Jibarita Eq

10/19/2026

10/04/2026

09/26/2026

Bad rides really dont happen often with Manny, but they still happen and 90% of the time its something I could have done better. Today was one of those days 🥲I dont want to add to the perfection that people chronically post on social media, especially when it comes to training horses... young horses... young stallions.

All the knowledge and education in the world isnt worth a damn when you are checked out. Today our ride started out great! I had a plan, was intentional and wanted to keep it short and sweet. Somewhere somewhat early on in the ride it all got derailed by me just totally checking out. And nothing in particular even happened. We were just going about business as usual and then boom, I totally dissociated and lost my feel for those wonderful moments of effort and try he was offering me.

And I honestly feel terrible about it 😢. He was magnificent and answering my requests but it was falling on deaf ears as I just kept going through the repetitive motions. I wasnt frustrated at all and honestly really didnt feel anything, physically or emotionally. Ive not had that happen in a long time with working with my horses, my guess is that with getting closer and closer to moving day, my brain and body were just having a hard time staying present even though I set that intention in the beginning.

Afterwards I apologized to him for being an as***le and not being a good partner and rider in this session . He was brilliant... me not so much 😬

09/23/2026

Come October 4th (when we will be in our new home!!! 😆) Manny will officially be 5 1/2 and sometimes I forget how young he still is because of how well rounded he is as a horse, and as a young stallion. While I first sat on him at 3 1/2, i didnt ride him "regularly" (once a week) until he turned 4, I really didnt start riding him in any sort of program and more regularly (3x a week) until he turned 5.

So in just 6months we established tempo, light aids, contact, better balance (lets be real the balance part took the longest since he felt like riding a wet noodle in the beginning), both canter leads, multiple trips off property with other horses and solo, and building some solid fitness...and this is what our rides look like regularly now.

I know I've said it a million times but I'll say it again, ive never not once over faced this horse and pushed him beyond what he is capable of. Have I challenged him? Sure! Who doesnt like a good challenge 👀, but never pushed him beyond what he could handle. Its been slow and meticulous building up while also listening and acknowledging if he felt uncomfortable/needed to address something or pivot.

I couldn't be more proud of this horse, who he is and how he shows up every day! And I cant say it enough.... let your young horses actually develop and pls for the love of gd stop rushing their development! I see wayyyyyyyyyyyy too many 3,4,5 year olds ridden in frames that take years to develop bc ppl arent patient enough to develop that frame by actually building the horse up 🤦🏽‍♀️. That takes TIME, lots of it. And lots of thoughtful riding and development from the ground to get there and for it to look effortless. Is it like watching paint dry? Sometimes... but the outcome is more than worth it in the end when developing a horse as an athlete in the dressage arena. Both the horse and human win when you take your time.

09/22/2026

I am always my harshest critic. With really kicking into gear with packing and getting ready to move (in a little over a week 😆😬) I've definitely slacked on my own care and maintenance... and therefore my performance as a rider has fallen off a bit.

Its hard not to cringe a bit right now but I know its temporary. My left hip and possibly si joint has been hurting consistently for about a month, which has in turn made most of my lower back pretty tight and that tension has traveled up my back and is resting in my traps and behind my scapula... yay. Doing too much hurts but not doing anything also hurts. and while i know its temporary it is still frustrating to be back in this state of chronic pain after I had been doing a damn good job at keeping the pain at bay for a while before this.

While life may not always afford us the time and resources to take care of our bodies in every way we would like, this is a psa (mostly to myself) to still do as much of the little things as you can. Whether thats stretching every morning, using tiger balm or just making sure you stay hydrated... dont fall off completely and end up having to take even more time than you would like to get back to your very own special version of normal lol.

Any way we help ourselves helps our horses 🥰
(Appreciation pic of the best boy doing his best while I am trying to do my best)

09/15/2026

Even though things have been hectic with us getting ready to move in two weeks 😬, I'm trying my best to stay consistent with Manny. I cant say it enough but I am so damn proud of this horse. He is truly so amazing and a wonderful partner. He faces every challenge I put in front of him with confidence, holds me accountable and still remains true to himself 🥰

09/08/2026

I was talking with Thana W Redhawk who has been a friend and mentor to me over the last decade, and she said something to me that resonated so deeply.

I was telling her about how over the last two years I've really gotten to a different place in my journey as a healer and how much more honed in I was with certain ancestral gifts. When we first met I could feel so much that it was overwhelming and intimidating and it kind of felt like it took forever to get through the beginning where I could take energy in and also have the capacity to release it on my own. I often felt like i was not in control of these gifts and when it all fell into place that it was more so subconscious or involuntary.

That has transformed over the years, with the last two years or so being really pivotal for me in just how deeply I could connect with all living things, including the land that we inhabit. This trajectory forward opened doors with my own animals as well as animals I am close with. And my horses began to open up to me and communicate with me in ways that I never thought would actually happen. I told Thana about this and she said to me... "animals choose to be our totems and spirit guides, but we can be chosen to be their guides and totems too".

And it peeled back yet another layer in my decolonizing journey. Even though I have always seen all animals and living things as our equals and relatives, I still got got 🤦🏽‍♀️. Because we are not the only living beings on the planet that are on these journeys. Animals, plants, land, everything at times needs a spiritual guide and facilitator. How silly of us to think we are the only ones who are in need of spiritual healing... And even if we are aware of that, how do we place ourselves within the equation and part of the cycle to be able to reciprocate it for all life we influence? We are not bystanders to this and can play just as active of a role in the journey of others as they do for us.

This sent me on another thought process. With being healers, we are facilitators... not fixers. Theres so much rhetoric in the industry around the intelligence of a horse and the awareness they possess or don't. When talking about training, body work etc, you will so often hear people say "they dont know where their feet are", or "i need to teach or show them how to do..." as if the horse doesn't know their own body 🤦🏽‍♀️. Now I've seen in instances of trauma/pain that they become detached from their bodies. But we still are not here to fix them. We are here to guide and help bring them back to a place of center and neutrality. Where they can be themselves.

The need to control, even in meaning well, still puts the horse in a place of subordinance and almost infantilizes them in a way that they cannot have agency over their own body and spirit. It is still something being done to them and not something being done for them or with them.

09/05/2026

We are moving (as some of you may have gathered from my previous post of gear and equipment I posted for sale the other day). While there have been many wonderful things that I've accomplished and experienced, and so many amazing people I've come to love here in Aiken(and sc in general), I've also lived through some of the worst things in my life here as well. And to be honest, its never felt like home and I've always felt like a smaller version of myself. Its past due to do this for myself and for the life that Josh and I are building together.

There have been so many shifts and changes over the last year that both felt like peeling back and building up of layers simultaneously. And while it felt chaotic, uncertain and stressful at the time, it led to more clarity and a very clear path forward. While true to my ta**us nature in not really liking inconsistency, I am really excited to breathe life into this change.

That change being moving to a cute little spot outside of Raleigh NC next month 🥰. If you are in the area I would love to connect!

08/30/2026

Moving sale!

Josh and I are moving and I've still got a few things from my program that I would like to sell before we move oct 1!

Price and description will be under each picture. Everything reasonably priced! Message or comment if you see something you want/need 😊

Located in Aiken sc. Option to pick up or to ship if needed