On todays episode of 'The Herd is Calling' we are SO excited to share a research project done by Victoria for OSU on what happens to kids happiness when they get around horses.  Our mission here is to pull back the curtain on the magic of horses, so this project is perfect to do just that!  Spoiler Alert!!!  Horses really work for kids, on SO many levels!

Be sure to search 'My Horse Club' on your favorite platform to find us, and get your daily dose of horse magic.  Also, there is a special deal for our podcast listeners to be first in line for 'My Horse Club', our virtual equine experience.  Just go to http://www.myhorseclub.org and sign up on our waiting list to join completely free!  Our mission is to make the power of horses and the wisdom of the herd accesible to hearts and homes around the world, no barn required! 

On todays episode of 'The Herd is Calling' we are doing a deep dive on a critical horse law:  GRIT!  Thanks for tuning in!

Search 'My Horse Club' on your favorite platform to find us, and get your daily dose of horse magic.  Also, there is a special deal for our podcast listeners to be first in line for 'My Horse Club', our virtual equine experience.  Just go to http://www.myhorseclub.org and sign up on our waiting list to join completely free!  Our mission is to make the power of horses and the wisdom of the herd accesible to hearts and homes around the world, no barn required!

Grit = the product of passion + perseverance

Grit is horse law. 

They are hardwired to persevere, to continually move forward. 

To adjust to environment and experiences and then move with the moment that they are in.

Horses don’t get stuck. 

Their innate Perseverance and stamina shifts the paradigm of failure 

So that they are not failing but  learning 

On todays episode of 'The Herd is Calling' we are doing our first A.M.A. (ask me anything)!  Our students submitted some questions about all things Horse, and we answered them.  If YOU would like to submit a question for our next A.M.A., just dm us on social; search 'My Horse Club' on your favorite platform to find us, and get your daily dose of horse magic.  Also, there is a special deal for our podcast listeners to be first in line for 'My Horse Club', our virtual equine experience.  Just go to http://www.myhorseclub.org and sign up on our waiting list to join completely free!  Our mission is to make the power of horses and the wisdom of the herd accesible to hearts and homes around the world, no barn required! 

On today's episode, Josh and Victoria pull back the curtain on the magic of horses and do a deep dive on Mindfulness!  Turns out, horses are incredible teachers for mindfulness.  We have a fun story about how a pony named Mac develops mindfulness in his students by….. (Read on for more :-)

Go to www.myhorseclub.org to get on the waiting list for My Horse Club!

Join us and learn how to bring the wisdom of the Herd into you and your families life, through our podcast, blog, social media content, and our immersive, virtual equine experience:  My Horse Club.  Our mission is to bring the magic of horses and the wisdom of the herd directly into the hearts and homes of people around the world. 

"It’s a practice that can transform our relationships with our kids and each other.  It helps us be more resilient, more genuine, and more fulfilled.  It can make our kids healthier, less stressed and more engaged and us too!"

"It’s the concept upon which we’ve built our entire My Horse Club Community - where the horses show us how to master mindfulness to apply it to our life, for ourselves, for our kids, for our whole family."    

"Horses happen to be expert purveyors of mindfulness.  Everything we need to know about mindfulness, how to practice it, how to apply it, we can learn from horses.  They are incredible conduits for this wisdom.  And they make it more fun and more accessible for everyone, especially kids."

"Actually, Mac’s move is a learning opportunity for students.  It’s an experiential exercise in mindfulness, a practice in becoming attuned with the self and the environment, right here, right now.  His move is an alarm bell signaling the student to return to awareness.  His small size and cuteness make the whole thing not so much painful or scary as it is surprising, so the experience is just uncomfortable enough to be impactful."

"Well, horses have been helping us for thousands of years - the horse-human bond is ancient, so even though we may have forgotten to look, that wisdom is still there, waiting to be realized once again.  It’s something we refer to as the wisdom of the herd; a bit of a lost art nowadays, and in our current world, needed more than ever..."

 Ep. 3 transparent

On today's episode, Josh and Victoria pull back the curtain on the magic of horses, and reveal how they empower and inspire us to come into our truest identity.  We do a deep dive on the significance of the implications of this topic, and relate it to our own son's journey toward affirming his gender.  Our goal is to empower others to embrace their journey in life, and advocate for the trans community by empowering them in particular, and seeking to educate the public on this often misunderstood and very important topic/community. 

Go to www.myhorseclub.org to get on the waiting list for My Horse Club!

Join us and learn how to bring the wisdom of the Herd into you and your families life, through our podcast, blog, social media content, and our immersive, virtual equine experience:  My Horse Club.  Our mission is to bring the magic of horses and the wisdom of the herd directly into the hearts and homes of people around the world.  

“So, today, we’re gonna to talk about one of the most amazing transformations that has come out of our journey, actually more of a revelation, and we are talking about our son James.  He came out to us as Trangender earlier this year and the process has proven to be illuminating and inspirational, sometimes painful and confusing, but totally incredible for all of us.”

“59% of transgender students had been required to use a bathroom that did not match the gender they live every day.  And this is the one that totally freaks me out: 34% of transgender people attempt suicide at least once before the age of 19. That’s a lot of kids at risk when you know that 1.8 million kids in the U.S. identify as transgender.”

“And, major bummer, there was some bullying on a group chat by one of the kids’ friends that made me want to scream, James actually handled it himself and it turned out to be a moment of real pride for him.  But, I was so angry, I couldn’t believe this kid, I’ve known him and his family for years.  It was completely disheartening to realize the dialogue going on within their household was so hateful and ignorant.”

“While I didn’t have a discriminatory stance in any way shape or form towards the trans community, I discovered I was way more misinformed than I realized.  It was humbling.  So certainly other families are going be much less informed then us, and some do have a culture of discrimination in their families.  If James can feel secure in his herd, know he is strong while, simultaneously protected, know that he himself owns his power which can’t be touched by anyone or anything, then he can react with loving kindness.  He can react with empathy, and attempt to educate those who bully him when possible, and shake them off when they aren’t willing to listen and learn.”  

“I hope our story has given you some good things to chew on and maybe a bit of insight into how horses and nature can create inspired, empowered growth.  We are going to keep looking to the herd for these lessons - simple, ancient, holistic and deeply connected.  We hope you’ll stay with us as we do.”

On today’s episode, Josh and Victoria continue their quest to pull back the curtain from the magic of horses, and do a deep dive exploring the intersection of neuro-diversity and horses and joy.

Go to www.myhorseclub.org to get on the waiting list for My Horse Club!

Join us and learn how to bring the wisdom of the Herd into you and your families life, through our podcast, blog, social media content, and our immersive, virtual equine experience:  My Horse Club.  Our mission is to bring the magic of horses and the wisdom of the herd directly into the hearts and homes of people around the world. 

“Now, Imagine a world where our kid’s unique perspectives, and I’m thinking of our boys here, were valued and honored.  Imagine a world where their unusualness was prized and considered a really necessary contribution to society.”  

“What if our neuro-diverse kids were celebrated for their differences?  

"That’s where this topic of JOY is SO powerful, because we know, even though we all love those dopamine fueled ice cream binges, and extended Netflix and chill sessions; that REAL peace, real revelation, real growth, ALWAYS comes through adversity, trial and tribulation, what we, for lack of better words, recognize as suffering.  BUT we can train our brain to enjoy this process too”

“And Yogi, not only knew that he wasn’t an average bear, he celebrated and delighted in his divergence and he counted on it to fuel all of his exploits.”  

“These labels, [Autism, ADHD, Trans, Depression, anxiety, there is literally a catalog of terms in the medical world] are just limited little boxes for our square, and limited society, THESE LABELS are limiting for a limited social structure, the individuals themselves are NOT, they are capable of SO much more than these labels suggest, and importantly, these labels are destructive to self confidence, and carry the weight of generations of limiting belief systems”

“Something we talk a lot about, is how one of the most powerful tonics, a veritable antidote, is NATURE.  The mountains and the trees don’t label humans, horses don’t care or judge if you call yourself a boy or a girl or neither.  At the end of the day, it is the great equalizer…..”

“That’s the beauty of horses - they see through all of those external labels - they mirror back to the kids what’s really important, what’s on the inside, each kid’s essential character, and by doing that, the kids get a chance to recognize it themselves and hopefully embrace it.  There’s so much joy in that.”

Welcome to our first episode!  Join Josh and Victoria on their quest to pull back the curtain from the magic of horses!  In this episode, we take a deep dive into the How, and Why horses are so darn good for people!

Go to www.myhorseclub.org to get on the waiting list for My Horse Club!

Join us and learn how to bring the wisdom of the Herd into you and your families life, through our podcast, blog, social media content, and our immersive, virtual equine experience:  My Horse Club.  Our mission is to bring the magic of horses and the wisdom of the herd directly into the hearts and homes of people around the world.

"How freeing would it be, to be accepted and welcomed as your truest self?  No judgement, no expectation, no thought given to your looks and clothing, your status or job, just YOU.  That's just the way it is in the HERD.   And amazingly, any other way of relating  is considered dangerous, because it isn’t REAL!....."

"I realized the parallels between what I saw our clients experiencing at the barn, and it became clear as day how horses are the ideal antidote to help people in nearly every way; from realizing one's full potential, to healing trauma, to teaching leadership, to growth mindset, to healthy boundaries, to empathy, ALL the things! " 

"…...In this way, we know their interactions with us are always honest and contextual, which develops trust.  Horses don’t lie.  Without any judgement, they mirror our behavior back at us, in all of its unaltered, unfiltered glory. "