EDITOR'S NOTE

Six years ago, I published the 1st issue of Equine Leadership. Who could have ever imagined then we would now be publishing an edition of Equine Leadership during a global pandemic? Who would have thought that Humanity Needs the Horses now more than ever before?  

Click here to read the full Editor's Note

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​ William Blake, the 18th Century visionary and poet, wrote: “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” A phrase later paraphrased by Aldus Huxley in his book “The Doors of Perception" and, of course, most famously by the rock band The Doors in the 1960s. The key thing here is that this is not just a passage between rooms, but access to knowledge, some insight, or a new experience. And when we step through them, there is no going back. There is no unlearning. There is no placing the lid back upon the box.  

​Click here to read the full inside cover piece

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REGENERATION
By: Mary Joy Johnson, UK

​“Look what was sown by the stars
At night across the fields
We are not defined by scars
But by the incredible ability to heal”
Lemn Sissay
I know when I go to the fields, when I go to the horses, I am as close to the meaning of this poem as I could possibly be. 
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​ Click here to read Mary-Joy's full article

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HORSES, HUMANITY AND HEART
The simplicity of 'being', through the eyes of our children
By: Eleni Argy, Australia

Our children and young people are the soulful artists of the colourful canvas of humanity’s future. These young minds and hearts hold the capability to move forward with strength in today’s uncertain realm. Navigating the current ambiguity of our present, has bubbled up a deep sense of grief for our past and future - so how can the children of today’s world feel hopeful, and see themselves with vibrancy, walking through it all with courage, when their parents and teachers and leaders are delicately crumbling?  

 Click here to read Eleni's full article

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ALLOWING AND HEALING WITH HORSES
By: Kelly Jones, U.S.A.

When she walked into the paddock the small bay mare slowly and carefully made her way over to gently greet the new human.  Immediately the young woman’s shoulders relaxed and a bright smile lit up her face. 
​It was the beginning of what would be a beautiful journey to healing and renewal.


​ Click here for Kelly's full article

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A CULTURE OF THE HEART
Including yourself in the harmony of connection
By: Kerri Lake, U.S.A.

Sixteen formerly wild horses now live together in a five acre pasture in Western Colorado. After they were removed from their wild homes, these horses were considered dangerous. Trainer after trainer was unable to “break” these motley souls. They were labeled “failures” at being a valuable service to humanity. It was decided that there was no hope for these ones, that their greatest value to humans would be realized at the slaughterhouse.
 

​Click here to read Kerri's full article

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OVERCOMING FEAR
Observing what the horse does and does not do
By: Kasey Thompson, U.S.A.

There she was, my dear wife of 20 years, Jennifer staring straight into the flared nostrils of an animal she had feared nearly her whole life. My 7 year old bay quarter horse, who moments earlier was bucking and running with all the excitement of the whole wild west, ran right at her, slowed from a gallop to a trot, to a walk, and stopped cold only a few inches from Jennifer’s nose. It was then that something magical happened that changed her life and mine. 

Click here to read Kasey's full article

 

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​EVOLVING SELF AND HUMANITY
We Choose What Makes us Strong
By: Pat Hutchinson, Canada

​Horses have been showing up for humanity for eons.  Now, they are teaching us that in order to not just survive but also thrive, we need to: slow down; practice authenticity and just ‘be’.  Perhaps we need to embrace these 3 teachings in order to raise our awareness and our consciousness, which in turn will change the way we live.  Horses give us a glimpse of the proverbial Shangri-La.

Click here to read Pat's full article

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WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL
By: Jonathan Varkul, Canada

When I walk around the tall buildings of downtown Toronto, I can’t help but marvel at the ingenuity of us humans. I look around and see throngs of people all busily going about their business, contributing something to the complexity and the grandeur of it all. There is a palpable hum in the air. I can feel all the people working towards accomplishing all kinds of smart and ingenious things, as part of something much bigger than their individual selves.

 Click here to read Jonathan's full article

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DEEPER BY THE DAY
By: Sam Thorpe, U.S.A.

​The connection between humans and horses dates back thousands of years. Once upon a time the paths of these two species crossed in a way that can only be described as a universal phenomenon; a soul connection. While the initial motivation may have been purely selfish on the part of us humans, we quickly saw incredible value in the qualities the horse possessed and grew to respect the willingness and intelligence of our new partners.

​Click here to read Samantha's full article
 

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​A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE 
Looking through the Eyes of a Horse
By: Esta G. Bernstein, U.S.A.

“There is nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse. ~ John Lubbock”   
No truer words were ever said.  As we look deep into the behaviors and emotions of our equine companions, we discover a wealth of information about our own actions, reactions, and habits.  As we go down this rabbit-hole, we discover how horses bring us to a level of awareness, including awareness of our life’s transitions.  
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 Click here to read Esta's full article

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​SELF-AWARENESS AND THE QUEST FOR SACRED SPACE 
By: Dorothy Chiotti, Canada

“Because of how much time we spend thinking about something other than the moment we are in science suggests we are running on default programs about 95% of our waking life. … psychologists believe that the majority of default programs … are dis-empowering, self-sabotaging and limiting.”
Bruce Lipton, The Biology of Belief

When was the last time you aspired to achieve a big dream only to lose faith and abandon it for reasons you don’t understand?
 
 Click here to read Dorothy's full article

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​RAISING CONSCIOUSNESS
How horses can help raise consciousness of humanity 
By: Georgie McBurney, UK

A Welsh-Arab horse called Jac came into my life seven years ago. Having responsibility for someone else’s needs when there is a language barrier created an opportunity for my intuitive side to come to the fore. Meeting his needs made me question if I was meeting mine. In those moments of watching him,  just 'being', I realized that I was just being and how calming that was. 

 
 
 Click here to read Georgie's full article
 

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RETURNING TO NORMAL
By: Vivian Evans, Canada

​As the world roared to a screeching halt in 2020 many of us found ourselves unexpectedly on hold. The normal that we knew as a collective began to slip away, and the fast-paced life that many of us came to know and love, stopped.
Time became abundant and in this pause, we started to notice what was all around us. ​For some, the things we strived for or filled our schedule with, were no longer important. Others were left wondering what was really important.
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Click here to read Vivian's full article

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THE MASKS WE WEAR
By: Lynda Watson, Canada

In this present time, we are being asked to don masks for everyone’s physical health. Yet at the same time we are being challenged to doff our internal masks for our mental health both individually and as a collective. The horses can support us to remove that inner façade and emerge into a more peaceful and positive future.

 

Click here to read Lynda's full article

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"The horses along with their humans have stepped up in unprecedented
​ways to comfort and challenge us gently into a future we never expected. 
​If we are ready, the horses are here to shift the winds."