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Time to Welcome in the New Year! Winter 2014
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I would like to thank everyone for their support during 2014. We have had a very busy year and its hard to believe we will soon be into 2015.
During 2014 we have been working on programs for our Life Enhancement Center and we are very pleased with the response we have been receiving. Grace Schwartz has been doing some wonderful myofascial release work with riders and horses performing all the way to Grand Prix Show Jumping and Dressage.
"Myofascial Release" is a mind-body therapeutic approach that is safe, comprehensive, and highly effective in relieving pain, headaches, and restoring motion. The goal of myofascial release is to return the individual to a pain-free, active, lifestyle."
In 2015 we will be expanding what we offer for horse and rider both in workshops and individual sessions. Please keep an eye open for our next newsletter.
For those of you looking for Christmas presents for friends or for yourself please check out our Swiss Bank Account Program on our Membership Services page on our Equestrian Lifestyles Solution website.
You can apply these funds to workshops, lessons, clinics and body work at Pine Knoll. A simple and GREAT idea for the Holidays!
Next year will also see us offering more HorsEmpowerment, Equine Assisted Learning and Personal Development workshops. See article below to see some of the benefits :P Horsing Around.
May you have a wonderful Holiday Season!
Gillian Vallis, Team Pine Knoll and The Peace Ponies
Pine Knoll Center for Integrated Horsemanship
Lexington, Kentucky
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Visit the Equestrian Lifestyle Solutions website to see more about the Life Enhancement Center. Read about our team members, see our services, and learn more about how the Life Enhancement Center can improve your life.
Don't forget to visit Equestrian Lifestyle Solutions on Facebook!
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Myofascial Stretching Class with Michelle Morgan
If you are interested in learning about how Myofascial Release can improve your quality of life then this 2- hour course may be the place to start! You will gain a better understanding into the healing process using John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release Approach. There will be a brief presentation with time for questions, education on self-treatment techniques, introduction to the motion facilitated aspect of MFR/ unwinding, and rebounding. We will focus on learning how to use the principles of Myofascial Release and this will empower you to treat yourself!
About Michelle:
I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and have been studying John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release Approach since 2009. I believe the ability to use effective verbal and non-verbal communication is vital to all aspects of our daily life- because everything we do communicates something! MFR is a great way to facilitate
 whole body changes that will continue to benefit you throughout your lifetime. I also have additional training in the use of equine myofascial release and am the official coordinator for the Central Kentucky MFR Study Group. My goal is to optimize elements of your personal communication style, verbal and non-verbal, through improved body awareness and postural support.
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Check out our Current Special!
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One-on-One HorsEmpowerment session with Gillian. $65 (1 hour) Email us before January 1st for a chance to win a FREE SESSION! |
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In August Gillian co-facilitated, with Lissa Pohl (from the UK Center for Leadership Development) , a workshop at Asbury Theological Seminary. Over 1 1/2 days we worked with approximatley 50 ministers who were attending a one month intensive. The ministers had their own congregations and were from diverse cultures from Bosnia, Russia, Japan and many more countries!
Testimonial:
"As a career leadership educator, I help emerging and executive leaders gain increased congruence between what they value and how they show up in their self, supervision, systems, strategies and society. To do this, I craft learning experiences equal to the task. The "Herd Dynamics for Leaders" experience is one of my newest go-to experiences to do this. When leaders are intro-duced into the herd by the equestrian educators, we all see rather quickly that being smart, funny, talkative or intimidating is not enough to be credible in the eyes of a horse -- reading people and situations around the herd is a life or death matter to them. I want to help leaders learn to read people and situations as vitally as they do. The Herd Dynamics for Leaders course moves people deeply to that possibility."
Russell W. West, Ph.D. Organizational Leadership Professor and Consultant, Asbury Theological Seminary, KY
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Gillian has also recently hosted a workshop with two of our Life Enhancement Center team : Grace Schwartz and Virginia Drake. This "Awakening to Wellbeing" workshop was extremely successful.
Testimonials:
"It was a strong example of being present. I can recall the feeling after the event and I am able to call it when needed."
"There was so much 'knowledge' from all the facilitators being [energetically] downloaded (and continues to be). It was hard to put into words."
"Terrific Day! The flow of the day was like a day with no time limits you don't want it to end." Jill Livesay, Computer Analyst, Lexington, KY
"The Awakening to Wellbeing Workshop offered a springboard of learning... jumping out of old patterns and diving into our new discovery."
Margaret Rose, Teacher, Lexington, KY
Here is a snippet from a letter sent to us by a participant:
"My experience with horse/human interactions is that horses provide honest feedback that is free of judgment to the humans they interface with. Nonjudgmental feedback is especially effective for people like Wounded Warriors, who have dealt with traumatic transitions in their lives and often may be judgmental of themselves. This work will change lives in positive ways and I am thankful to have experienced it. Please continue this work." -Sandy Gruzesky, US Navy Commander (Retired)
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Gillian Vallis has spent a lifetime working with horses and designed the HorsEmpowerment™ System at Pine Knoll Center for Integrated Horsemanship. Read more about HorsEmpowerment here. See a testimonial from a recent event here. Some examples of Self Discovery work with Horses:
~ Improved Communication Skills - verbal and non-verbal (90% of communication is non-verbal)
~ Clear Boundaries
~ Awaken and Expand Your Awareness
~ Discover Your Strengths
~ Learn "Present Moment" Living
WE invite YOU to TROT ALONG with us on a voyage of Self-Discovery!
Horsing Around in Childhood Really Can Change Your Life
First evidence-based stud to measure positive levels of stress hormones in children in touch with horse.
By Fran Jurga April 28, 2014
We all know it's true, but now there's proof: horses have a positive effect on children.
A study published this month in the American Psychological Association's Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin documents work done at Washington State University (WSU). The WSU study, "Randomized Trial Examines Effects of Equine Facilitated Learning on Adolescents' Basal Cortisol Levels" is the first evidence-based research within the field of human-equine interaction to measure a change in participants' levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
The study is much more than a reinforcement of the "feel-good" benefits of being around animals, in particular, the researchers designed the study to see if there was a way their research could be utilized in the prevention of mental health problems later in life."
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Peace Pony Ambassador Apollo is a member of our
Equine Assisted Learning Herd
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Insights from the
Peace Ponies |
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All Aboard the Peace Ponies Express!
The Price of your ticket is... PEACE
Would you Like to Experience more Peace,
Positivity and Wonder in Your Life?
As Ambassadors for Peace and Inspired Living, we are passionate about Peace and supporting others to live from a place of Peace and Well-being. Our goal is to cultivate an Intentional and Sustainable lifestyle and community grounded in proven practices that develop Peace and Dissolve Fear-to promote Love.
Jump Aboard and Like The Ponies on Facebook today
www.facebook.com/PeacePonies
www.peaceponies.com
info@peaceponies.com
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 Kerry's Corner |
Feldenkrais Workshops
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CULTIVATING EFFORTLESSNESS:
Finding Your Natural Posture on Horseback
A Series of Feldenkrais® and Bones for Life® Workshops
with Meriah Kruse, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®
The two-way dialogue between rider and horse depends, in part, on the ability of the rider to relax into the rhythm and feel of the motion of the horse. One of the greatest favors any rider can do for her equine friends is to cultivate a sense of effortlessness, where just the amount of effort that is needed is used, and nothing more. When the human half of the partnership has a clear somatic idea of where her personal posture emanates from, she can bring a highly organized body and mind to the act of riding, thus eliminating what Feldenkrais called "parasitic efforts" which distract or interfere with the horse's gait and sense of ease.
Both the Feldenkrais Method, and it's offspring Bones for Life, create just these conditions: effortlessness, and an approach to dynamic, natural posture that comes from increased subtle awareness of self.
"Riding, like many sports, demands coordination and timing. It also requires that elusive quality, "feel." Feel is the ability to carry on a subtle two-way dialogue with your horse, so that horse and rider act as a single, intelligent unit. Feel requires a heightened awareness of self that is often lacking in our stress-filled world."
Mary Debono, GCFP
Encinitas, California
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About MERIAH KRUSE,GCFP
Since 1982 she has been on a great adventure: creating opportunities for all kinds of people to move, learn, create, explore, evolve, have fun, and get healthy. She has an eclectic background -- over 30 years in dance, writing, somatic education, therapeutic massage, cultural arts, spiritual studies, and adventure travel programming. Meriah has a particular fondness for working with her friends in the equine industry.
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2015 Schedule Coming Soon!
At the end of September we had an extremely successful Tom Poulin Clinic sponsored by the Kentucky Dressage Association.
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Testimonials from Cathy Fox's
Youth Clinic in May 2014
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" [Cathy] really described how everything works and how things connect to other things. She also had very funny similes to help people understand things."
"Very positive instructor. To the point and on spot."
"[Cathy] was amazing! Her sense of humor definitely added a special positive to the clinic. I thought her approach to teaching young students was appropriate and engaging."
"The [HorsEmpowerment] activity gave me a better point of view of how I should act and react around horses."
"The outdoor [arena] is very spacious, the barn looks very well kept and interesting to look at."
"I enjoyed everything about the program. We got so much out of it."
"I liked the [Nutrition] seminar. This was a perfect experience!"
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Magical Lady, our mare for sale who both classes at her first rated show!
Rolls Royce, under Cathy Fox, competed at Grand Prix and won 5th place!
Before Taxes, under Cathy Fox (owned by Shirley McQuillan), won both 3rd Level classes at her first show. Taxi was a star in a muddy arena!
We would also like to congratulate all of our students who had a wonderful show year!
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2007 16.1h Grey Lusitano Cross Mare
Magic has talent for numerous disciplines.
She is good natured, confident, and extremely comfortable. She has a solid foundation and is ready to go in your chosen discipline, probably making a great Pony Club Event horse. She has done great at shows, even winning her debut show (Training Level Dressage). Some of the judges' comments include "balanced", "very regular in gaits", "obedient", and "connected". She is good for vet, farrier, and to trailer. $15,000
1997 16.3h Black Hanovarian Gelding
Talented & Extremely Amateur-Friendly Schoolmaster. Call Cathy for more details.
See more on Warmblood-Sales.com
The Magician
We would like to congratulate Allison Driver on her purchase of Zeus. We wish you a magical Chrismas and New Year
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Kerry Thomas Quote Mousepad |
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THT Educational Poster |
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Sassa Bella provides the highest quality, earth-inspired, 100% natural handmade soap and body care products for people, equines and canines. We make products that promote well-being, encourage a sense of inner harmony and enhances your own unique radiant beauty.
Sassa Bella, LLC.
www.SassaBellaBodyCare.com
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Fix it all with Shoulder-In!
-To improve lateral suppleness.
-To improve gaits in general.
-To teach collection.
-To straighten a horse that has a tendency to be crooked, which about 98% of them are.
This can be done at all gaits. If you are doing this by yourself for the first time, do not flex your horse's neck to the inside. Shoulder-in is as it sounds: the shoulders come off the track. Think about bringing that outside shoulder off the track. Be sure that your shoulders are in line with your horse's shoulders.
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Cathy Fox is available for lessons and training here at Pine Knoll Farm
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