Letter from Jonna. Coming home to the regular… People complaining about the bus being one minute late, endless talks about weather, how expensive groceries has become and why people cannot learn to follow traffic rules. Bitter perspectives mixed with sweet ones. Clean streets, beautiful parks and green areas in the city center, people being very polite, organized systems that benefits people, fresh air, wind mills, sun cells and hybrid cars. Bitter sweet mix.
Everything is exactly as how I left it but now seen from eyes that have been developed. From a more aware mind and with wider eyes my home country and ordinary things has changed.
Since I came home from St Vincent I’ve felt a longing for horses. I had the opportunity for three weeks in the beginning of my return to be with my mum’s horses but since I moved to a city far away from my parents’ house I haven’t had the chance to meet with any horses since. Just until recently. Last Sunday I was finally going to spend some time with horses again with my sister who asked me if I could come and ride an Icelandic horse at her neighbors- a horse that I used to ride sometimes before going to the Caribbean. Happily I said yes and off we went.
We got the horses from their muddy, small and only pasture which is a very common way to keep horses in the south of Sweden. People are glad they have one small space for them in their backyard so they don’t have to have them in the garage and straight on their lawn.
I had forgotten about the procedure we used to do when about to ride. No time to hang out a little bit first. No communication between the horse and the person. I did try but these horses haven’t ever been listened to, so of course we didn’t understand each other. My sister told me to hurry up, more rain was coming.
My sister gave me a long whip and I asked her if I really needed it. She said it’s only for showing. Once in the saddle and warmed up we were about to speed and get the horses to tölt (a special walk for Icelandic horses, same speed as trot). I used to get this horse to tölt very easily in the past but this time it didn’t work. She didn’t want to and I felt that there was something she disliked. I got off and corrected the saddle. They have a special saddle that you are supposed to put very far back on their back so they have room for the front legs to move in the tölt. I wasn’t used to this so I might have put the saddle to far forward. I corrected the saddle but it was still the same when I got back up. My horse became moody when I tried with the cues so I told my sister to slow down and just walk. My sister tried to tell me to hold with tighter reins and be a bit hard in her mouth. This I refused. We decided to swop horses instead.
My sister got my horse to tölt and I could do tölt on her horse because he was very motivated to speed so I didn’t have to bother him with any cues. My sister found it weird that I couldn’t get my first horse to speed up. I think the old me I would agree, but not this time. There was nothing unclear about it. I didn’t have any time to synchronize with the horse in any way. I used her as a bicycle, I brushed her off and put my helmet on and off we went. It didn’t feel good before we even got up in the saddle but I had no time to think. How can it then be good while riding?
No, this is not something I would like to be a part of. I can enjoy myself in other ways without harming any another creature. This is no longer pleasure for me, horses are so much more then riding. I don’t love riding. I love horses.
I promise myself once again. If I cannot have horses in the most natural way as possible in every way, I’d rather not have any. I refuse to use horses like this. My experiences can be seen as limiting and yes it is, but it has given me so many valuable thoughts that I would like to act on.
I’ve become much more mature and thereof made a promise to do my very best to be true to nature as far as possible. This I will keep. I will follow my own morals (heart) and I hope many others will too.
With love and passion for horse and nature
Jonna Jonsson
Dear Jonna,
Thank you so much for your letter!
I have seen you, Jonna, on your spiritual ride through the rainforest with Darling. Your ride has moved me to tears again and again.
Darling gave us both a ride to truth. Darling will stay with us forever and so will the truth she told us.
We need to tell our stories because the abuse of the planet, the abuse of other animals and the abuse of our very own species has to stop.
Once you know truth in your head and once you also know it in your heart, you will never return to compromise what is the right thing to do. You will do the right thing and this liberates you.
I am so grateful to have you in my life.
Much sunshine to all of you from St. Vincent
Stina
Yurumein Horse School (St. Vincent) 
Thank you Stina for sharing Jonna’s blog with us. I really loved it and it touched my heart. There are so many things we take for granted and we get sucked into today’s world where everything is about time and how there is always not enough of it and not enough of that, that we tend to forget and not see what is already in front of us. For me, I realized long time ago, if I can’t ride horses being in complete connection with them and not having strong bond, then I don’t want to ride them at all. I would rather sit every day in their presence and observe them as they move around and use their language to get closer to them, then put myself on their backs so i would feel more powerful and in control. I am looking for equality and balance not dominance and violence. Life is what you make it. Be positive and be grateful for what you have and life will give you more things to be grateful for. This world is much more then just us or me, its about how we can serve others to do more good to each other and this planet!!!
Kristine
You are so right looking for equality and balance. It was nice to see you again. You look great! Yes we have to do good to the planet, it is the only home we have.
Thank you for commenting.
Jonna – you got several nice comments when i posted the blog on the net:
“This is what becoming a responsible, sensitive, and complete human being is. This is what the horses really wish for us..that we become aware of everything and everyone around us up and until we decide to treat ourselves and, therefore, others with the utmost respect and care. It isn’t wrong to ride horses, but it is wrong to disregard anothers feelings.” Esther Zeeman
“I like the way Jonna is thinking” – Sarah
“I like this, this touches my heart, I am so aligned with this.” – Norma
“Thank you for your inspiring thoughts! I totally agree. You are NOT alone. There will always be horses in your life, I feel. They will find YOU. Because they need to be around people like you who truly See them as the Divine Beings that they are.” – Alexandra
Beautiful and so true! I see similarities to how my own life has changed since coming back from St. Vincent, and as you say, it’s in a way harder because you are conscous of all those things that you now know are wrong… But you simply cannot go back to the way you were before.
I feel similar about horses now, I want to have a connection with them instead of riding them, as you say, like a bicycle.
Best of luck, Jonna, and congratulations to Stina for making such a difference in people’s hearts
Thank you Anna, for your comment.
Life changes once you start making the connection.
Let’s talk soon.
Stina
I resonate so much with you, Jonna.
On my way i made common experiences. At some Point in my life i couldnt accept the “old way of riding” anymore. No time to get connected before, no time to slow yourself down to get into a state of mind that the horse would like. Just USE the horse.
I also hold the belief that i dont love riding – i love horses. And the more i spend time in my herd, expecting nothing, just be with them, the more i realize how strange and disrespectful it is to a horse that humans come, with all their stressful energy, take them and go for a ride without any Kind of “forplay” 🙂
I am so happy that there are Trainers like Carolyn Resnick and Stina who go another way.
And i hope more and more People will follow! But actually i already see that a lot of People start to think different – so , i n´know they will! 🙂
Thank you Petra for checking in and commenting.
Thank you all for your beutiful comments! And thank you Stina for your amazing words that moved me to tears, thinking about Darling.
It feels so good to know that there are more similar minded people out there. The closer we are to the Truth the more Love and Joy can flow effortless, that’s a good thing to keep in mind in all aspects in life!
Let it flow!
With love
Jonna
Yes, let it flow! Miss you Jonna, hope to see you again some day!
I feel the same way. I love horses, but not necessarily riding them. I like to see them, be around them, brush them, smell them, give them treats, and be good to them. I keep my cousin’s horse and I have my own horse who is very sweet mannered. I love being around him and he is comfortable around me.
Dear Ava, thank you so much for your comment. It is amazing how much pleasure we can get just being with horses in nature. All the best and much sunshine and rain from here.
Stina