Spotlight on Loving Presence with Horses
Featuring MaryKay and Sundance
Please Note: I made a mistake in the video and the correct date is April 7 (not the 6th as stated in the video)
10:30 am – 12:00, April 7th
At Mary Kay Hasseman’s Covered Arena
15518 Brown Road, Tomball, TX 77377
Come watch MaryKay and Sundance play and learn from each other in an everyday training session.
This is for you if:
- You want a deeper connection with your horse but don’t know what to do.
- You want someone to explain details of what you can’t see a rider doing.
- You want to do better in your lessons.
- You want your horse to want to be with you.
- You want your horse to enjoy working with you.
You will learn:
- How to deepen your relationship with your horse.
- Mindful nuances that turn your ride into a good one.
- How to do better in your lessons.
- How to be the person your horse wants to be with.
- How clicker training works when you ride your horse.
Please take note: This is not a planned or perfect performance. I offer you my horse and I “in the present moment.”
How it works:
You stand or sit in chairs inside the arena.
You’ll see me start the session with Sundance at the mounting block.
I will narrate on a loudspeaker what’s going on between Sundance and me, so you’ll be able to see nuances of our relationship.
I’ll pause at least 3 times for you to ask questions.
This will not be a planned or perfect performance. I offer you my horse and I “in the present moment.”
You can feed carrots to Sundance when I’m finished, if you like.
About MaryKay
I’ve been a professional dressage instructor, competitor, and trainer for over 30 years and a horse lover from birth. I personally know what it’s like to cry after a lesson, to have instructors yell at me to do something I didn’t understand, to be chafed in unmentionable places and still trot down centerline, to try and try and try as hard as I can and not “get it.”
I know the letdown and heartbreak that you can feel after allowing a trainer to force your horse to do something he’s not ready for or doesn’t understand. I know the excitement of winning a championship and the sinking feeling afterwards that it really wasn’t good enough. I kept thinking “if only” I could do one thing or another, everything would be wonderful with my horse. I know mistakes.
Now that I developed my own system, Loving Presence with Horses, things are different.
My horses changed. Nokken, my Prix St. George horse offered – I mean, truly offered, because I had no idea he could do this – an exquisite collected canter down the long side of my dressage arena. It was a little scary at first because I had never experienced this degree of energy and happiness all together. I think in some way he knew this because he sat me down in a perfect place in the saddle. He transformed from a horse who I was told needed spurs and whip into a horse who volunteered to move effortlessly on a cloud. I wore no spurs and carried no whip that day. I will remember it forever. I rejoice when I can guide students to a small part of that awe and wonder, whether simply walking or cantering in collection. The connection is what I celebrate.