I had a great lesson on Jasper today. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because he is such different ride from Teddy. Teddy was very heavy and it took a lot to get him going. Jasper is much more responsive and reacts to leg aids so I have to re-learn how to ride, undoing muscle memory of 8.5 years of riding Teddy. 

Today we worked on leg yielding. I have sit up tall, don't lean forward because that puts him on the forehand. We focused on leg yielding to the left, moving him off my right leg. Our right side is the dominant side for both of us, so have to soften the side up. I need to be more clear with my leg aid so he doesn’t lean on my right leg. Half halt and bump with the leg. Keeping his left shoulder parallel to the fence otherwise we are not leg yielding we are doing a diagonal line. 
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I rode Jasper for the first half of the lesson and Debbie rode him for the last half the lesson. 
I have to work on keeping my core tight so I am in centered in my position. He is pulling me forward by dropping his nose. 
What are the pre-signs or warnings that he will nose dive?
-he changes the pace
-he leans against my right leg
-he bulges with his left shoulder on the circle
-he twist his neck and points his nose to the right
By nose diving he is using his neck to balance. As I rider I need to keep him balanced by using my core so he can use his core.
We talked about working on both ends of the spectrum of trot, going slow and fast within the trot. If we go too fast, ask for too much impulsion, it can lead to injuries. He is not very strong yet. We are building up his strength by going slow and getting him balanced so he can build a foundation of strength. It’s like physio or yoga for horses to go slow and keep him balanced and using his core. 
It was interesting for me to watch Debbie ride him. I could see, from a new perspective, his tendencies such as twisting his neck to the right. I could see how correcting his balance with inside leg supported him to be in a round frame. 
Having us both ride Jasper in the same lesson helped me see the areas I need to improve on (tight core and staying centred), how Jasper can be corrected with inside leg and outside rein so he is in a nice round frame, and how effective the aids can be.

We worked on transitions within the transitions, slowing the trot to almost walk.
Getting stable in my position, not titling forward, strong in the core.
When Jasper tilts his head I put my legs on with a strong outside rein, to get him balanced. Don’t let him bulge with outside shoulder, means his neck is bending and therefore not bending from the middle, his sides.
This will prepare us for the canter, to keep him balanced, using half halts with a strong core and holding my position.
Exciting News! Brandy Saunders is offering equestrian lessons via PIVO. Get in touch if you are interested. https://www.facebook.com/crescentvalleystables/

Happy winter from Canada! There is snow and it is staying, so it is officially Winter in my part of the world. I have been enjoying my new horse, Jasper. He is an off the track thoroughbred (OTTB), seven years old and 16.3 hands. I never would have thought I would be riding an OTTB and a big one, too! He is an old soul and very sane, sweet and quiet. As they say in the horse industry, he is 'bomb proof.' He is also very handsome and a lovely mover. My priority is to ride a safe and level headed horse, so it doesn't matter in the end that he is very tall, young and a retired race horse. He is an anomaly and I love him!

I want to update you about some upcoming changes. Firstly, my schedule will be a little different this month. I will be taking two weeks to celebrate my 50th birthday in Cuba with my family. So if you are thinking about booking a session soon, it would be best to do it this week. I will be out of my office Dec 21 - Jan 2. 

My rates will be going up in January, 2025. I didn't raise my rates last year because so many businesses were increasing their prices due to inflation and I wanted to give my clients a break. I have been consistently pursuing professional development so that the quality of my services continues to get richer and deeper. I have also been an Animal Communicator since 2016 so I have nearly completed my 9th year of this work!

I feel very blessed to be in service my clients and their animals. Here is a list of the professional development I have done in the last two years to continue my learning with animals and spiritually, blending beautifully in my work as an Animal Communicator. 

Animals:
-Weekly Equestrian coaching with Brandy Saunders
-3-Day Eventing Clinic at Johvale, BC (the Eventer’s Paradise) with Olympian Sandra Donnelly
-Dressage Clinics with Sheri Dumonceaux in Cochrane, Alberta
-Competing at Spokane Horse Trials in Spokane, WA
-Competing at Island 22 Horse Trials in Chilliwack, BC
-Spectating The Event at Rebecca Farms at Kalispell, Montana
-Spectating Arena Eventing & Grand Prix Show Jumping at the Devon Horse Show in Philadelphia, PA
-New English Labrador Retriever puppy, Atlas
-Riding new Thoroughbred, Jasper

Spirituality:
-Studying with Yoga Teacher Joy Morell at Shanti Yoga Studio 
-Family Constellations
-5 Elements Healings
-Dream Analysis Therapy
-Animal Mediumship Group
-Spirit Speakers Podcast, interviewed by Patty Davis about Animal Communication www.spiritspeakerspodcast.com
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I want to give you a heads up about my rates going up, so you can book sessions in 2025 at the 2024 prices. You can buy a Gift Card for yourself or a friend or family member for Christmas and use it when it's convenient in the New Year. You can also BOOK A SESSION in my calendar now for a slot in the New Year by paying the current rates before they increase. 

In the New Year, I plan to offer a more classes: Advanced Animal Communication, Talking to Horses, and Talking to Nature. I will send out an email in January with the dates. In the meantime, please enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. Take time to slow down in Nature and be present with yourself and your animals. I look forward to continuing our deep and meaningful work together so we can raise the consciousness of humanity in service to our magnificent Animal Kingdom.

I tried a new horse, Jasper. He is my girlfriend's project horse, a 7 year old Thoroughbred. He is healing from his last trial experience where he lost a shoe in a rocky paddock which caused his hooves to get chewed up. If he is ready and sound and can keep his shoes on, I will take him to Nelson for a trial at the end of the month. This is our first ride. He feels very different from Teddy so I am finding my balance. I must say he is lovely mover with a very sweet and docile temperament to match. ​

My girlfriend, Debra Easton took her 5 year OTTB, Cedar, to his first dressage show yesterday. She texted me asking if I could do a reading on him because he was acting like a lunatic. I couldn't do it right away but got to it soon enough and then tried calling her. She didn't answer because she was riding. Then she texted back: "RIGHT before you called he totally settled down very suddenly!!! It was amazing." Then I texted: "That's when I finished the reading. That's great." She responded: "I figured! It was incredible. He just changed. Totally." So here is the reading for you read. I find it quite moving. Cedar is a very sweet horse as you will see...
Hi Cedar: It’s Katherine, Debbie asked me to connect with you because you are out of sorts. Is that ok?
~Yeah, ok yah, uh huh.
Why are you upset?
This is a big change, I don’t know what is going on, where am I? ~The other horses are upset too, it’s contagious.
Easy boy, you are at a dressage show. Debbie is going to ride you for the next four days. You will do walk, trot, canter, circles and lines. You know your job really well.
~Haaaa, what a relief. I just didn’t know, so I was getting anxious.
No worries, it’s a show so you get to show a judge how beautiful you are and how you have been so dedicated to your practice.
~Yes I am very proud. I am very strong and smart. I have learned so much. I want to show how special I am. I want to make Debbie proud too.
Yes and remember that she loves you very much and you are very special to her because you are calm and keep her safe.
~Yes I will protect her. I love her and want to keep her safe. I want to make her happy and proud. I will collect myself and be very strong in my core so she can have fun and feel how strong I am. And graceful too.
That will make her so happy. Thank you Cedar.
~Yes. I am happy.

Teddy and I had a great time at our local West Kootenay Derby last month. We had our best dressage test yet. He was very forward and responsive to my aids. I was very accurate with my lines and circles. Our cross country run was fun as it always is with Teddy. He lights up on the cross country field. He was very impressed by the ditch, the third obstacle of sixteen. He massively over jumped it, which was unexpected because we schooled the course a couple of times two days prior. It makes for a great photo! Photo credit: Debra Easton.

In mid-May, I took Teddy for an eventing clinic in Johvale. I had heard a lot about the place from the Pony Club kids. After every trip, the kids would tell stories of their ponies bucking them off and running for home. The location is high up on a mountain range. This clinic had 125 horses participating and the weather was cold and stormy. This is the perfect receipt for horses to be fresh and spirited. Teddy and I had a fun time despite the uncomfortable conditions, and now I have a story to tell. Teddy for the first time in 8 years tried to dismount me with consecutive bucks and crow hops on the way towards our group after a jump. I managed to stay on! My coach gave me a lot of support when I got home as I had to reset my nervous system after this harrowing experience. I won't post the video of Teddy going bronco as it's not helpful for me to watch it again. But here are couple of fun photos showing the beauty of the place.