(This blog was originally posted on September 27, 2016)
 |
Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan
Me and Galhoso (“Gally”), the horse who brought
me back to riding. |
This blog is dedicated with love to the
memory of Galhoso (“Gally”), the Lusitano stallion who reignited my love for
horses and riding. Rest in sweet peace, dear boy.
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. Sadly, he passed away last week at
the very respectable age of 31. His death may not have been completely unexpected,
but it has been keenly felt by everyone who loved and cared for him. I am
grateful that I was able to visit Gally a final time at the beginning of 2017,
and he was as impressive and sweet as the first time we met about 15 years ago.
At that first meeting, my friend 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. I admit that the
idea of riding a stallion (!) was thrilling, and it still tickles me that I had
that experience. That ride 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. I now own a
Lipizzan/Arabian gelding named Galahad whom I affectionately nick-named “Gally-had”
a few months before Gally died. I don’t know why I started calling my boy that,
but I will continue to do so in loving memory of that tremendous stallion who
brought horses and riding back into my life all those years ago.
·
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 Avalons 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.
Special offer for Active/Retired First Responders and Military Personnel
Special
Offer: 25 percent discount off the first hypnotherapy session for all
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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/.
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