Dear Friends of the Horse,

Have you been riding a long time, hit a plateau, and not progressing?

While studying under Olympic riding coaches and spiritual Masters, plateaus were continuously showing up for me.

They led me to look at a triangle linking the outer self, inner self, and a challenge. The result was the development of a system I call 'Selfseeds' that enables you to move past your plateaus by looking within yourself from a new perspective.

The Awakened Horsemanship training use Selfseeds to show you a way to be a better rider and to naturally align with your horse.

By the time someone takes on a program that is unknown and not mainstream, she is probably frustrated and disappointed by what is happening in her regular experience. She would be looking for answers to questions and something with a clear strategy that helps with immediate and noticeable results in performance, relationship, and/or safety.

A new perspective might be needed. Are you willing to do that?

What does a plateau look like? How would we know we were on a plateau if it is a new path? Plateaus can be a welcomed achievement in themselves. A place of self reflection, a moment to regroup, rest, and consider the next part of the climb.

It is easier to recognize a plateau when there is a goal in mind, such as the completion of a training level dressage test and now how to reach first level. How about getting around a course of jumps in a calm, coherent way, but next wanting to add speed for a jump-off. Or, completing an obstacle course with a willing horse and a well executed plan, but it isn’t at a competitive level. These are all great achievements in themselves, but is there a new goal and you find that the path isn’t unfolding? 

The frustration and challenge can be in wanting to progress out of the plateau. Is there a blind spot that a fresh perspective and new set of tools can be helpful? Every plateau can have a pain point, but with an exit strategy. 

So is the new plateau a natural evolutionary part of the development and it is a needed rest and regroup to systematically move on? Or is it a plateau out of misunderstanding, fear, and disobedience? As students, we often don’t know, but we can have a deep innate sense of harmony, peace, and flow. We were born with this and then the advent of life supports it or starts to create a scaffolding to obstruct it.

Awakened Horsemanship provides support and awareness for developing a new perspective for the horse through the inside of oneself.  We start with a gentle experience of mind, body, spirit/soul and then share the insights, awareness, and understanding with the horse. It is a breakthrough way to help find an aligned path for transformation and advancement. 

There is a template of 11 Selfseeds, micro-awareness experiences, which are the entry points for self-awareness. Improving personal timing, feel, and alignment support safety and growth in your relationship with the horse.

Reassess and look at smaller details for improving and understanding the essence or root of a challenge in action. 

“Your own inner experience is the only perspective for improving feel, timing, and alignment.”

The really excellent, top-level coaches always wanted to work on improving what I call “A,” the basics. I might have wanted to work on tempi-changes or some other more complicated movement, but the instructor often led me to the quality of the canter, straightness, and throughness. The higher the level I aspired to, the more I understood this thinking. 

Practicing the movement is a stage of learning about the mechanics. Learning to improve the quality of the movement is in another league. Plateaus are the points we reach, rest, and step forward from. 

Working with Awakened Horsemanship underlines the value of  micro-moments of awareness. Knowing the self as the vehicle will change your perspective and understanding of riding principles.

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In Gratitude,

Susan Eoff