Hello all,
I'm so glad you found yourself here - please make yourself at home. I'd love for you to leave a comment introducing you and your horses, or any other special creatures you share your life with! Tell me where you're from, what you're passionate about, and the moments that have defined your journey with horses thus far. My hope is that we can build a community together, and feel connected, seen and held in this space.
I'll go first: My name is Elsie Kenna Reford, and I'm 22 years old. I live on a beautiful 200 acre grass-fed beef farm that sits below the Gatineau Park in Aylmer, QC, Canada. I've lived on this land my entire life, and have had the wonderful fortune of being immersed amongst our many animals (horses, cattle, dogs, cats and all of the wildlife!) since Day 1. I'm incredibly passionate and dedicated about learning about and providing my two horses, Ike and Fara, with the best possible species-appropriate care. I try my best to view horse ownership not from the lens possession or hierarchy, but from a place of guardianship or stewardship. I'm currently working on cultivating a sense of interdependence in all of my relationships, but especially with my horses. Yes, I am technically responsible for them and their needs, but I also want to foster self-reliance in my horses. Trust is the name of the game for all of us - in ourselves and in each other.
Working with folks who look at horsemanship from this less traditional, more holistic framework has been an absolutely pivotal shift in my journey with horses. Coupled with my hunger to learn more about the human mind, spirit and heart (I'm a Psych Major at Carleton University), this horse-centered paradigm has shifted the way I see myself in relationship to the equine industry. Working with horses in a way that makes them feel heard and at choice is what I want to do, as that is what feels most aligned with my true nature. I'm very interested in the ways horses inform us about our human experience.
So that's just a little bit about me. You'll of course hear more as the blog takes shape and comes to life.
Thank you for being here, and I can't wait to 'meet' you :)
Love,
Elsie
