Free Spirit Stables

10/19/2026

Horse water bucket? No, that’s clearly Nym’s personal plunge pool. 🐾💦

Who else has an animal friend who comes up with inventive ways to beat the heat?

10/15/2026

From flying hooves to sweet nuzzles. 🥹

If you ever wonder what goes into integrating new horses into an established herd, it looks a little something like this:

1️⃣ The “Nope!” Phase: In their very first meeting, Bo and Chevy took one look at Bill and Butters and immediately high-tailed it in the opposite direction.
2️⃣ The Boundary-Setting Phase: One look at our dented gate and you’ll see where the real negotiations happened. Kicking, rearing, biting, and arguments occurred daily for the first week or so. Keeping a fence between them helps everyone stay safe while they figure out the new herd hierarchy.
3️⃣ The Breakthrough Phase: Eventually, the dust settles. Arguments turn into peaceful side-by-side meals, and biting turns into sweet moments of mutual grooming, like Bo and Butters sharing a nuzzle over the fence.

Seeing that shift over the fence lets me know they’re ready to start navigating their social structure in the same space. Bo and Chevy still have metal horseshoes on, but we’ll be switching them to more “orthopedic” shoes soon! This will not only help their joint and ligament issues, it will also help keep the herd safe in case any lingering drama resurfaces.

Stay tuned to see how their integration continues, or come meet the whole herd yourself this Saturday at our Herd Wisdom event. Details at the link below! ✨

https://www.freespiritstables.com/events/herd-wisdom

10/04/2026

Before I step into any meaningful conversation (with horse or human), I pause. I check in with how I'm truly feeling without judging or trying to change it. I do my best to simply notice:

• Is my jaw clenched or soft?
• Is there tightness in my chest or belly?
• Can I feel the weight of my feet on the earth?

It continues to amaze me how powerful this simple act of noticing is. Often, just naming what I'm feeling without an agenda allows it to release on its own. It helps me become more present and better equipped to respond to reality rather than react out of past experiences or unconscious doubts and fears.

This short body scan inspired by Sovereign Heart Coaching is one of my favorite grounding tools. Take a few minutes to join me, or save this for anytime you need a quick reset.

10/03/2026

So honored to be part of this team! 💖

Meet Hannah Francis, Certified Instructor in Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship

Based in Santa Cruz, California, Hannah Francis is a dedicated horsewoman and Certified Instructor in Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship.

Hannah brings a thoughtful, relationship-centered approach to her work with horses, helping people develop greater awareness, communication, trust, and connection through liberty horsemanship.

As an essential member of our Resnick Method Liberty Horsemanship team, Hannah represents the principles we value deeply, creating a partnership with the horse through understanding rather than force.

If you are in the Santa Cruz area and want to deepen your relationship with your horse while developing a more connected approach to horsemanship, we invite you to connect with Hannah.

We are proud to have Hannah as part of our team and look forward to seeing the partnerships she continues to help create.

09/29/2026

It’s so easy to live ten steps ahead.

To rush from one goal to the next, waiting for the “finish line” before giving yourself permission to exhale. But horses don’t live in the next milestone. They live in the moment. They remind us that peace, healing, and real connection live in the moment too.

If you need space to step off the fast track, pause, and simply be present, join us at the farm for our upcoming morning retreat:

🌿 Herd Wisdom: Yoga, Meditation & Journaling
📅 Saturday, October 17
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 Free Spirit Stables | Corralitos, CA

Together, we’ll spend two and a half unhurried hours:
• Grounding your body through gentle, restorative movement
• Quieting your mind with guided meditation alongside the peaceful presence of the herd
• Reflecting & reconnecting with dedicated space for journaling and contemplation

No agenda, just an intentional morning dedicated to listening to your own rhythm and the quiet wisdom of horses.

Space is limited so everyone can fully settle in.

✨ Link in bio to reserve your spot (or visit freespiritstables.com/events/herd-wisdom). We’d love to share this space with you.

09/27/2026

As I get back into the swing of life and spending time playing with the horses, I’ve found myself returning to a lesson Carolyn Resnick shared with me during one of our calls.

She said that it can be remarkably difficult to develop a solid work ethic when our minds are focused on the end result.

A truly solid work ethic doesn’t come from a rush to cross the finish line. It comes from the desire to simply show up and practice. It’s born from finding joy in the present, in the conversation happening right here, right now.

With horses, and maybe with most things that really matter, finish lines are an illusion anyway. Relationships grow deeper moment by moment, and the path winds ever on.

What part of your practice are you finding joy in this week?

09/22/2026

Life has an uncanny way of holding deep sorrow and new beginnings in the same hand.

The very same weekend we had to say goodbye to our beloved Mick, we welcomed two new faces to Free Spirit Stables, Beauregard (AKA Bo) and Chevy. Their presence has been an unexpected gift during this difficult time.

Bo is a handsome 15-year-old chestnut gelding, and Chevy is a lovely 19-year-old gray mare. Both were rescued by a family friend after sustaining career-ending injuries with previous owners.

Chevy manages Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis (DSLD), and Bo has ringbone. While they can no longer comfortably carry a rider, riding is far from the only measure of a horse’s worth.

I’ve begun working with each of them at Liberty, and they have endless love, curiosity, and presence to offer. I’m so grateful to be trusted with the care of these sweet souls and am looking forward to seeing how they continue to grow as part of our Liberty horsemanship family!

If you’d like to meet Bo and Chevy in person, join us for our Herd Wisdom Event on Oct 17th (link below) or send us a direct message to arrange a visit.

https://www.freespiritstables.com/events/herd-wisdom

09/17/2026

A few people have asked how Bill and Butters are dealing with Mick’s loss. I appreciate this question, as I believe horses miss their companions just as deeply as humans do.

When we’d lost a horse in the past, we were relatively fortunate to be able to lay him to rest here on the property. The herd understood what was happening and knew he had passed. But with Mick having to go to the equine hospital, Bill and Butters only knew their friend had loaded into a trailer and hadn't returned. During the days Mick was at the clinic, they regularly called out for him.

When we learned Mick wasn't coming home, I knew I had to do my best to help Bill and Butters understand.

In the horse community, there is a tradition of keeping a horse’s tail as a keepsake after they pass. When I returned from the hospital, I brought Mick’s tail with me down to the paddock. I sat in my chair with his tail in my lap and allowed myself to grieve.

Slowly, Bill and Butters walked over to stand with me, one on each side. They stood with their noses gently touching Mick’s tail, silent aside from the sound of our shared breath. They stood with me like that for nearly an hour. Then, they quietly wandered away to graze on their hay. They haven’t called for Mick since.

Horses seem to have an innate grace when it comes to grief. They don’t fight what is. They allow themselves to feel it. They lean on one another when needed, and find their balance once more. Watching them settle into new routines as we support each other has been deeply healing.

We’re all taking it one day at a time, finding comfort in the simple gift of each other’s company.

09/09/2026

Hello friends, I’ve been quiet recently as I took time to process a deep loss. Last month, I said goodbye to my dear old horse Mick. I’d known him since I was 13 years old. He belonged to Cathy Cartwright, my “barn mom,” who first taught me how to ride.

Back then, Mick and I competed in saddle seat together. He loved being the center of attention and would smile at the judge when we came in to line up, winning countless blue ribbons. Even after I left for college, I’d visit Mick and Cathy when I came home, and we’d go for rides together.

When I told Cathy I was starting my own barn, she offered to send Mick to live with me. She was getting older, Mick was too, and she loved the idea of him retiring to play and connect with me at Liberty. When Cathy passed away two years later, Mick and I were there for each other.

We built a whole new kind of relationship together. Mick was my first Liberty horse, and watching our bond evolve through freedom, choice, and presence was one of the greatest joys of my life. He still loved being the center of attention, but instead of judges, he beamed at anyone and everyone who came to visit, winning countless hearts.

When Mick turned thirty this year, I knew our precious time was growing short, though I always wished for just a little more. Last month, his health began to decline rapidly and our time ran out. At the equine hospital, it became clear that his body was growing tired, and his comfort was fading. Looking into his eyes, I knew he was ready to rest.

His favorite treat had always been peppermint candies, and he perked up when I offered him one. Before long, he’d eaten the whole bowl 😊 I stayed with him and thanked him for being my greatest teacher. I told him there’d never be another horse like him. I asked him to give Cathy all our love. And then we said goodbye.

I am heartbroken by his loss. I know many horse lovers are familiar with this feeling. It is the price of the profound, heartfelt bonds we build with our horses, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. After all, “What is grief, if not love persevering?” ❤️

08/16/2026

“You could have saved me years of therapy!” 😅

A horsemanship client arrived frustrated. Her neighbor kept blocking her driveway, and despite asking him to check with her before parking there, nothing seemed to be changing.

After settling in, we decided to focus our session on asking a horse to move.

Asking a horse for movement requires an assertive request, meaning we bring the exact amount of energy required for the request to be clear.

We started by asking Butters to move away from the gate so we could enter the paddock. My client felt she was being clear, but Butters didn’t budge. He didn’t believe she actually meant it.
And he was right.

When I asked how she felt, she said, “Frustrated.”

Many of us can empathize with this. When our boundaries are dismissed, frustration, anger, or fear naturally creep in. However, communicating from that space rarely works.

She took a deep breath, regulated, and grounded herself. I asked again how she felt:
“Uncertain. Who am I to ask this horse to move?”

I asked:
💬 “Do you want to go into the paddock?” (“Yes.”)
💬 “Can you safely open the gate with him there?” (“No.”)
💬 “It sounds like you have every right to ask him to move.”

Sometimes, we are so focused on pleasing others that we make our own needs small. But recognizing our needs and advocating for them clearly strengthens and protects healthy relationships.

Once my client realized her fear of conflict was clouding her request, everything shifted. She grounded her intention, made a calm, assertive request, and sure enough... Butters stepped right aside. 🐴✨

She looked at me, smiling:
“I think I know what to do about my neighbor!”

🗣️ Where in your life would it be helpful to clarify your needs and advocate for them?