Kathy Pike's Blog, page 7

Reground with the Power of Horse

The wind is blowing today and the thick smoke that has been hanging like a wet cloth just above the land has cleared out. It is due to return by nightfall. Saturday night an electrical storm came through that brought fingers of lightning bolts like an octopus in the sky. Thin sharp zaps of electricity hitting numerous times, relentlessly and simultaneously – I felt as if I had returned to the 80’s and I was in the disco with a strobe light. However, it did not feel as expansive and joyful as my dancing days of the 80’s. Instead, it […]

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Fall Programs are Starting to Fill

Finally the mornings are bringing cooler temperatures to the ranch and I have spotted my first yellow leaf on the ground. The horses have started to push out the summer hair and new thicker hairs are coming in for the fall months. Their slick, shiny coats of summer are becoming slightly more textured. Change is upon us again. During our last program the horses held space as the participants entered into a sacred space of honoring their being through painting. This quiet contemplative exercise can take individuals deeply into creativity and communion with horse. Here is a short video of […]

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Applying for a TedX Talk with Corazon

As some of you may have heard, I have recently been selected to speak at a TedX Talk later this summer. My topic for the talk is Wild and Free, and in it I will be sharing Corazon’s story from being a wild Pryor Mountain Mustang, to the bleak and disturbing potential future I was able to rescue him from, and our very first days together to where we are now on our journey. It has been a very cathartic experience for me to write about Corazon’s path and I’m so excited to be sharing his inspirational journey with the […]

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Hope is featured in Saddlebox

Saddlebox.net will be Including Hope from the Heart of Horses in their June Gift Box! This week I was approached by Phil Van Treuren, the CEO of https://www.saddlebox.net, a unique membership website that has a really fun idea for horse lovers, and those who love horse lovers! Every month, members of Saddlebox receive a box of horse gifts; each month different items are included in the package that is shipped. I’m excited and proud to say that they’ve asked if they can include my book, Hope from the Heart of Horses, in June’s Saddlebox! If you’d like to receive next month’s Saddlebox, you […]

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Preparing for the Spring Teaching Season

I am ready for the warm March winds to massage the muddy ground into dry, firm terracotta so I can begin the spring work with my herd. Without an indoor arena, I am often limited by when and how I can work with my herd. I could pine for what I do not have, or I can get creative with what I do have. The harsh winter months give my horses time off as they focus on eating and staying warm. As spring rolls in, the muddy days are spent grooming and doing the subtle groundwork in the dry spots […]

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Transitions in the Spring – The Horses are Frisky

A few crocuses have sprung forward this late February, and early spring is on her way. Another winter cycle coming to completion brings forward the opportunity for frozen land to turn to moist earth and support the blooming expressions of fertility. The paddocks are wet after our last storm, with mounds of manure frozen in ice and sludgy brown water flowing to the low side of the land. The fragrance is pungent and earthy, and the fumes penetrate into every pore of my clothing until I feel through scent alone that I am one with the herd. Moon, the shaman, […]

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Integrating the Herd – Communications Lesson (Again)

Moon Shadow Ranch welcomes a new mare named Scotch. Scotch was with us for one month last fall and proved to be an excellent guide and teacher for humans. The facility she was living at closed, so she has come here to my ranch. I had hoped to have her integrated into my entire herd soon after her arrival. However, with my mustang Corazon (who was a wild and free stallion until he was five), this is a challenging prospect. I allowed everyone to be over the fence for several days and all of the squealing subsided. Diva and Scotch […]

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Four Lessons from my Herd

As you know, I am not a hardcore rider, but instead am one that is seeking better ways to be with Horse and to honor my partnership with my horse when I do choose to ride. My primary riding horse is Diva, a 13 year-old mare that is very generous and calm, yet is not usually the one that will boldly take leadership. Yesterday, she proved me wrong.  I loved every moment when we are strong in the lead position picking our way along the trail. But let me back up. It has been a bit of a journey with […]

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Blow Your Horse Down

As I sit in the security of my house, I give many thanks for the divine way that I arrived here and the continuing protection my home gives me. Just like the only house that the Big Bad Wolf could not blow down in the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs, my home is a brick house. These extraordinary winds will not be able to blow down my horses either. My mare, Diva, is standing outside her paddock, facing south into the gale force winds gusting over 75 – 95 miles an hour. Her four hooves are planted and […]

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Hibernate to Find the Seed

Father Winter is now fully upon us and the urge to slow down, reflect or full-on hibernate is hard to avoid. So, why shouldn’t we? We are still in the cycle of winter. Though winter solstice has passed and each day is starting to grow longer, we still don’t feel fully energized just yet. True, we may have experienced moments of great joy and socializing through the celebrations of December, but yet still feel sluggish or low energy here in early January. On these dark, January days, I watch my herd. I often go out and stand with them. For […]

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