Tracy Courtney
Intervals of Listening; Meeting in the Middle
Intervals are the key to listening & the natural space where focus should be placed. The spaces in between, are where the letting go occurs & the profound answers are found. There are natural intervals between two breaths, two thoughts, two sentences, two movements & between two visual perceptions. We have been habituated to asking our pet to do something & implementing some type of pressure or force when they don’t comply immediately. The interval between the dictation & our application of force, is where our horse has an opportunity to express how they feel & we can begin to understand those feelings on a much deeper level. This is where a profound shift in our own perceptions occur & new doors of understanding emerge
Everything begins with Parameters
When we choose to dissect & work with individual body parts, such as the feet, we are missing out on balancing other body parts that may need to be addressed first. It's futile to try to relax the muscle groups of a single body part, while the rest of the body, mind & emotions are still tense & ridgid. Why dissect individual body parts when we can relax the whole being all at once?
Parameters
Parameters
Creating The Connection
Creating The Connection
Parameters is an opportunity to give back to our horses for all they give to us. Parameters is a reset button & a therapy session, that allows for the complete release of all stress, anxiety, worries & fear (dependant on how quickly we choose to let go). Parameters is the first foundational step in the Fearless Process that teaches how to build on this initial therapy session & learn how to carry it into everything we do moving forward. During this single workshop, we can literally delete all of the unwanted behaviour our horse arrived with, without having to address the behaviours directly or individually & without the use of gadgets. Our horse will willingly shift their full focus & attention to us without ever being asked to do a single thing & will offer to ground tie, among other things.
By moving beyond the physical attributes of behaviour & going directly to the mind, we can create total relaxation mentally, emotionally & physically through 5 simple steps. The foundation & understanding of changing the roots of behaviour begin with Connection. This lack of Connection is responsible for all behaviour extensions, like the branches & leaves of a tree. We will learn how to create The Magnetic Connection by easily shifting our horse's focus from the environment to us, while allowing our horse to express what they're thinking & how they're feeling without intervention, in order to release the unbalanced emotions in a safe & confidence building way for both of you.
There are also 4 human exercises created just for you. These prove through personal experience, how our normal habits interfere with our ability to connect, listen & have discussions with our horse, how our normal awareness is contracted & limited which limits our perceptions, we get to experience a glimpse into how our horses naturally exist, how different this is to how we normally function in the world & we get to step into our horses shoes for a deeper experiential understanding.
All that is required for the first 5 workshops is any type of halter & a long lead, somewhere in the vicinity of 15 to 20 feet, & comfortable reins to connect to the halter for the riding exercises. The lead must be of a soft material such as rope or cotton. Anything made of nylon or a similar material is not acceptable as these can injure your hands during the beginning of the first workshop, before our horse has had a chance to release their unbalanced emotional baggage.
Workshop Topic Overview:
The gate
The mosquito
Starts
The mirror
Initial indicators
The tree of behaviour
Peeling the onion
Fear of layers/shutdown
Comfort zones
Recognizing disconnection
Shifting relationship responsibility
Giving our horse a voice
Bubble
Personal space
Redirection
Using the rope as communication instead of control
Peripheral
Thumbs
Sighs/Blowing
The 5 steps to the magnetic connection
The 4 human exercises; Thoughts, Observation, Awareness & Shoes
"Our pets are never in the wrong, we are always the root cause of the problems through lack of listening, discussion, patience & deeper understanding"
- Tracy Courtney
Parameters
Parameters
Shifting Both Minds into Neutral & building the Magnetic Connection
Shifting Both Minds into Neutral & building the Magnetic Connection
Flow
Flow
Advancing Parameters & Building Flow
Advancing Parameters & Building Flow
Learning to Listen
Learning to Listen
Being in this moment through sensorless observation
Being in this moment through sensorless observation
Building a New Language Template
Building a New Language Template
Allowing our horse to lead the discussion
Allowing our horse to lead the discussion
The Spiral of Learning
The Spiral of Learning
Shifting our perceptions of distractions & problems
Shifting our perceptions of distractions & problems
Moving Out of Time
To Be Fully Present in This Moment
What constitutes time?
The body is time
When looking around normally, we can always see parts of our body through our peripheral vision. Take special note next time we are absorbed in our favorite thing to do, such as art, dance, etc. In these moments, we shift into using Zero Point or the Neutral part of the brain. If we pay close attention, we will notice that our entire body disappears mentally, emotionally & visually. We don't even feel discomfort because we are completely disconnected from the body. When we reach this state while with our horse, we know beyond a doubt that we are in perfect flow & harmony together. Like a flock of birds or a school of fish, we have transcended all differences between us & have melded into one single flow of being
We also experience this during our daily lives, but don't recognize it for what it is. How many of us have become so absorbed in the content on our phone, TV, video games or computer, that we have lost periods of time? What felt like 10 minutes, suddenly turned into 2 or more hours lost, & we don't even know where the time went
"In recognizing our limited way of thinking, new possibilities emerge in our lives" - Tracy Courtney
Parameters in The Saddle
Parameters in The Saddle
Building the connection in the saddle
Building the connection in the saddle
Flow in The Saddle
Flow in The Saddle
Building Flow in the saddle
Building Flow in the saddle
Building a New Language in The Saddle
Building a New Language in The Saddle
Building on mutual discussions
Building on mutual discussions
Spiral of Learning in The Saddle
Spiral of Learning in The Saddle
Shifting our perceptions of distractions & problems
Shifting our perceptions of distractions & problems
Starting Horses
Before the First Ride
Before the First Ride
The First Ride
The First Ride
After the First Ride
After the First Ride