Equi Balance Dressage, A Path of the Heart by Cheryl

Horses have NEVER been just a job or business. They are a joy and help me grow following a path of the heart I found so very early in life! As a child my world was filled with horses! My room was overflowing with books, statues , anything horse I could get! They represented beauty, wonder and magic for me. They still do. I went on my first pony ride at 4, and had my first horse at 8. I had already decided what I wanted to be in life by 10 years old, I wanted to be an equestrian in every sense of the word! Learning about every aspect of the horse was and IS a joy as well as a challenge.  I wanted to help others learn too! This joy has never diminished, in fact it grows, refines and is NEVER dull! Having horses helped me to weather a childhood that was extremely vicious. They brought balance, trust, and provided a connection with things that were truly good in a life that contained a lot of trauma and horrors.

Even when I joined the USAF I never lost it. I rode in whatever country I was in, and was actually asked in Germany to be the Head Instructor of the international section at a German riding school. As I was stationed near Ramstein AFB, a NATO base we had all nationalities! It was an amazing opportunity to design educational programs for adults and children. Each custom designed to bring them into the fascinating, amazing journey of becoming an equestrian. Today my dedication to the horses and their riders has never dimmed, it’s still fascinating, I’m always learning and the desire to help others grow safely into their dreams is even more of a joy than it started out to be!

Riding is a partnership. It’s not something you do TO a horse but WITH a horse and it cannot truly be achieved without feel and softness. Feel is not limited to what comes through the reins but encompasses the whole being and in my understanding has 5 elements: physical, mental, energetic, emotional and spiritual. These elements all have levels of awareness that can be developed over time and pave the road for refinement of the human and horse. There is a wonder that develops with this feel, communication, a type of beauty and simplicity that can be applied to every type of equestrian activity. Even the highest levels of dressage and jumping, but not limited to them. It can be applied to trail riding too!

From beginner through FEI levels, no matter what your current skill level, I can help you improve your skills. Using an easy-to-implement  progression suitable for educating the horse and rider in all disciplines we help you work WITH your horse instead of against them. I’m a life long learner, passionate about horses and people. I’m always working to  enrich my ongoing education in classical dressage, equine and human bio-mechanics and conscious horsemanship.

Helping you create a space where the interdependence of horse and human can blossom and grow is my passion.  Are you looking for a trusting partnership rooted in conscious horsemanship with your equine partner, true classical dressage education,  improvements in your jumping and eventing skills? Equi-Balance can help you develop better feel and balance through compassionate, highly effective time-tested techniques. I use in-hand development, long reining, cavelletti work, gymnastics and classical skills to enable you and your equine partner to find balance, harmony, and joy.

Each horse and rider is a special combination. Each has key elements that open the doors of feel for them.. Using methods my skills learned from a lifetime with horses and learned from many of the best horsemen and women around the world this ever-evolving system  blends communication , observation and the best of timeless techniques.

I practice  Falun Dafa, a  unique form of Buddhist/Daoist self-cultivation with 5 special  exercises that enhance stillness (wuwei) and feel. The exercises have been likened to Tai Chi.  This practice improved  my horsemanship, focus, and enhanced the inner stillness needed to listen to horse and rider from a mindful focus. Helping you and your horse to become the team you want to be in the living art of classical dressage is paramount .

QUALIFICATIONS:

German Bronze Riding Medal from Warendorf Reiter Schule (Germany)

* Warendorf Reiter Schule as a Bereiter/ Pferdewirtschaftmeister (gained after attaining my Bronze Medal from Warndorf and completing 3 years as Bereiter at St Georg reiter schule under the tutelage Of Herr Finck, a Gold medal holder, and reit Master, as well as gaining my BHSAI  in the UK)  

*BHSAI from Talland School of Equitation in the United Kingdom (http://www.talland.net/)

*Head of the International Riding section at St Georg Reiter Schule in Ramstein, Germany.(REIT- UND FAHRVEREIN ST. GEORG E.V. D-66877 RAMSTEIN-MIESENBACH, REICHSWALDSTR.)

Retired from 20 years of active duty in the USAF (retired from Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona)

Competed successfully in Germany at  S level in Dressage (Grand Prix),  S* Jumping

Evented successfully in California, and the United Kingdom through intermediate level.

Taught dressage and jumping in the UK while stationed there for 3 years.

*Certified by EquiTouch Systems in Equine Sports Massage Therapy and Soft Tissue Manipulation

*Studied Equine Anatomy and Physiology at Pima Community College

*Studied Equine Nutrition at Pima Community College

*Worked with several of the best natural horseman to keep developing a deeper relationship rooted in kindness and mindfulness.

Currently working toward my Master’s Degree in Ecopsychology

Available for lessons, clinics and seminars. Anywhere in or out of Arizona.