A Perfect Day in the Sun

Tiina, Thor and Jack.

We spent a wonderful weekend in Italy and came back late last night. Had a great nights sleep before picking up Jack from our friends place and heading to the stable with my best friend Tiina. 

We took almost 30 year old Visti with us an headed out to the forest. The weather was purely amazing. The sun was shining, there was still snow on the ground and everyone was so happy and full of energy. I went without a saddle on Visti and mostly took it pretty easy when the others were cantering around. What a perfect day in the sun. 

The horses are enjoying the sun at our active stable. 

My darling horse!

Correcting your aligment

We talk a lot about alignment in riding. Correct alignment is crucial if we want to develop as riders. There are a lot of ways that we can work on correct alignment and I believe that the best way to do it is through various training out of the saddle. When we do yoga, pilates or other forms of muscle training we get to know our bodies better and we get to feel when we are aligned and when we are out of alignment.

There are however some great tricks that we can use also when riding and our trainer Tiina Rikkonen gave one great advice to us on Friday. When we were leg-yielding from the center toward the track I was putting my weight too much to the right side. I drop my hip to the right and become crooked in my spine. This time Tiina did not tell me to think about my hips or hands or legs or anything else. She told me to look over my right shoulder to the right and through that Thors' movement became more fluid and I could really feel myself straighten up.

I started to think about it after the lesson and realized that it can be the smallest things that can make a huge difference. I also tried it while sitting at home. You can tilt your pelvis to the right and put yourself in a crooked position. Once you are there you then turn your gaze to the right and feel your  your lower body straighten and your whole physique becoming more aligned. When you try it e.g. sitting on a chair it is also a lot easier to master in in the saddle. This little trick is however one great way to straighten up and get yourself more aligned on your horse (you just need to know to what side you are crooked to first. That however is a whole other story.:) 

Yesterday Thor had a day off and today we headed out hacking with some friends and our dog Jack. It was the most beautiful weather. Still a lot of snow but very warm and the sun really warmed our faces. When we were almost home I told the others that we would still stay in the forest since Thor felt so good and Jack had a lot of energy. We headed for a long run and we were all completely beat when we returned to the stable. I can't believe the nature that we have around as and even if I love our dressage and jumping lessons I really really enjoy hacking out right now. Thor is also so good and supple to ride that every second with him is such a pleasure. After that we grabbed some food with Ella and went for a lovely sauna. What a perfect way to prepare for a new week ahead.

More blogging on alignment, the riders seat and other similar stories can be found here.

Usko unelmiin!

Eeva Jaakonsalo ja minä.

Kun aloitin joogaopettajakoulutuksen pari vuotta sitten Clare Gates-Sjöblom kysyi miksi olemme tulleet mukaan koulutukseen. Kerroin, että elämäni missio on luoda mahdollisimman hyvä elämä mahdollisimman monelle hevoselle ja jooga tulisi olemaan olennainen osa sitä missiota. Halusin yhdistää hevoset ja joogan, mutta en vielä tiennyt miten. Olin kuitenkin varma, että se on se polku jota haluan kulkea ja tiesin sen päivän koittavan, kun jooga ja hevoset yhdistyisivät juuri minulle luontaisella tavalla. 

Johtamisvalmentaja ja mindfulnessohjaaja Eeva Jaakonsalo saapui elämääni vähän aikaa sitten. Eevan kanssa ajatuksemme resonoivat heti ja kun Eeva pyysi minua mukaan Kekkolan kartanoon vetämään joogaa ei tarvinnut miettiä hetkeäkään.

Viikonloppu oli kaikin puolin upea. Fantastiset puitteet, kaunis luonto, charmikas ja hyvinhoidettu kartano, kotoisat huoneet, pehmeät sängyt, mindfulnessia, joogaa ja hevosia. Ruoka oli toisesta maailmasta. Täysin ekologista ja lähituotettua ja paikassa oli kaiken kaikkiaan todella hyvä energia. Porukka oli huikea ja viikonlopun aikana ehdittiin itkeä ja nauraa, saunoa, istua paljussa ja käydä avannossa.

Maaginen Kekkolan kartano

Kuva: Riikka Hakala

Kaikki nämä pienet yksityiskohdat. Kuva: Riikka Hakala

Ruokailusali

Saunassa sai pestä hiukset järvivedellä (rakastan järvivettä)

Yksi höyryävistä paljuista. Juuri sopivan kuumaa vettä.

Avanto järven rannalla

Saunahuoneen takkatuli ja kynttilänloiste. Niin tunnelmallista.

Kuva: Riikka Hakala

• When I started my yoga teacher training a few years ago our teacher asked us why we are there. I told the group that my biggest mission is to create a better life for horses 🐴💕 and in order to do that I want to combine yoga and horses. I want to teach people both physical and mental awareness in order for them to be more aware and grounded around their fourlegged friends. I was never sure how I would do it or how I would combine these two passions of mine. But I knew that moment would come. A few years back I met Eeva Jaakonsalo and this autumn we planned a retreat at Kekkolan Kartanor that not only involved Mindfulness and Yoga but also horseback riding a few hours every day. And it was perfect. Truly magical. 

• 
  

• I really really enjoyed every second of it and I felt so at home. Just where I am supposed to be. So maybe my point being is that you should listen to your hearts calling. When you do what you long for, it all make sense. 

Maneesi

Pakollinen tallikisa, joka ilmestyi pari vuotta sitten tallille, lähtee omille
teilleen kesäisin ja palaa aina syksyn tullen. 

Peikko, minä, Eeva ja Pinni. Super Ihana tuttavuus tämä Peikko, 

Tämä on vierastalli, jonne saa tuoda oman hevosen leirien ajaksi.
Kekkolan kartanon ikioma fantastinen "hevoshotelli". 

Siis tämä ruoka..... Ja jälkiruoat. Mums.....

Järjestämme seuraavan Mindfulness, jooga ja Ratsastus -viikonloppukurssin Kekkolan kartanossa 14.-16. syyskuuta. Toivottavasti näemme siellä. Alustavat ilmoittautumiset tapahtumasivun kautta.

Kurssilaisten ajatuksia viikonlopusta:

"Miten voikin ihmisellä olla ilo ja onni kokea viikonloppu, jollainen minulla on ollut.

Rentoutumista, ratsastusta, liikutusta (sekä mielen että kehon), joogaa, saunaa, koiria, naurua, kissa, mindfulnessia, aivan mielettömän mukavia ihmisiä, upea kartano, kielen mennessään vievää ruokaa ja kevätaurinkoa," Riina Rajaniemi

"Tämmöistä mahtavuutta on taas, ettei meinaa oikein edes kestää. Tiedättekö, kun yhtenä päivänä on päässä sellainen kimeä stressiperäinen surina ja seuraavana ihan vaan hiljaista ja tasaista ja ihanaa. Kiitos, Eeva, Kia ja kartanon taitavat ihmiset ja hevoset," Riikka Hakala💓 r

Kotosalla Ella ja Jack nauttivat maalla vanhempieni kanssa ja Thor sai maastoilla Tuulikin, Tuulikin ystävän ja Vistin seurassa. Ihan parhautta! Kiitos kaikille super avusta. 

Super kaverukset Thor ja Visti!

Keep Your Head HIgh

Malena Lutz ja Valo. Kuvaaja Petra Lönnqvist, hestafoto.com

I used to be a very proud rider. Someone with a great seat and a soft yet strong gaze. Centered Riding pioneer Sally Amsterdamer talks a lot about the importance of our gaze and where we look. It is actually one of the cornerstones in her teachings. 

For the past years I have not only paid attention to where I look, but also how I wear my head and my body in general. Do I slump? Do I look at the horses neck or do I wear my gaze and my head high? Do I direct positive energy toward the horse or is my energy blocked? Am I supple yet strong? And the list goes on. 

It is easy to think about these things in theory but to really feel our bodies and our mind I think we  also need to work on ourselves when we are not on the horse. We should exercise in any form, do yoga, meditate and just take time to slow down before we enter that stable. 

I have not been a very proud rider lately and I think it really has nothing to do with the time I spend around horses. It is more about the fact that I have been tired and my energy has been low. And when my energy is low it is also hard to stay a very focused rider. I usually tell my own pupils that they can imagine being a very proud Indian riding without a saddle in the nature in full canter. That they are open in their upper bodies and that someone is pulling them up from the middle of the head toward the sky. I think all metaphors and portrayed images are great when we ride but if we don't really feel proud and energetic or good about ourselves it doesn't really work. It only works on the surface but the way we move and what we do in that moment is only temporary. 

So work on yourselves as much as you can. 

I promise that when you become more at ease with yourselves, you will also be more at ease with your horses (and the horse will be more at ease with you). And listen to yourself and to the horse. I think it all comes down to having fun and enjoying that ride. That we not only come with good energy to the stable but leave with even better. Don't let anyone put you down or tell you that they know better. It is your moment with the horse and it should be just that. 

I chose the picture of Malena Lutz and her horse Valo for this blogpost because I love the feeling in the picture. Valo is blind but has been leading Malena around in the Finnish forest for years now. It is a beautiful story of trust and commitment to each other. 

More similar posts can be found here

Also read how I found out that I really need to stop and work on myself. 

Yoga and Horses

Yoga and riding is the perfect combination. Can you spot my skewed hip? How much do you think that it affects my riding? Without yoga I would not have the same perception of my body and minds strengths and weaknesses. I am so grateful to have all this. 

Winter Wonderland

 Beautiful Oittaa

The past week has been magical. Finland has been a real winter wonderland and we have mostly been out in the forest with Thor and Jack. The weather has been fantastic. It has not been too cold and there has been a lot of snow. We have also been out on the ice skiing with our friends and the past few days we have had the company of the sun that has been warming our faces out on the ice. 

O

Thor has been great to ride and he has been very patient with Jack. I am so proud of him taking such good care of little Jack and I am thanking him every time he acts so nicely with Jack running around his legs when we are out hacking. 

Yesterday Jack joined us out on the ice with the skies for the first time. It was so uncomfortable to wear the leash and the beginning was so difficult. Then I met an old couple who told me that they usually keep their dog free on the ice. So I decided to let Jack run around and so he did. He really seemed to enjoy himself to the fullest and even if he ran long distances he stayed very nicely close to me. He is slowly learning and even if I still am afraid of letting him loose I think that the only way to learn is to be able to run around as much as possible. 

This week is winter holiday from school in Finland and Ella is spending it with her father and their family in Thailand. So I will just work, ride, spend time with Jack, see friends, go our for dinners and go to as many yoga classes as possible. 

We also had time for a really nice dinner at restaurant Nokka yesterday.