2025-06 PIB Clinic Wrap-up

✨ A Week to Remember ✨

I’ve just returned from a truly special and fulfilling week in the US—spent with my dear friend Deanna, her wonderful family, and her lovely horses plus some private lessons with students and a great weekend clinic.

The weekend clinic was nestled within a full-on bootcamp for Deanna and her boys. Every day, we worked with her horses—sometimes even twice—peeling away layers, uncovering new possibilities, and thoughtfully building the next steps in their education. Deanna herself is an experienced trainer, teacher, and clinician herself, and it’s incredibly enriching to support her on her journey. Our in-depth talks were full of mutual learning, reflection, and joyful exchange.

The clinic itself brought together a fantastic group of horse-human pairs and a beautiful circle of curious, like-minded auditors. We were gifted with inspiring moments of connection, subtle transformation, and mutual learning and the atmosphere was filled with heart, focus,and thoughtful partnerships.

Throughout the week, these key themes from my lecture wove themselves through every session:

🌱 Understanding and motivation—built on a solid relationship—always come first. Before anything else, the horse needs to feel safe, understood, and seen. From that foundation, we can spark motivation and open the door for learning. How do we do this? With useful slow work—slowing down to create focus, build awareness, develop better balance, and unleash coordination. This includes finding and maintaining the natural swing, shoulder balance, and spinal alignment—key elements that form the base of healthy movement and must stay alive as we move forward.

🌊 Then we shape a better body—through fluency, rhythm, and flow. The what is shaping posture, building strength, and preparing the body for more collected work. The why is to develop a healthy, strong, and maneuverable athlete—mentally and physically balanced. And the how is by adding fluency and rhythm back in, organizing forward energy with elasticity, and allowing the biomechanics to unfold in their full potential—without ever losing the base we built.

🌀 We shifted constantly between these two approaches—slowing down to deepen understanding, and bringing back fluency to unlock expression. This dance is key: whether we’re introducing something new or closing little gaps, the process always loops back to clarity, feel, and connection.

🔹 Collection as a next step. Only once understanding, thoughtful coordination,and a suitable tempo and rhythm are in place can we begin to tip the toes into collection. It’s not about holding or controlling—but inviting the biomechanics to carry more of the movement.

💪 And now—the true homework begins for each clinic participant: To nurture the seeds we planted, repeat what worked, and build consistency so the learning can take root and grow.

Beyond all of that, I truly cherished our time together—not only filled with horsey insights, but also with meaningful life conversations, laughter, and the warm presence of Deanna’s beautiful family.

Thank you to Barb & Raven, Sam & Gianna, Kaitlyn & Wendell, Stephanie & Smokey, and of course Deanna with Crucero and Gustavo—for making this clinic so vibrant and rich.

And thank you, Deanna, for opening your home, your world, your heart, and your mind. I carry this week with me—grateful, inspired, and deeply connected. 🐴💛

Please find a little video summary here: