Trust is a tricky thing…. It means you have to be vulnerable. I get why Sophie has had a hard time trusting me – because I have difficulty trusting people. No wonder we get along.

The last time I went to see her, I had just gotten some difficult news moments before my lesson, and she knew it. She was off because I was off. When I tried to groom her, Lynn said “Take a breath. Get centered and breathe.” Horses mirror our energy. So I did, and it got better. But she still knew that my mind was racing, and I wasn’t fully present.

Then came yesterday. I had returned from a vacation which gave me a complete “reboot” – and everything about my energy was different. Groundwork is a wonderful way to get in the energy of an animal, and learn about communicating through physical and mental cues.     

Sophie was calm when I approached. She let me put the halter on her without any issue. When I was grooming her, she didn’t lift her leg like she normally does as a nervous twitch. We even tried a massager on her back that Lynn’s sister Brenda was using on her horse Chilli, and Sophie soaked it up. She was present and centered and we were both fully “in the moment”.

When it came time to asking her to back up, I tried the way where you stand in front of the horse and lift your right hand with the halter to direct her to reverse. Once again, she wouldn’t budge. Lynn videotaped me trying to get her to move and it was actually hilarious to watch. I was all over the place. No wonder she didn’t budge. If “to be clear is to be kind”, I was very unkind. So Lynn had me try a different approach. I stood next to her head, my left shoulder close to the right side of her face, and I was looking at her backside. (As pictured.) My left hand was on the halter, as I gently pulled the halter back towards her hind legs. With each inch that she moved, I would let go of the pressure to indicate “good job.” Within minutes, we were in sync. She was backing up, and I was right there in her ear whispering, “Good girl.” It felt fabulous.

Thank you to all who have been witnessing this journey of connection and love. We are still looking for donations to keep Sophie at the Diettrich Farm. Any amount helps.

And if you’d like to come meet Sophie, or take a groundwork class with me, send me an email to info@jenweigel.com

Blessings and love to you and yours-

Jen