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Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan
Me and Renege, my first “Equine Love” |
When I started
my hypnotherapy training, an important focus of my original business plan was
to help equestrians improve their communication and relationship with their
equine partners, including overcome anxiety around horses and achieve
competition goals. Of course, not all of my practice focuses on horses and
riding. Smoking cessation, weight loss, overcoming fear of public speaking/performance
anxiety, grief resolution and dealing with stress/anxiety are just a few of many
other self-improvement goals I help my clients achieve. But I named my hypnotherapy
practice Calminsense
Hypnotherapy® in homage of my special interest in horses and riding. “Common
Sense” is a colloquial expression that means “horse sense,” and I use the word “calm”
many times during every hypnotherapy session. Recent queries about my work with
equestrians inspired me to pay tribute to some of the horses that have been so
special to me over the years.
·
Paent (pronounced “Paint” and probably
named because of his coloring). I rode him on a trail-ride during my
one-and-only summer camp experience. He was probably an average-sized horse,
about 15 or 15.2 hands high, but I was very little at age eight and he seemed
huge. He was a gentle giant—i.e., he didn’t run off or try to dump me during
the ride—and I begged my parents to let me take him home with me when I went
home.
·
Renege. I rode this grey gelding for a
few years between the ages of about 11 and 15. My first-ever riding instructor
owned him and his doppelganger, a gelding called Charlie. Trivia fact: Clint Eastwood is riding Renege in the first 10 minutes of High Plains Drifter. The gelding was very dirty in this scene, but
he is definitely in those scenes. My trainer’s husband worked in the movie
industry and owned the horses—or bought them right after the movie, I can’t
remember. Renege was a little smaller than Charlie and rarely used in jumping
lessons—which made him less popular in lessons—but I really bonded with him. I
can still remember how slow and smooth Renege’s trot was; in fact, it was
probably better categorized as a Western jog. His canter (lope) was also
comparatively slow compared to the bolder stride that is desired in dressage. My
memory of how wonderful his canter felt probably created the subconscious mental
script that my subsequent trainers and I had to work hard re-write so I would
feel comfortable riding a true medium (bold) canter.
·
Galhoso (“Gally”). One of my dear friends
co-owns a Lusitano stallion called Galhoso. The last time I visited her—about 15
years ago—Sandra asked if I would like to sit on him after their training
session. She knew that I used to ride when I was a teenager and loved horses.
The opportunity to get on a horse again and even trot him around on a lunge
line for a few minutes was too good to be true. It also was the beginning of my
re-introduction to horses and riding as a passion and life-style. The following
year I started taking regular riding lessons again and bought my first-ever
horse.
·
Geeves. I bought him from my trainer at Silvergate Farms when I turned 35. As
I liked to say, I knew I loved him before I ever met or rode him. Having lived
in England for seven years I was a fan of the Jeeves and Wooster novels and
television series. As soon as I heard there was a horse with that name at the
barn I knew I had to meet him. My trainer was surprised when I asked to ride
Geeves, but we soon became recognized as a kind of item at the barn: “Sara and
Geeves.” At 16.2 hands high, the dark-brown gelding was (and remains) one of
the biggest horses I have ever ridden. He was always very gentle with and even
protective of me, as I was of him. He taught me how to enjoy every aspect of
loving a horse—not just riding but grooming, hanging out on rainy days and
worrying about every little thing that horse owners worry about, often
unnecessarily. Geeves and I were together for nearly eight years and it’s
nearly six years since he passed away. I still miss him every day, and I
remember every lesson he taught me.
·
Candy. I leased this sweet part-Arabian
mare for about a year after Geeves died. I had actually been riding her at the
end of Geeves’ life because his arthritis was getting worse. I wasn’t ready to
own another horse yet, but the schooling mare and I were a good fit as far as
size and my riding goals/ability. She took me to my first horse shows and even
though I knew she wouldn’t be a permanent part of my life, I am grateful for
the time I got to spend with her while I was grieving for my horse.
·
Galahad. I met Avalon’s Galahad in 2011.
Our introduction was similar to how I discovered Geeves. A friend (now current
trainer) owned a training barn and Arabian-horse breeding facility; when I finally
started looking for a horse of my own, she gave me a DVD of some of the horses
she was offering for sale at the time. My interest piqued the instant Galahad
appeared in the frames. Learning about the horse’s part-Lipizzan pedigree was like
a dream come true. The dancing white horses of the Spanish Riding School
symbolized the ultimate of classical dressage training, and I could have a
chance to become part of that story. The first time Galahad was brought out for
me to watch him work at liberty, even my trainer agreed he seemed to be
flirting with me in a way he didn’t behave with another prospective buyer. The
first time I got on him for a ride, the gelding cocked a hind leg and dropped
his head, waiting patiently as I adjusted my stirrups. “Well, he’s made up his
mind!” My trainer said with a laugh, noting Galahad’s relaxation with me on board.
So had I, and we’ve been together ever since.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based
in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in
2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
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