage the core, and relax their necks down into the contact. This creates an energy feedback cycle that keeps the horse flowing. Rhythm is also highlighted at this stage because rhythm denotes harmony and relaxation which will be necessary for the next stages. 

Rider: mind is open and clear, forward focused with soft gaze. Energy is directed yet not narrowed or gripping physically or energetically.

Horse: large, energetic strides with consistency and fluidity. Rhythm is consistent because of the lack of resistance. Working over the back and into the contact. Neck is long no matter length of rein.

3. ALIGNMENT

This is where a lot of horses and riders get stuck. The goal of this stage is to master balance and organization without losing the relaxation of the previous steps. This is where suppling exercises are very helpful such as: circles (8,10, 20 m), leg yielding (on/off wall, down the wall) and lateral movements (shoulder in, shoulder fore, travers, ranvers, half-pass) that are appropriate for rider skill and horse fitness level. I find it necessary to deeply understand rider and horse imbalances and how they interact with each other. For best results I like to including circles and leg yielding in every ride, if theres not a lot of time just focus on working the more restricted side of the horse once in the saddle and of the rider before getting in the saddle.

Rider: Balanced with ears over hips and hips over heels. Open hips, still gentle hands, connected seat, and rooted in the stirrups.

Horse: All aids are respected even when used simultaneously or in quick succession. Responsive but not reactive. Balanced on all axis'. Right and left side of body are equally supple and strong and work in tandem to create a comfortable ride and attractive frame. 

4. BOUNDARIES

This level isn't necessary for a horse to attain in order to be successful. It is just a level of success most horses and riders won't achieve simply because of the time, talent, and $ required to get to this level. This level is achieved in high level dressage horses that have a solid foundation and are now able to dance with their riders in a play of masterful power and control. What I mean by boundaries is that the boundaries become much more restricted at this level, there is far less room for error and so more control, finesse, and understanding needed. Boundaries are the limits of the contact and these limits are getting progressively closer to each other as the frame becomes more compressed. Horse and rider become 1. 

Horse and Rider: The quality of the conversation remains the same but everything is sharper and tighter. Precision is the focus of horse and rider. Obedience is necessary. Harmony is the undercurrent but ambition and intense effort is at the forefront of the conversation. 

5. BOUNCE

When the energy is flowing so reliably and yet so easily controlled that you can move it reliably in any direction including UP! Impulsion in the gaits now makes the trot animated and highly expressive- think passage and Piaffe. The extensions become more airborne that not and a new sense of freedom is discovered, within the boundaries. Playfulness comes back into the equation. Beauty, grace and MASTERY at the forefront. The foundation must be solid or the bounce and collection will be false, hollow, tense and fleeting. 

 While teaching this week I had a conversation with a dear student of mine about resistance.

She was atop my most masterful equine educator on the topic- Rocky. He is a magnificent creature- I joke that he looks like he is made up of circles, something out of an animated kids movie! He is one of my trusty lesson ponies, 15.1 hh and built like a Mac Truck- he was previously a trail horse before I re-educated him on jumping and dressage basics (which he now performs admirably!). However, being a half draft he has his stubborn and heavy streak that can be challenging to learn how to ride gracefully. He is the classic heavy/ dead mouthed draft that leans on the riders hands if given the chance. This can lead to a cycle of the rider getting heavier and more attached to the reins which causes Rocky to get heavier... and we all know who is going to win that fight. Most full sized horses have heads that weigh around 100 lbs on their own, let alone the neck size (Rocky's is huge!) and then add momentum and a penchant for holding on...This is why I called Rocky masterful- he is the perfect horse to teach non-resistance (while still maintaining boundaries). You can't resist his holding on, but if you can prevent it from occurring (by nipping in the bud within yourself first) you can have a whole ride resistance free. 

What I said to my student was- something along the lines of let your ride be easy, let it be light. Don't get stuck into him and think you're going to teach him a lesson. Think of Rocky as a partner that has strengths and weaknesses just like we all do, and you've got to ride him in a way that acknowledges and mitigates those weaknesses while capitalizing on his strengths *this theory will definitely apply to all relationships*. Since we know Rocky CAN be heavy and dull to bit pressure, we have bit that is strong (full cheek snaffle-nothing crazy), we do the noseband tight (keeps his mouth closed on the bit to minimize evasion by opening the mouth), we make sure the rider is rooted into her stirrups (lower centre of gravity- more balanced- harder to move-stronger pressure CAN be applied), we have the reins short (but not pulling constantly- pressure is removed OFTEN), we have a plan before tackling his weak spots (downward transitions- sitting him back) and we have gentle cues that we use to support the strong ones (breathe in, hands forward, then squeeze/kick for upward transitions, and breathe out, lean back, and pull for downward transitions). 

So how do we take all of those things into consideration and let the ride be easy? First, we master the foundations of good riding- see my post about my version of the Dressage Training Pyramid. We show up understanding these principles, and ready to apply them in the most honest, integrous and compassionate ways possible, and then we LET IT GO. We let go when we make a mistake, we let go when we get confused, we let go when the horse gets irritated, we let go of our day before we got to the barn, we let go of trying to be perfect, we let go of whatever is getting in the way of being here, now. Now, this is difficult (and also the easiest thing in the world-the truth always lies within paradox), especially when we are still learning. But, the good thing about doing this in a lesson situation is, hopefully I as the coach, can keep it simple enough that overwhelm and resistance isn't part of the experience- for horse or rider! 

So, I invite you to take this theory forward into your next interaction with self, other, or horse. Let it be easy, try to feel what it would be like if you were a horse expert, a relationship expert, imagine what it would feel like to be at ease in difficult situations. Let my videos on YouTube under Horse Diaries- be a guide if you are interested. Get clear on your own principles and find what alignment with your goals means to you. Let your dreams of where you want to be, who you want to be, what you want to do, guide your present actions. Let your dreams lead you to reality that is more aligned with what your heart has always longed for. Let your unique perspective, strengths, and weaknesses make you a master at ______. Let Rocky serve as an example that even your weaknesses can be your asset. Let it be easy. Let yourself be the gift that you open in every now moment. 

How are you preparing for Fall this year? For me, it looks like turning within, reading more, and still moments with my feet on the earth. These are the moments I am interested in, yet I often find myself in quite the opposite- frenzied movement and chaos erupting seemingly at disagreeable times. But that is how we learn. How helpful contrast is in making its point. How quickly we learn when there are clear "yes" and "no"'s. And in saying that, look how we resemble our horses we seek to train, and look how we too, need clear messages from our horses if we are not in the habit of listening. So, join me this fall, in listening to the whispers of our horses, as well as the yells! I recently had the absolute pleasure of having a client's horse in for training, Jackson. Jackson is a 15 year old Quarter Horse that came to me for an education in Dressage and Relaxation. I soon learned he was also a Gemini which meant intelligent, changeable, quick moving, and prone to anxiety. He was such a joy to teach because of his intelligence and willingness to please! He never resisted working harder which made him a terrific partner for me! We alternated between moments of utter resistance, confusion and chaos to (in my humble opinion) moments of stunning connection. It was totally fascinating and illuminating to me to connect with Jackson and gave me faith in my abilities to work with nervous (rather than just confused and defiant which I am familiar with) horses. Every conversation (ride) I had with him, he improved, it was very satisfying. When our last ride finally came about I had an "Lets see what Jackson want's to talk about today" attitude that also came along with an overly airy head space that took me off my centre. I'm not blaming the perspective, but just outlining the energy I was in that day. To follow along my training stories with Jackson, Lennon, and Lucy check out my YouTube Channel Erica Flak under Riding Diaries for video and forensic description of my training techniques! Anyways, our last ride contained a moment I have been resenting myself for since it happened- Jackson kicked out. It was easy enough for me to understand in the moment, but it has stuck with me since it happened. It's not the worst thing that can happen, nor is it unusual, especially in the circumstances, but Jackson has never kicked out before. Is it my fault? What did I do wrong? Did I push him too hard? Why would I bother giving anyone advice if I still make mistakes? Everyone that sees this is going to think... etc etc. I have been allowing my fear to gnaw away at me. I wanted to share this because I am committed to sharing my experience in a way I've never seen done before. I am living by the principles I train by- Honesty and Integrity. Moral of the story is we are all scared were doing the wrong thing and we can let that push us into our darkness (fear) or back into the light (honesty). Why did Jackson kick out at me? Prolly cus he wanted to. Prolly cus it was an equal and opposite reaction to my energy. I was spaced out so he's like Erica! Pay Attention! Just like how I trained him- tap on the bum when he's not listening- he returned the favour. Thank you Jackson.

Since losing my beloved dog, Khaleesi, just before Christmas last year (2021), I have felt the love I had and have for her all the more strongly. What a gift it was to have her in my life, and to go to work with her everyday. I always said that if she died, I would die, and it feels as though I did on some level. The part of me that couldn't live without her had to go, couldn't bear the weight of the world without her. The broken part of me, that she helped to strengthen and buoy, finally stopped struggling to keep its head above water, and gracefully, peacefully, sunk to the bottom of my emotional ocean. I still haven't fully digested how something so full of life, so vital and so so perfect could have been taken from me, could no longer be here. I still don't understand how her physical body, that I stroked, adored, and doted on everyday no longer exists. It simply doesn't make sense. I have no room for a world in which she is not with me, in which she is not whole, perfect, and untouched by suffering. And of course, I will never truly be without her, because as I said in the beginning, I continue to feel the love I have for her. That's what she is and always has been, love. Her physical body was just a temporary gift that I was allowed to experience, and what a gift it was. To anyone who has lost their pet or loved one in an accident, I send you my deepest condolences and love. It is one of the hardest lessons I have learned and continue to learn from. All I can hope is that we can learn together; to be more resilient, more present, and continue to be conduits of that pure, unconditional love that pours out when we think of them, and when we cry for them. 

So we are planning to open up again for indoor board after a much needed rest. We will only take on clients that are interested in training board (whether that be lessons or training rides from me). We are best suited to people looking for a quiet, clean and private facility. We are currently renovating our paddocks so that we can provide individual turn out for our boarders. We hope to provide the perfect balance between quality and comfort for horse and rider. It is of utmost importance that the barn environment of respect (of self, other, and horse), honesty, and integrity is upheld. Our barn is unique in its intimate size and tranquility, and we hope to share it with people that are looking for a respite from the run of the mill barn environment and culture. 

Along those lines... we will be looking for reliable and meticulous barn help to do AM barn chores.

Looking forward to the small community we will build together! 

Hello again! It's been a while since I've updated here because I've been dedicated to building my YouTube (Erica Flak) and Instagram (ericadbflak) pages with my spiritual and tarot interests. More and more these interests have been seeping into my horseback riding teachings and trainings as well. The union of these interests has resulted in much more fulfilling work for me- but it wasn't easy. I tried for what felt like a long time to people please and fulfill the roles others wanted me to fulfill but I've found it too draining and now continue to lean towards the direction I am pulled regardless of fears. I am learning to move with faith rather than logic-quite a shift from the mainstream or matrix. As such, we will not be running summer camps or horse shows for the foreseeable future. While we loved to provide these services because of how well received and enjoyed they were- they were not intrinsically life-giving to me, meaning they drained and depleted me. And these are the hints I've learned to listen to rather than suppress in myself. I've learned to face these feelings and to honour them. And what a profound impact that has had! Along the lines of leaving things behind, we also had to let go of our indoor boarders that we were no longer in alignment with for the reasons listed above. There was (and always will be) fear during these transitions, but in letting go, there has been such a powerful and profound shift towards the light. A lightening of burdens, a lightening of spirit, and a joy in creating a new. Without the weight of "have to" there is permission to move towards and manifest your dreams. I feel many of us shy away from this out of fear, or lack of worthiness. It's like we need permission to do so, and if that is the case here is your permission slip! I give you permission to back out, to quit, and to reinvent yourself and what you want to bring into this world. And of course, if you don't want or need the permission slip, you will give it to yourself when you find it too difficult to get out of bed, to complete the checklist, or to respond and engage with life in the way you are expected to. When the weight becomes too heavy, I hope you too learn how to let it go, rather than get stronger or more numb. I hope you learn how to honour your sensitivity just as you honour your horses and your community. I hope you give yourself and those around you permission to live in a way that is deeply nourishing, healing, and true to themselves. I hope we all learn through our work with horses, how the external is a mirror for our internal. How to take accountability for our lives, and to take the leadership role in a compassionate and empowered way. This is the life I am creating for myself and I hope to create for my community as well. So, goodbye summer camp, good bye horse shows, I can't wait to see what we create next <3 

For those of you that don't know, I am recovering from a disc injury flare up that kept me in bed for a month (March 2021) and humble for many months before and after the bed rest. I am so glad that I'm reaching the end of that experience and feeling able to move freely in my body again (for the most part). I owe my recovery primarily to my family for their constant support, they comforted me with food, company, humour, and a new stuffed animal! I've never needed a stuffy in my life before, but the depth of my pain and helplessness reduced me to a needy child. It was very healing for me to experience such powerlessness and it was a physical manifestation of my mental state. I hold no resentment for my injury as I see it was unavoidable and deeply transformative for me. I was breaking my own back with the weight of the responsibility and obligation I put upon my own shoulders. I felt I had no little to no freedom (and in the past I was okay with that because I felt it kept me safe). But once I decided I wanted more for myself (more joy, freedom, expansion, fulfilling work), the universe cleared the quickest path for me which just happened to require me to be incapacitated for a bit, so I could rebuild, stronger than ever. Our lives are in constant cycles of death and rebirth, some cycles being more spectacular than others, and I am learning how to have grace through them all. I also recognize (as best as I can) the insane privilege I have to be able to move through the experiences as I have (with complete familial support). The second part of my recovery has been rediscovering hope and passion. While I was in bed, high on pain meds that did take the edge off the pain but still kept me stuck most of the day, I came to realize there was a big part of me that did not want to get out of bed. I felt I didn't have anything to live for at some points. It makes me emotional to even touch those memories again. I have always felt incredibly lucky to live the life I do but I realized that I was treating myself as second (or third, fourth etc) best compared to the people around me/ my obligations. This was a wake up call to look after myself as the most valuable item I own. I only have one body, heart, mind and soul and while I think I was still doing a pretty good job, I was in complete alignment and I couldn't find a way out myself, so the universe had to step in. A big part of finding hope again has been my love for yoga and meditation. Through these daily practices (combined with the freedom of not working) I am learning how to live a happier life filled with joy, rather than numb to my pain and powerless to meet my true needs. So, I am in the process of becoming a certified yoga instructor (I graduate in June a couple days before my birthday!). And I have a fire in my belly to share my love with anyone willing to spend an hour with me! I am planning some outdoor classes and zoom session are already available. I hope to see you all soon, and thank you so much for spending your time here with me today <3

If you'd like a taste of yoga with me, I made a youtube video for you to explore! 

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeHAOx6qJkI

But, we may be back in 2022. We're taking this year to make some much needed updates to the barn! Hopefully we will be back bright eyed and bushy tailed!

I'm going to take one common mistake per post since getting your horse in frame is a very complicated and involved process (which is why I am skeptical when someone says their new horse goes into frame so easily!).
1) We ask them to go forward and they: grab bit and go faster, take faster steps without stretching out stride, head up and go faster w tension. All three responses are assuming your horse is obedient to the leg but not stretching into contact. These responses are all due to tension in the horses body.

• Assuming you've already covered your bases w chiro/massage and proper fitting tack, one of the biggest things I would work on as a rider would be: balance, strength and connection to the stirrups. (Can you stand in the stirrups indefinitely walk and trot?) 
• Things to work on your horse: they need to learn to stretch down so riding with as little rein as possible so as to not interfere with the natural response of dropping neck is a helpful first step (reward every time the head goes down naturally). Some exercises to incorporate into your rides: 
  
  • Keeping your horse on the inside track for the whole ride, riding circles-spiralling in and out, and counter flexion on a circle: The goal is to get steering totally off the leg. 
    
  • Opening and holding pressure on a rein and waiting for your horse to stretch down (w leg on!) is another great way to get your horse to find a stretch over the back. And switching the flexion to inside and outside until they FEEL symmetrical (this can take a very long time especially if your horse isn't used to being flexed through the poll). The key is to be GENTLE when needed and also FIRM when needed in complete harmony with the level of resistance they give you. I only recommend experienced riders try this and ideally with supervision if unsure of the mechanics as it can be confusing to both horse and rider. The principle that we are apply is: Pressure on mouth (via the bit) should result in the horse softening to the pressure  (through the poll only) either bringing nose from poked out to perpendicular to the ground, or softening to inside or outside flexion
    
  • If your horse is tense by nature I highly recommend putting them on Magnesium Oxide (Pureform is the brand i use and an average sized horse gets 4 scp a day). It relaxes the mind and the body. I have a blog post about it somewhere...
    

1) What happens when you lengthen reins while in w/t/c?
2) What happens  when slow your horse down or do a half halt?
3) What happens if you try to push your horse forward? 

What should ideally happen
1) Rhythm and balance should remain unchanged, neck should follow the bit. Nose should reach down to the ground, ideally not going too far behind vertical and should remain supple to flexion inside and out. Stretch over back and neck should lengthen and deepen.

2) Poll and shoulders should lift up, weight should shift back on to hind legs (flexion in hocks), frame should evenly shorten from nose to tail. Transition should be seamless and smooth due to relaxation in horse. 

3)Horse should remain on the bit, power should come from hind leg reaching under further and pushing forward, rhythm shouldn't change drastically. Before a smooth, relaxed, and measured increase in speed, the horses back should lift up more if contact remains consistent.