Dear Nadja

I have recently purchased the book Empowered Horses by Imke Spilker and am finding it a compelling read.

Once the shift to having your horses fully present and empowered is made, it is hard to believe anyone would want it otherwise. Horses will accept being partnered in countless different ways but perhaps their greatest gift lies in helping those of us who are open to make the necessary shift in our own evolutionary development. What better role model could we have to help us understand the importance of cooperation, connection and respect for nature and natural laws that is not only desirable but possibly essential for a secure future for all of us.

A short passage from Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘Stillness Speaks’, for me, encapsulates the essence of the horse human relationship –

“Nature can bring you to stillness. That is its gift to you. When you perceive and join with nature in the field of stillness, that field becomes permeated with your awareness. That is your gift to nature.”

The horse brings us to nature and we, in turn, help bring the horse to himself.

Perhaps so many of us have trouble allowing our horses to be empowered because we have never learnt what it means to be truly empowered ourselves.

Finally, many thanks for providing month after month such a wonderful resource for the equestrian community.

Best regards

Pauline Cameron

Maleny

Australia.

All Quotes From Empowered Horses from Trafalgar Square

“It all began when I asked myself what it might be like to be a horse--my horse. … What would I think, were I my horse, about me, the one who demands to ride? Nothing flattering--or so it seemed to me.

I put the saddle down on the grass and sat next to it, feeling uncertain about what to do next. The horses looked at me out of the corners of their eyes and continued plucking at their blades of grass.

What gives you the right to do what you always do--punish what you call disobedient, try to control them, lay claim to their body? What are you doing here? Why do you do that? I began to feel unwell. I had no answers. I was tired. As I turned to go, I heard someone coming behind me. My horse was trotting along, following me.

“It’s okay buddy. You’re a good boy. It’s just that I don’t want to do this anymore. I wanted us to be friends, but somehow I’ve messed it up.” …. As I started to leave, my horse blocked my way with his large body.”

HFL: Imke, this is how the book begins, with you coming to a point in your life that you stopped and thought, this isn’t right, this isn't really what I wanted. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got to this point, the kind of things that led you to stop and say, 'no more'.