Jonna from Sweden is here right now as a working student. I am very glad Jonna found us so we can work together to start Spirit and Elena in trail riding and continue the training of Jack and Darling. Jonna has a very good way of being with horses, calm, connected and she is a very good rider. It is a pleasure to work with her and I look forward to the coming months and to share our continuous journey with you.
The journey to the ride of our dreams!
Much sunshine from St. Vincent
Stina
Finding the connection
More than one month has past and I have experienced so many precious moments that I’ll keep for life! However, this new role I’m practicing with horses is not only a walk in the park, it’s also very challenging because Im right in the middle of a big learning process. Re-learning.
Its essential to be open minded to be able to develop yourself and learn new things, but I’ve also learned that I have to trust myself and the experiences I’ve got and use them with this new way of being with horses to be more confident. Stina talks alot about balance in many different ways; you can’t be hard if you’re not soft, the balance between asking and demanding, between what’s ok for you and what’s not regarding personal space etc. So this is pretty much where I’m at now, trying to find the balance in the relationship with the horses. I’m doing better and better but I tend to be more kind than clear.
One example is with the scratching- bum- activity. I’ve found out that many of the horses really love to be scratched in their tail and bum. So I found this activity a great oppurtunity for me to improve our relationship and I was also really happy to understand what the horse meant when she passed me and showed me her bum after saying hello with a sniff- I was communicating with the horse! But then I lost the balance since the horses started to show me their bum as soon as they saw me… When I was going to put the halter on, train them, or even just talk to them. Ok, I’m exaggerating a little but it become a problem for me so I talked to Stina about it and we talked about balance. That I should be more aware and consciously choose when to scratch. And we also talked about connection, how you can improve the connection with the horse by just being present. You can of course do fun stuff with them but you also don’t have to do anything special except for just that, being present.
In this big process of learning to find the right balance, my biggest challange is to learn to be more clear and confident- to be a good leader. This way of being with horses really reveals your whole personality, all the good and bad sides! I totally understand now what Stina said to me in the beginning: “theese horses are your best teachers”. By pictures and movies of me with the horses made by Stina I’ve come to realization that I have a long way to go with communcating with horses. But I also see that I’ve improved since I came here. Sometimes I’m way to kind, and sometimes I want too much from them. But they will respond to me straight away with their behaviour what I did “right” and “wrong”. Frustrating but very useful!
In between theese challanges I’ve had glorious moments in the saddle at sunset in the fruitgarden, watching them run and jump by joy in their pastures, watching them eat under a sky full of stars and fireflies and my number one so far; taking them to the sea for a roll in the river and walk on the beach.
I still can’t belive I’m actually here, living my dream!
Take care and talk soon!
Jonna
Yurumein Horse School (St. Vincent) 
Thanks again Stina for great blog!!! And I wanted to thank Jonna for sharing her story with us and I wish her all the best in this journey ahead and I agree with Stina that horses are and will be your best teachers. I remember myself when I just arrived to school, everything so new and exciting and I didn’t know much about how to be with horses except what I red in books and videos I watched and then observing the horses. True learning started by doing nothing and just watching how horses interact with each other in a herd. I loved those moments of doing nothing because that’s where deep connection grew between me and horses and that’s where the magic lies 🙂 Learning how to be in the moment is the most precious thing horses taught me and Stina was always there to help me and explain new things to me. She is not only great teacher but I also admire her as a person who has done so much for horses and this planet and she sets great example to all of us that by working hard and having faith and dedication, we all can change this world to be a better place to live in!!! Thank you Stina for all your amazing work 🙂
Dear Kristine,
Thank you for writing in.
It was soo good the time you were here and we started to connect with the horses under saddle. We all learnt so much. Teaching the horse to accept rider and tack was one thing and I have to say I think we did very good, it was gentle, fun and connected. After you and Anne completed your time as working students, the riding went on hold a bit, until last year August when Lisa arrived and my new riding teacher Gabriel. So from around October till today we have step by step progress on the riding and as you can see Jonna and I work together on the next steps. I have realized what a new and exciting journey it is to really prepare the horse and the rider for trails or beginners dressage.
The Journey with horses lasts a lifetime and us who can are so lucky to have them in our lives.
Can’t wait to see you back here Kristine!
Believe it or not – you will be able to ride your spirit down the Richmond Beach at sunset and we will film it!
Kind regards Stina
Hi Stina!
That would be like a dream come true to be on Spirit and connect with her in such way. I have been dreaming about it and visualizing us riding down the beach for so many times 🙂 And I would be so honored to experience such divine moment!!! Counting days till I meet you all again 🙂
Love, Kristine
Thank you very much for your comment Kristine! Its really nice to hear about your experiences from here, this is such a unic place so you almost have to have been here to understand the magic! The inspiration from both Stina and her horses is a perfect combination to develop yourself as a horse person, a rider and as a private person. They are all so good teachers and Stina can make anybody understand the language of the horse! And like you say, she is a golden source filled with inspiration and knowledge about so many things in life thats important, you can learn so much from her. Thanks again Stina for creating this possibility for people like me and Kristine! I hope we can keep the promise Stina just made about Spirit 😉 And I also hope to meet you one day!
Kind regards
Jonna
Dear Jonna!
Horses do change your life forever and if we just listen carefully they will tell us exactly who we are and what is important in this life. Horses taught me very well that I had to work on my boundaries, especially with people. I remember when I came to school I had hard time taking for a walk even one horse without facing some agenda, but at the end of my stay I could walk with 4. Wow, that I call an improvement 🙂 Horses can teach you to be firm but still loving, gentle but still strong, it’s all about balance!!! Hope to see you too Jonna and enjoy your moments with these amazing creatures.
Best regards,
Kristine