How do you wake up your child?

Sport Psychologist Anna Andérsen introduced me to Jon Kabat-Zinn. I remember driving to the stable from our meeting listening to the Ted talk, The Healing Power of Mindfulness. Little did I know that I would be listening to him and his wife Myla Kabat-Zinn a few years later on a beautiful summer weekend in Helsinki.

On Friday night Mr. Kabat-Zinn introduced the audience to Mindfulness. He started by telling us that what is coming out of his mouth is only secondary. The most important thing what he can give us today is something that is coming straight from the heart (little did I know that mind and heart are the same word in all Asian languages).

The mind is supposed to wave
He elaborated on words such as wakefulness, awareness and embodied presence. He talked about meditation and how we often misunderstand meditation as shutting the mind. He said that just as the nature of the water is to wave so is the nature of our mind. He told us that the surface of our mind is continuously waving, but we can learn to go below the surface where it is more calm and quiet and evaluate the surface from there.

Mindfulness according to Kabat-Zinn is really about being in relationship with our inner and outer experience. Just like any other muscle we can exercise our brains, i.e. the brains of monastics looks different than the brain of someone who has been practicing mindfulness for a shorter amount of time. Mindfulness is the awareness that allows us to be in a wise relationships to whatever is emerging, both good and bad. Mindfulness does not take time. You can practice mindfulness continuously by practicing the art of being right here in the present moment. There should be no separation between meditation and life. As Kabat-Zinn stated, "a lot of the times we plan what is going to happen or worry about the past. The thing is however that we are not smart enough to know what will happen in the future and the past that we are worrying about is already over. No thinking about it will change the past. We should remind ourselves that life is now."

Mindfulness: The awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose in the present moment nonjudgmentally.

As human beings we have judgments about everything and we get stuck in bad habits. Sometimes life comes in and teaches you a lesson but even if you are not in a stressful situation in life it is important to cultivate the capacity to hold and cultivate our feelings and thoughts. If we don't cultivate the heart it becomes harder and more self centered.

Our lives are mostly very stressful and we keep running and doing things continuously. Jon Kabbat-Zin takes a little moment every morning where 'he drops' into the present moment and takes some time in the being before going back into the doing. He then tries to bring the feeling of being with him into the doing of the rest of the day. He wants to feel as unstressed after a day of interviewing patients as he would on a day off. "The real practice if how we be. The doing should not affect our being and life itself becomes the meditation practice and you can bring it to anything you do. To all different areas of life; family, exercise, work and so forth. When we tune the instruments we are better able to cultivate a love affair with life."

You don't have to be good at it
We are so used to setting goals and trying to do the best in everything we do, but when it comes to being mindful, it is not a competition. As Kabbat-Zin says, "'you don't have to be good at it'. If you are feeling what you are feeling, whatever the feelings are, you are doing it right. Awareness involves all kind of feelings. Awareness is knowing but it is also not knowing."

Mindful parenting
On Saturday the couple gave a talk about Mindful parenting discussing how we can apply mindfulness to parenting. The talk started of with both microphones not working and Jon Kabbat-Zin told us that "this it just like life. It never unfolds the way we think it should. It applies to families as much as it applies to technology. It is important to be flexible because if you want to fight with reality you will always loose. If you get rigid around something it is hard to steer around different situations in life."

During the talk the couple said that we as human beings often get lost in our heads and believe that we are right. We are so strong in our views that we think that my view is the only right view. Part of the practice of mindfulness is to also see what other peoples views are. Such as little people's views. If we are not home with ourselves we are not present and are mostly lost in thought. It is very common for all of us, but can we recognise where our thoughts are? The more we can recognise it, the more we have the ability to have the choice to come back to what is happening right now. We actually get to be home: to be in our body. 

As Kabbat-Zin said: "Children are so smart. They see everything. They know when you are not well and they also see and feel when you are embodied and in your true being. Feeling good is contagious".

Love is the biggest motivator
Myla Kabat-Zinn talked about parenting and how different it is in all ages. She said that we get so much joy from our children but also so much pain. The pain is more physical when they are young and emotional when they get older with the possibility of connecting deeply with our children in all ages. She said that love has always been her biggest motivator.
  

Myla Kabat-Zinn also said that whatever we do, nothing can prepare us for what will happen in life. She does however believe that the more we cultivate mindfulness, the more it also spills into parenting. Both Myla and Jon also talked about the importance of nurturing ourselves so that we can continue to grow when the children are outgrown. 

How do you wake up your child?
One of the themes that struck me was when Jon Kabat-Zinn said that we should be mindful of how we approach our children. He told us that we should pay attention to the small things such as how we wake our children up. We should stop and gaze at them and think what small miracles they all are. Rather than waking them up in a hurry we should remember that how we wake them up also affects the rest of their day. As parents we need to practice the yoga of parenting. We need to develop strength, flexibility and balance of both heart and mind. Even if we get afflicted by our children we can come back to ourselves and drop into the moment. It does not mean that there won't be any conflicts or life will not have pain. It just means that we can befriend the suffering and the pain becomes different. Also having a parent who doesn't go crazy even if life is very stressful is just pretty nice.

Our children are whole the way they are

During the talk, Myla Kabat Zinn said that children can be very different from us but we should not get too stuck on different nuances and never judge them for who they are (even if they would according to us wear the wrong clothes or play the wrong sport). She also stated that parents will not always be accepting, kind and compassionate, but we need to respect our children's true nature however hard it might sometimes feel.

"Once the realisation is accepted that even between the closest of human beings infinite distances continue to exist. A wonderful living side by side can rise if we succeed in loving the distance that allows each to see the other whole against the sky." - German poet

The couple has  written a book called Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. In the book there are three key themes. 

1. Sovereignty, the true nature of a childCan we honor who they are and not who we want them to be? Each child has their true essence and nature. Can we be open to it as parents?
   
2. Empathy
   Can we see things from our children's point of view. Especially when children act out or have a total meltdown. When children act out they are usually very stressed or under pressure, just as we are as adults. When things come out of children's mouths we should see it for what it is and not take it personally. We need to pay attention to how we answer our children and how we talk with our bodies toward them.
    
3. Acceptance
   Can we see our children as whole against the sky? Can we accept things as they are in this moment?  Even if there are huge differences between us, can we still make our children feel our acceptance and our strength. You know that feeling when you might not be your best self in some moment, but you can be with someone who still makes you feel accepted. Who makes you feel that it is ok. That they are reaching out their hand. Think of yourself as a child. What else could your parents have done differently? We all needed to follow our path to who we are. The same applies to our children. Sometimes it helps to reflect toward you own trajectory and to who you are now. Give space to your children to grow.

Becoming a closed off parent
During the talk we discussed that it is sometimes easy to get contracted and closed off as a partner or parent when we feel fear and anxiety in our lives. We can have the thought of being more accepting and the next moment it can be lost. Can we however notice the inner landscape, body and mind? Feel, see and sense what is happening and how we are feeling? Can you feel when you shut down? That is why mindfulness is called a practice and we need to cultivate it all the time. As Myla Kabbat-Zin said, "Parenting is a rich laboratory and we need to pay attention, learn and grow. We can learn so much about ourselves and our children. We can be present with a nonjudgmental awareness."

It is so easy to think that everyone else has a perfect life
Toward the end of Saturday evening the audience could ask questions from the couple. What Myla Kabat-Zinn said was that it is so easy to idealise other people and families. Especially in this digital age where every picture put on Facebook seems to mostly tell a happy story. Then she continued saying that "behind every happy family photo there is also a lot of pain and drama. That even if we can't control what we are given and some suffer more than others in their families, there are no perfect pictures or lives."

Then Jon Kabat-Zinn continued saying that mindful parenting does not mean that everything is going to be peaceful or in total harmony forever. That life can sometimes be completely wild. "It is not about becoming an ideal Buddha but rather about finding out who you are when you are still alive and living who you are rather than who you think you are. We can learn to stay balanced in the midst of chaos and start to approach things with openness and joy even in difficult moments, nourishing ourselves along the way. We cultivate balance by loosing the emotional balance and finding it again."

Acting out when something is missing
One of the parents was worried about a child acting out and being aggressive. Myla approached the situation by saying that if a child is lashing out we need to ask what it is that the child is not getting right now? What is it that the child feels that he/she is missing and how can we give the child more of what is needed. A lot of the time the children need more relationality. Maybe try spending more time with the child and try not to bring back old feelings from your own life into the situation. Maybe use mindfulness to bring in a fresh perspective and work with the child more openly. Bring in the attitude that the acting out will probably happen again tomorrow but work together with the child and be curious. Try to create a yes rather than a no relationship. 

As Myla said we all have different temperaments. Some people feel more and some are more interior. Instead of painting a story of what is going on we should try to have conversations of what is happening and talk about how we feel. Not only is it important for the children, but for all members of a family. "What do I need, what do they need so that everybody's needs are met. We are all in this together and we are different. How can we all work together?"


Jon Kabbat-Zin and Myla Kabbat-Zin came to Finland to share some of their wisdom with us. Both evenings were extremely beautiful and the couple felt so present and full of love and compassion. The way they carried the audience and showed support to us all was just mind blowing and then again not at all. As Jon Kabbat-Zin said, "it seems that Finnish people are very much in tough with certain cycles of nature and being quiet. In Finland you are so close to the earth and close to the very dark and the very light. We are all part of the same cell."

"Life is too short for loose ends, for feelings that were never acted upon, gestures that were taken. it's time to start telling people how you feel about them. Get on that plane, tell them you love them, drive all night to see them in the morning. I don't care if it makes you vulnerable, it if exposes you. Expose yourself! Open the hell up, Let life fill you with hurt, with happiness; let it weather you, let it teach you. Let it inspire you, let it break you down and build you up. You are here to risk your heart." 
-@rainbowsalt

Hevosen jännevamma

Kuva Emmin jalasta. 

Julkaisin vähän aikaa sitten lyhyen tietoiskun impparista. Seuraavaksi vuorossa on jännevamma.

Miten jännevamma syntyy?
Jännevamma voi syntyä trauman seurauksena tai pitkäaikaisen kulumisen seurauksena. Jännevammat paranevat yleensä hitaasti ja kerran vaurioitunut jänne on myös alttiimpi vaurioitumaan uudestaan.

Tavanomaisin jännevaurion syntymekanismi on kumulatiivisesti toistuvien ylivenytystilanteiden seurauksena syntyvä vamma. Jänteeseen syntyy tällöin ajan myötä sitä heikentäviä mikrovaurioita, joiden seurauksena sen elastisuus ja lujuus heikentyy, ja jänne ylikuormittuu aikaisempaa pienemmästä rasituksesta. Toisin sanoen lopulta jänne on kykenemätön selviytymään tietystä venytysvoimasta, jota se aikaisemmin on kestänyt. Tällöin jänteen säikeiden katkeaminen on kliinisestikin todettavissa tyypillisinä oireina, kuten turvotuksena.

Mikä on jänne?
Hevosen sääriluun takapuolella uloimpana on pinnallinen koukistajajänne, ja tästä luuta kohden sijaitsevat syvä koukistajajänne, syvän koukistajajänteen tukiside ja hankoside. Hankoside on osittain lihaskudosta, mutta vastaa toiminnallisesti jännettä. Jänne liittää lihaksen luuhun ja tukee samalla niveltä. Kun lihas supistuu, jänne välittää liikkeen alaraajaan. Jänteet toimivat iskunvaimentimina ja hevosella koukistajajänteiden tehtävänä on myös tukea vuohista

Nivelside eli ligamentti pitää luuta kiinni toisessa luussa, joka taas muodostaa nivelen. Luiden välissä on rusto, joka on ikäänkuin pehmike/ patja luiden välissä ja ruston tehtävänä on pitää luut hankaamatta toisiinsa.

Kun jänne vaurioituu nivelside tekee enemmän töitä nivelessä, jolloin se myös ärtyy. Nivelside voi korjaantua eli muodostuu arpea, joka tekee nivelsiteestä paksun. Paksuuntunut alue on joko side- tai arpikudosta.

Jos rustoon tulee väärä paine trauman seurauksena voi rusto kalkkeutua. Se kalkkeutuu koska nivelen aineenvaihdunta on kärsinyt. Vakava-asteiset ja pitkälle edenneet muutokset nivelrustossa edesauttaavat nivelrikon syntymistä ja etenemistä.

Miten jännevamman huomaa? 

• Revähtymäalue on akuuttivaiheessa usein turvonnut, lämmin ja hyvin puristusarka. Vamman laajuudesta ja vaurioituneesta rakenteesta riippuen hevonen saattaa olla kykenemätön varaamaan jalalle.
• Jännevamman aiheuttamaa epäpuhtautta voi jo muutaman päivän levon jälkeen olla vaikea todeta edes ravissa. Siten ontuman voimakkuuden ja jännevaurion asteen välillä ei ole erityisen hyvä korrelaatio voimakkaita vaurioita lukuun ottamatta. Myös huomattava puristusarkuus voi tietyissä tapauksissa puuttua pian akuutin tulehdusvaiheen mentyä ohi.
• Ratsuhevosella vaurioituu yleisimmin etujalan pinnallinen koukistajajänne. Tavallisimmin pinnallisen koukistajajänteen keskiosan vammat aiheuttavat akuuttivaiheessa kohtalaisesti turvotusta jalkaan, ja pahimman turvotuksen laskettua raajan takapinnalla jännealueella näkyy tyypillinen taaksepäin kaartuva turvotus. Ontuma lievittyy tällaisissa vammoissa melko nopeasti päivien – viikkojen kuluessa. 
• Pinnallisen (superficial) koukistajajänteen ylimmän osan vammat kuitenkin poikkeavat edellä kuvatusta. Näitä voi olla joskus vaikea havaita sormin tunnustelemallakaan, ontuma on usein kohtalaisen voimakas ravissa ja jatkuu pitkään. Ennusteeltaan tällaiset vammat ovat selvästi muita pinnallisen koukistajajänteen vammoja huonompia, ja usein vaurio on molemmissa etujaloissa. 
• Syvä koukistajajänne (deep digital flexor) vaurioituu verrattain harvoin. Poikkeuksen tästä muodostavat eriasteiset syvän koukistajajänteen vammat lähellä kiinnittymiskohtaansa kavioluuhun kavion sisällä. Näitä vammoja todetaan magneettikuvauksella erittäin yleisesti niin sanottua sädeluuontumaa sairastavilla hevosilla. Myös vuohisnivelen seudulla jännetupen sisällä todetaan jonkin verran syvän koukistajajänteen vammoja. Ontuma on näissä yleensä melko voimakasta, ja ennusteeltaan syvän koukistajajänteen revähtymät ovat pääsääntöisesti huonompia kuin muiden koukistajajänteiden vastaavanlaajuiset vammat.

Emmi-hevosen jännevamma
Ystävämme Emmi-hevosella löytyi keväällä jännevamma syvästä koukistajajänteestä, tuttavallisemmin deep digital flexor tendonista.

Syvä koukistajajänne oli pahasti vaurioitunut ja jännevamman takia oli myös nivelside (palmar annular ligament) vaurioitunut. Nivelsiteen normaali paksuus on 0,2-0.3 mm ja tällä hetkellä nivelside oli paksuudessa jo 0,43mm. Koska siteen paksuuntuminen aiheuttaa painetta ja turvotusta voi siteen paksuuntuminen pahimmassa tapauksessa aiheuttaa niin kivuliasta paineen tunnetta hevosen jalassa, että side pitää leikkauksessa katkaista. Jos side paksuuntuu senttimetriin asti on hevosella jo todella vakavat kivut.

Emmiä hoidettiin verihiutaleplasmalla (PRP) ja määrättiin lepoa ja lyhyitä kävelytuokioita ainakin pari kuukauden ajan. Parin viikon päästä hoito uusittiin ja neljän kuukauden jälkeen Emmin selkään pystyi jo nousemaan. Emmi on tänä päivänä harrastekäytössä myös ratsuna.

Vaurioitunut kohta jänteessä.

Palmar annular ligament eli nivelside, joka oli Emmillä ärtynyt ja paksuuntunut jännevamman myötä.

Miten jännevammaa hoidetaan?
Jännevamman paranemisesta ei voi antaa takeita ja vamman paranemisaika on hyvin hevoskohtaista. Kannattaa kuitenkin varautua ainakin noin puolen vuoden kuntoutusaikaan.

• Erityisen tärkeää on tulehdusreaktion rauhoittaminen rikkoutuneessa jännekudoksessa, jolloin tulehduksen aiheuttama lisätuho mm. turvotuksen ja vapautuneiden kudostekijöiden myötä voidaan minimoida. 
• Kylmetys on yksi tehokkaimmista ensiavuista. Yöksi ehjälle iholle kylmäkääreen esim. kylmettävällä savella auttaa myös turvotuksen ja tulehdustilan rauhoittamiseen.
• Hevonen pidetään jännevamman akuutissa vaiheessa karsinalevossa kunnes isoin turvotus saadaan laskemaan. 
• Kipulääkettä voi antaa tarvittaessa, jotta tulehdusreaktio saadaan nopeammin hallintaan.
• Jännekudoksen turvotuksen laskiessa on jänteen tutkimus ultraäänellä suositeltavaa, jotta jännevaurion hoito voidaan suunnitella niin, että hevosen toipuminen vammasta olisi optimaalista.
• Kavion asentoa oikeanlaisella kengityksellä muuttamalla, voidaan pyrkiä vähentämään paineen tunnetta sekä nivelen kuormitusta.
• Jännevammojen uusista hoitomuodoista Suomessa käytetyimpiä ovat verihiutaleplasma (platelet rich plasma, PRP) ja kantasolut. Molempia hoitomuotoja voidaan käyttää samaan vammaan toisiaan täydentämässä. Verihiutaleplasma valmistetaan klinikkakäynnin yhteydessä hevosen omaa verta käsittelemällä, ja se on välittömästi valmis injektoitavaksi vaurioalueelle. Valmistusprosessissa hevosen omasta verestä erotetaan verihiutaleita jotka aktivoidaan ennen jänteeseen injisointia niin, että hiutaleet tuottavat paljon kasvutekijöitä, jotka edesauttavat jännevamman paranemista. Paikallisinjektioilla pyritään minimoimaan arpikudoksen muodostusta jännekudokseen. Arpikudos tekee jänteestä vähemmän joustavamman ja vähentää näin ollen jänteen kestävyyttä. Usein hoito toistetaan noin kahden viikon kuluttua. Hoidon tavoitteena on vähentää tulehdusreaktiota ja soluväliainetta hajottavien entsyymien toimintaa sekä saada vauriokohtaan muodostumaan normaalia, hyvälaatuista kollageenia. 
• Kantasoluhoidossa tavoitteena on puolestaan paitsi stimuloida edellä mainitun hyvälaatuisen kollageenin tuottoa, myös saada vauriokohtaan jakautumis- ja erilaistumiskykyisiä soluja, jolloin vauriokohtaan kehittyy alkuperäisen kaltaista jännekudosta arpikudoksen sijaan. Yleisanestesiassa tehtävä kantasoluhoito katsotaan ennusteeltaan parhaimmaksi koukistajajänteiden vammoissa. Kantasoluhoidossa hevosen rasvakudoksesta kasvatetaan Tamperelaisessa Tendostem laboratoriossa kantasoluja, jotka yleisanestesiassa injisoidaan vaurioaluelle. Maailmalla ja nykyisin myös meillä Dr Fisterin toimesta hoidetaan myös jänne- ja ligamenttivammoja hevosen omalla luuydinsiirolla joka sisältää mm. kantasoluja ja muita kasvutekijöitä. Hevosen luuydintä kerätään rintalastasta ja injisoidaan vaurioalueelle. Paras lopputulos saavutetaan, kun kantasoluhoito tehdään mahdollisimman pian akuutin tulehdusvaiheen jälkeen, ennen kuin merkittävää määrää arpikudosta on muodostunut. 
• Verihiutaleplasma- tai kantasoluhoito ei lyhennä jänteen paranemisprosessin vaatimaa aikaa, vaan riittävän pitkä, vamman laajuuteen sopeutettu kuntoutumisjakso on edelleen tarpeen. Jännevamman paranemista seurataan toistuvien kliinisten tutkimusten ja ultraäänitutkimusten avulla, jotka tehdään tavallisesti 1-3 kuukauden välein.  
• Ligamenttivammat ja jännevammat jotka sijaistevat luiden kiinnityskohdissa ovat todettu vastaavan hyvin Shock Wave -hoitoihin. 
• Jännevammoja voidaan myös hoitaa lääkellisillä paikallisinjektiohoidoilla kuten hyarulonihapolla.

Lähteet: Ystäväni, eläinlääkäri Tiina Wright, Hööks, virtuaalikylä, Hippos-lehti nro. 8/ 2012 (ELL Tytti Niemelä, hevossairauksien erikoiseläinlääkäri), Anivet.fi

Anatomy lessons

As a rider I am very interested in the anatomy of both humans and horses. The more I get to know about anatomy and biomechanics the more fascinating it gets. At the moment I am reading a book from Giulia Enders about the gut and I am absolutely loving it. She explains in detail how our digestive system works. As a person who has suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome most of my life I really wish this book would have come to me sooner. It has some very good insights on the gut and makes me realize what a totally magical place our bodies are.

Since I started my yoga practice years ago I have become much more aware of not only my body but also my mind. I have found that yoga has not only helped me deal with whatever life presents but it has also made me a better mother and horse person. It has made me grow in ways I thought unimaginable before and I do consider myself a more content and less fierce person because of my daily practice. My mind is no longer running as much as it did in all different directions and I am a little less reactive than before. I am very Italian and a lot of fire so it has helped me calm my central nervous system and I have learned to move from stress to calm in matters of minutes.

A few days ago I did my morning yoga practice at home accompanied by Yogaglo and amazing Marc Holzman. My daughter Ella took a few pictures of me and I wanted to share the above picture with you because it shows how stiff and crooked I am in the mornings. My hips are not level and my spines alignment looks crooked. My legs are stiff and my back is hard and unflexible. We talk a lot about the pain body and how our mind affects our physics but I also think that I was just born pretty unflexible. To combine that with riding and never having done any stretching I have gotten my body into quite a state of art. Also falling of horses loads of times does not make the body straighter exactly.

Before getting into yoga my teachers could tell me about straightness and crookedness but as a rider I was not able to feel it in the same way that I do now. It does not mean that I am much straighter to this day but I am much more aware of how my body feels and how I sit on my horse. I am also much more aware of the energies circulating between me and my horse and about my breathing. I am using my breath a lot when I ride and it has given me a whole new perspective into riding.

Today I bumped into some great videos directed toward Dressage Riders. Personal Trainer, Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach Nicola Smith gives some great insights into e.g. how we can keep our hips healthy and mobile as riders or how we can deal with stress to improve our riding. Since I am combining yoga and riding I would love to share more of my thoughts with all you riders and fellow horsepeople out there.

What would you be interested in seeing or hearing about? Something that isn't already there? Or is there something that you would be interested in knowing and learning more about? Would you like to read about it, see it in the form of online videos or hear it through a podcast?

Ole Sinä!

Haastattelin tänään julkisuuden henkilöä asiakkaan mainosvideota varten. Kuvaajina toimivat Tanskan tiimi.

Julkisuuden henkilö ahdistui välillä siitä, että lauseet eivät oikein löytyneet ja tuntui, että asiat piti sanoa monta kertaa uudestaan. Rauhoittelimme, että se on täysin normaalia ja meillä kaikilla menee luu kurkkuun heti kun kamera tuijottaa nenänpäähän.

Haastattelun jälkeen päästiin asiaan:

Julkisuuden henkilö kertoi minulle, että hän ei oikeastaan herää kunnolla ennen klo 12.00. Hänellä oli kuulemma koulussa jo suuria ongelmia aamuheräämisissä ja etenkin aamuoppimisessa. Ennen puolta päivää asiat eivät vaan rekisteröidy eikä hän mitenkään pysty sisäistämään uusia aihioita. Hän oli myös koulukiusattu eikä löytänyt paikkaansa siitä muotista mitä hänelle toivottiin.

Hän kertoi, että hänen luovuus ja inspiraatio saattaa herätä minä hetkenä hyvänsä. Se saattaa olla meren äärellä, isossa kaupungissa, jonkun aistin myötä tai jopa unen kautta. Hän ei aseta luovuudelle rajoja vaan uskoo, että kaikki on mahdollista. Hän rakastaa merta ja kertoi että vesi elementtinä rauhoittaa häntä.

Hän haluaisi käydä puhumassa kouluissa ja kertoa, että vaikka et ole juuri kuten kaikki muut kannattaa kuitenkin olla juuri sinä. Hän haluaisi kertoa, että vaikka hän ei edes päässyt sisään opiskelemaan huonojen kouluarvosanojen takia on kuitenkin mahdollista menestyä ja elättää itsensä unelmatyössä. Hän haluaisi kertoa, että kaikilla on oma rytmi. Että kahdeksasta neljään ei sovi kaikille, että joku tykkää tehdä aamuisin asioita, joku toinen taas nauttii enemmän iltahommista. Että koulujen pitäisi monimuotoistaa oppimista ja ymmärtää, että kaikki eivät opi lukemalla. Hän esimerkiksi oppii visualisoimalla asioita.

Hän on meille kaikille hyvä esimerkki siitä, että luovuutta ei kannata kahlita ja unelmia kannattaa viljellä. Hän kertoo myös meille kaikille miten tärkeää on luottaa omaan intuitioon ja seurata juuri sitä mikä omassa sisimmässään tuntuu tärkeältä. Se voi olla jotain ihan muuta kuin mikä on yhteiskunnan mielestä oikein, mutta sillä ei ole merkitystä. Tärkeintä on vaan, että uskallat olla juuri sinä!

"I allow all things to exist in their own way. I exist in my own way!"
                                                                       - Shylah Ray Sunshine

Hungary horseXplore 2017

When Katja Ståhl mentioned that they were planning a trip together with Riitta Kosonen to go horse-back riding abroad I told them that I will definitely join that trip. A few months later Katja announced that Kavioliitto goes Unkari on her blog and at that moment I was already literally sitting on the airplane. A few friends later we had a group of sixteen women telling their childhood memories to each other and going through where we started riding, how, why, where we are riding now and so forth. It literally felt that we already knew each other before we had even hit common ground at Budapest airport on the 25th of May.

Lovely little Georgina landed in Finland.

Let's start from the beginning. For once I had a lot of time on my hands. Ella went to my parents and Thor was in good hands out in the pasture next to his friends. My friend was kind to drive me to the airport so we left early for some lunch at restaurant Elite in Töölö and then headed from there to the airport. At the airport I checked in and just fumbled around getting myself a soya latte at some new fancy cafe.

  

I mean who has such a cool transfer car??

At the airport I met Maria Leskinen and her husband Stephen from Knaperbacka Stables. I used to work for Maria when Ella was small and it was so nice to bump into this lovely couple. When Maria saw me she asked me if I wanted to see little Georgina who was just arriving to Finland from Paris. When Maria and Stephen were travelling in Mauritius in March they were cooking at an outdoor kitchen when suddenly this little qute puppy found them. It was literally impossible to enter the area but there she was looking at them. She seemed fine but Maria and Stephen knew that the little dog would not survive for long, named her Georgina, took her to the pound and decided to find her a new home. After some searching one of Maria's students had a friend who had lost her old dog in the winter. She was looking for a new dog and decided to adopt this little girl. When I was at the airport the new owner had for the first time in her life travelled away from Finland to Paris and met her new future friend. What a fantastic story. Georgina was taken from Mauritius to Paris with a kind Stewardess and it just made me think that there are so many amazing people in this world. People that really want to make a change and help others.

One of the cottages with the rooms.

Back to the main story now:

We arrived in Hungary on Thursday late afternoon. The group arrived at different times. Some had already arrived on Wednesday and some Thursday morning. We were the last ones to enter El Bronco Ranch and also almost the last ones to leave.

We got picked up from the airport by the coolest Cowboy bus ever (picture above) and were driven the approximately two hour drive to the ranch. The transfer went very well and after entering the gates we were welcomed with open arms by the staff of the ranch.

Gabor, who is one of the main hefe's at El Bronco showed us to our room and after that we entered the dining area right outside the cottages. We were not sure if there was anything to eat but to our surprise we still had a full meal served late in the evening and of course some great drinks that came with it.

First morning in Hungary. View from the porch.

The next morning we woke up to a full day of sunshine and this fantastic view from our porch. I almost had to pinch myself because I could not believe how beautiful it was. I had never been to Hungary and had expected nothing like this. The surroundings were so beautiful, the weather warm and fabulous. There was a swimming pool outside, a fantastic spa area and the possibility to have a massage. The food was frequent and excellent and the Frittman rose wine better than I could have ever imagined (actually so good we stopped at a Supermarket on the way to the airport to buy a few bottles with us home).

Totally excited first morning in Hungary with my friends Allis and Johanna.

There were horses everywhere. In the paddocks, in the barn and on the fields. We were literally surrounded by horses and they all seemed content and well taken care of.

"We love the horses and feel emotions for them. We do not treat them like machines," stated Roland Galambos, part owner and manager of the place when we met him the first time.

Roland Galambos is taking us for a tour around the area.

Most of El Broncos horses are born at the farm. There are quarter, paint and appaloosa breeds and most of the new foals are paint horses. The horses are trained from an early age and the foals are getting used to human contact and the active life at the ranch. The horses are trained by young ranch hand Robert and Sándor, who has been working at the farm for fifteen years (see more information on the blog Riitta Reissaa).

Some of the youngsters at the farm.

The breakfast, lunch and dining area.

Lots of fun moments and laughter.

We started our first morning with a lovely breakfast and then went to the stables in order to get the horses that we would be riding all trip. The horses live in paddocks our out in the field and were taken to the stable to be tacked up for the rides. All horses seemed to have at least one day off during the week and after a long day they were taken back out to the fields together with all the other horses. They also had many free days after our visit so they were worked pretty hard some weeks and other weeks when there were less tourists the horses had more time off. The horses are also less busy in the winter so at that time the staff concentrate o training the horses and checking that they remain as supple and soft as possible for the busier summer season.

Waiting for the horses. 

My horse for the weekend. "Sunflower"!

  

Already tired.

Viivi and her horse.

Beautiful Inka

Katja and her horse Brad Pitt

Eva and horsey

Trip organizer Riitta and da coolest Western fellow

Inka got along well with her horse.

After getting our horses we were going to the arena for a while just to check that we had some control on what we were doing before heading out to beautiful Kiskunsagi Nemzeti National Park. My horse was called Sunflower (I can't remember the Hungarian name) and is a super sweet and energetic little mare. Before heading on the trip we had stated how long we had been riding and our experience with horses and so forth. Based on that they chose our horses and I definitely had a lot of fun with this fantastic girl. Sunflower would just buck and scream every time we went cantering and headed of full speed. She would stay with me pretty nicely though and as long as we could be in the beginning of the group I had no problems holding her back. On the last day's hack she was clearly a little bit tired so then we stayed at the end of the line and let the horses with some more energy left go first. I think we got a very nice contact and if I would have the money I would have taken her home on the airplane with us. 

The area where the horses were being tacked up.

This mare came back very aggressive from a home it had been sold to. Gabor has been
working a lot with her and does everything to get her acquainted to various situations.
Such as having someone standing behind her. 

One of the stables next to the main house.

Getting to know our horses in the arena.

The first trail ride was absolutely gorgeous. Since I had never been to Hungary before I was just amazed what a beautiful country it was and was not only enjoying the great company but also the scenery. I also found that my pretty obnoxious humour worked well with Hungarians and had a lot of fun with the people working at the ranch.

Heading out to the National Park on the first day.

On the first day we went for a two hour ride around the National Park and after that we had a gorgeous lunch in the sun. In the afternoon we continued with another trail ride and after that Budiness Coach Eva did a mindfulness exercise that I finished off with a pass of yoga. It worked very well out on the lawn in the soft evening light and even the beer drinkers forgot about their beer for a while. 

Orphan's hair!

On the second day we headed of to the nature again early in the morning and had a lot of long and lovely canters in various terrain. The National park was not only breathtakingly beautiful but full of wildlife such as deer jumping around, turtles passing the roads slowly and eagles soaring the sky. 

Mindful moment

Hey, we also want to join your yoga session. 

I really am going to disturb Katja now. 

Ok, its enough.....

Opening up that sidebody. 

Nice job even if some of us only drank beer.:) 

Yoga + horses = perfection

In the afternoon we had a lesson in 'Western Riding' by Sándor and Bernadett Vidra, who is the Junior Champion in Reining in Hungary. Sándor and Bernadett showed some basic tricks that are common to Western riding and with the help of Gabor explained how they got the horses to perform them. One of the things that Gabor pointed out constantly during the whole trip was this: 

"You do not need to use your reins. And never ever pull the horse in the mouth."

Very concentrated students listening and learning.



Gabor reminded us that these horses are trained on a loose rein contact and if we start to put pressure in the mouth the horse would not slow down but rather speed up further. The more pressure from us,

the more pressure from the horse. To the slightly worried riders he would be very assuring that they could trust their horses and even if the riders instinctively picked up their reins he would tell them to relax and let the reins go. Time and time again (it is so instinctive for us to pick up the reins.) 

"No reins is closest to their natural state" - Gabor

Sidepass

After following Sándor and Bernadett we then got on our own horses and practiced some basic movements from the horse back.



We first had the horse Smell the boot. It meant that we turned the horse from the neck toward the feet checking for suppleness and control on both sides of the horse. We also did a lot of Halts without the use of the rains. When we halted the horse we just needed to push our feet forward and weight back and the horses would stop. If they didn't stop directly we could remind them with the reins, but after that let go of them directly.

As Gabor said: "Horses want to be left alone. They will remember when they have been left alone and realize what they did so that they are left alone. So when you release the pressure at the right time the horse will quickly learn to halt when there is no more pressure."

We then continued Backing up and after that with Sidepass. We wanted reactive horses that would move to the side with the slightest touch. In the sidepass we freed and opened the leg in the direction that we were going (however not placing our weight in that direction). Gabor also asked us to think about balancing on top of a ball and lean the opposite way so the ball would then continue moving in the right direction. "It is so obvious that you push the horses away. When you push them in a direction they should step away."

After these basic but very important moves we danced around the forelegs and then took the horses spinning around the hindlegs. I had never done a spin before and with Sándors help from the ground I got in a pretty nasty little spin in both directions. Pretty cool feeling and just made me even more aware of the fact that I should have been a Western rider.

During the trip we talked a a lot about riding and horses in general. What are light aids? How much reins should we really use? What is beautiful riding and so forth. I think we talk so much about different disciplines of riding but I don't really think it has anything to do with that. You can be a Dressage rider or Western rider and whatever discipline you practice, you can be hard or gentle toward your horse. I think there are some fantastic aspects with Western riding that we should all try out before we start on any other disciplines. We should all ride horses with long reins or just with a halter. We should learn to trust the horse through instincts, energy and bodily work rather than just relying on the hand. Gabor told us to look up this YouTube video about stallion Orpheo Merlin and rider Pablo Hermoso. Even if I am totally against harming bulls just looking at the work of this couple is pure awesomeness. Just look at the perfection in the movements, the suppleness, the ease and reactivity. 

A good Western horse relaxes between jobs. no problem for us. 

On the second day we hacked out and had a fun competition were we practiced all the movements we had just learned. In the evening we took the horses out to the fields and took the mandatory field pictures. 

On the third day some of us left earlier but we still got to enjoy the final trail ride in the beautiful weather. After the ride we still had a lovely lunch, an hour of massage and some time in the SPA area before heading off to the airport. I just remember sitting out in the sun after the massage enjoying the last rays of sun before heading home to cold Finland and thinking how lucky I was. This trip had been a bit of a childhood dream and it had been more than I had ever expected. I truly enjoyed my stay and had the best what I think a trip like this could ever offer. Thank you Katja Ståhl and Riitta Kosonen for organizing it and Allis and Johanna for jumping on it with me. It was pure pleasure from the beginning to the end. Just can't wait for the next one. 

The main house and pool area. 

Doesn't matter if the chair breaks as long as the wine stays in the glass.

The dining area.

Real Cowboy Robert who has been working in Montana where Legends of the Fall was filmed
 and dreams about working at a big Ranch in Russia. A true horseman whose saying to Katja when
he was training a young horse stayed in all of our minds. "I always stop when the horse feels good.
If I continue it would only be to feed my own ego."

It wouldn't be a real Cowboy trip without some lasso training. 

Thank you El Bronco Ranch.

The Team in our team T-shirst of course. 

El Bronco Ranch syntyi vuonna 1999 budapestilaisen yrittäjäpariskunnan István ja Rita Kurcsicsin innostuttua lännenratsastuksesta Saksassa Americana-showssa ja NRHA Future Showssa vieraillessaan.  Sopiva maapalsta löytyi Kiskunság-kansallispuistosta. El Broncon omaa hevoskasvatus perustuu laadukkaisiin appaloosa- ja quartertammoihin, joista osa on napsinut voittoja reiningissä sekä Unkarissa että Itävallassa. Vuoden 2006 AQHA Grand Champion Easy Dun Sliding on El Broncon jalostustamma.


El Broncon valtavilla ulkokentillä ja tilavassa maneesissa järjestettiin ennen ratsastuskilpailuja.  Sittemmin konsepti on keskittynyt ratsastuskouluun, hevoskasvatukseen, siitokseen sekä ratsastusmatkailuun.

For more information about trips like this you can contact Riitta Kosonen at HorsXplore Finland. 
There are also interesting stories from Hungary on Katja Ståhl's blog.
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Also read: The Day I met a "Golden Horse"

For more travel stories, see the right hand of my blog under travel stories.