The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton

In this potent episode with Tora of Cosmic Heartline, we get right into some challenging topics around death and dying and how to navigate the loss of our beloved horses. If you've been wondering how to prepare yourself for losing your horse or any loved one, this is definitely a conversation to listen to, ideally with a box of tissues handy. We discuss why preparing physically, emotionally and logistically, having conversations about death, especially with those on your care team, and opening up space for anticipatory grieving before a loss, although challenging, can support us to support our horses.    I share about my process with my horses, and open up about my multi-year preparation for mare Diva's passing, and why I have consciously made this a priority, even writing a book on navigating this transition as part of my process. Tora opens up about the recent loss of her mare Arwen and the layers of learning and growth that arose in this process. We also talk a lot about pausing and why it's so critical to let life catch up to you and to allow space for the integration of life-changing loss. It's a hard conversation but a good one, and I hope you'll have a listen, even if you listen just a little bit at a time.    Tora Troop is a shamanic pet death doula, founder of Cosmic Heartline, and a lifelong animal person. She knows intimately that each death is different, and each grief journey is different. What is consistent is the invitation to build a relationship with death. To lean in to the grief, to lean in to what feels easier to try and push away, and open ourselves to building a greater understanding of this most natural process. What could your grief journey look like, if you turned towards death and approached it with curiosity? How do you stay connected to your compassion, your resilience, and your courage? What does death look like to you? What does death feel like? What relationship do you have with death?   Tora guides ethical animal guardians in discovering those answers for themselves, offering 1:1 sessions as well as group container opportunities.    IG: @cosmic_heartline www.cosmicheartline.com

If you love geeky deep dives into equine therapy, phsyiology and anatomy, this is an episode for you! Allie Plaschka and I are back together to share about our upcoming collaborative workshop (Sept 19-20) and to unpack our main course topic, what it means to treat horses "into the ease." We break down what into the ease actually means, what distinguishes this way of treating from more direct myofascial, ostearticalar or massage techniques, when treating in the direction of ease is helpful or not, how it can be used to support vitality and nervous system re-balancing and why it is often the treatment of choice for shut down, resistant, and/or anxious horses. We also discuss how we use this same concept with horse owners to support receptivity and change and stay in a space of connection. If you're an equine and/or human manual therapist or osteopathic practitioners, this chat is definitely worth a listen - there are some gems in here! If you're interested in our course Deep Listening: Dialoguing with the tissues, the fluids and the horse, happening here on Raven Moon Farm (Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island))) on September 19-20th email Alexa or head here for all the details: https://outsidetheboxequine.com/workshop-with-allie-plaschka/  Allie is an equine and canine osteopath based out of Enderby, BC, Canada. She has been working with horses in the therapeutic realm for 13 years, with osteopathy being her main focus for the last seven. She is passionate about helping horses and dogs achieve optimum vitality through a whole body treatment approach in addition to education about species-appropriate care. She travels throughout the Okanagan, Kootenays, and beyond and also occasionally accepts rehab cases at her home farm. She is a true horse nerd in every aspect and loves to talk track systems, behavior science, biomechanics and more. She is steward to two mares, Rayne and Ciri, spending time learning classical dressage as well as dabbling in other disciplines. Learn more about Allie and her work at https://www.triplevtherapy.com/  

For this very special episode of the podcast, Josh Nichol of Relational Horsemanship and I sat down to chat about his recent life-altering riding accident and subsequent injury. We unpacked a whole lot in this hour - Josh shares in detail what happened that day that his whole life changed, how his recovery is going, how he's feeling about all of it and his perspective on why things happened the way they did. As you might imagine, Josh's perspective will probably surprise and inspire you - he is seeing a precious opportunity for stillness, pause and a big life shift in the space created by his injury and his recovery journey. I also share about my recent transition of my dog Reilly and the powerful experience we had here on the farm and we get into how life can show us the way if we let it.  I invite you to grab a cup of tea or a muck fork and put your head phones on (ideally with some kleenex in your pocket). You may want to come back a time or two more with a journal to write in. This one is full to the brim of Josh wisdom. Enjoy the journey!  To learn more about Josh and his work head to https://joshnichol.com/

Alright my geeky horse people, this one's for you! No season would be complete without an episode with Elisse Miki of Equilibria Therapeutics. We promised to do a podcast on each of the osteopathic principles, and it may take us a minute but we're going to make it happen.  Elisse came for a visit to the farm and we just had to sit down for a conversation unpacking the osteopathic principle of autoregulation, what it means for our horses, how it shows up in every day experiences and how to interpret these experiences through an osteopathic lens. This one was recorded a few months back, when Reykur was just finding solid ground with his health, but was still wobbly so we definitely looked at how this principle relates to rehabilitation and illlness. You'll be happy to know that as of the publishing of this episode he seems to have turned a good corner and is staying more stable with more vitality. We also got into the story of Gwynna's rehabilitation and how this principle played a role, and how much a supoortive environment supports a return to homeostasis. Enjoy! As a human and equine therapist with over 15 years of experience working with clients in a therapeutic setting, Elisse Miki brings a wide variety of modalities into her practice. She began her career working as an Exercise Physiologist having completed her Bachelors in Kinesiology then went on to obtain her Registered Massage Therapy Licence. She has since gone on to complete Diplomas in Equine Therapy, Equine Craniosacral, and is currently in the process of completing her Equine Osteopathy Diploma.  Her current focus lies in research and development of current standards of practice in the equine industry. Elisse hosts clinics for horse owners and will be offering continuing education courses for existing health care professionals and equine therapists starting in January 2020. Website – www.equilibriatherapeutics.com Email – [email protected] Facebook Personal – https://www.facebook.com/elisse.miki Facebook Business Page – Equilibria Therapeutics – https://www.facebook.com/elissemikirmt/ Equine Cranial Certification with Alexa and Elisse – https://www.equilibriatherapeutics.com/equine-craniosacral  

After meeting on a horse track tour and realizing that we shared a common passion and vision, I couldn't wait to chat with Katrina Chapman of Lovas Equestrian about her work, her saddles and what drew her to thinking outside of the box about equine environments and more. Katrina is a trailblazer, as you'll hear, starting as a saddle fitter and moving into creating her own custom saddles after seeing some major gaps in the industry. But, Katrina's a horse lover first and foremost, and in this conversation she shares some of her frustration when it comes to being a saddle fitter, when the issue is clearly not the saddle, how she navigates tricky conversations with clients about needed changes, her fave easy addition to support with topline and comfort and what changes she sees in horses that have their basic habitat needs met (hint: they are often easier to fit).   Katrina Chapman's journey towards founding Lovas Equestrian was fueled by a deep frustration born out of a love for horses and a desire to ensure their well-being. As a passionate horse lover and dedicated saddle fitter, she witnessed firsthand the unfortunate consequences of ill-fitting saddles and tack on both horses and riders. Katrina realized that there were limited options available in the market that truly addressed this crucial issue. The lack of well-fitting and affordable alternatives compelled her to take matters into her own hands. Determined to make a difference, she embarked on a mission to develop innovative and accessible options that would provide optimal comfort and performance without breaking the bank. It was the frustrations she experienced that inspired Katrina to create Lovas Equestrian, with the goal of revolutionizing the saddlery industry and offering equestrians the quality and affordability they deserve. Learn more at https://lovasequestrian.com