Seven Half Diamond, 2010

Ok. Ok....Apparently I cannot help sharing some of these great photos from all these Camps. Each one I swear was my favorite, each one special and full of the best kind of people....Enjoy! So these are from the Seven Half Diamond Camp in August, and what a blessing to be at a higher altitude during the hottest week in Merritt in the summer! In town was 36 degrees Celsius, up at 7.5, a balmy 30....MUCH more conducive to hanging out and learning with horses.. The Cabin was cool and such a focal point, with its lake views, shady porches and all the comforts of home in a beautiful, lovingly hand made way. With enough privacy, yet camaraderie, good food, laughs and tears (yes, all the really good camps have tears, don't they?)were in definite abundance, it was one of the best parts of this week. Four good friends, 2 from the Island, 2 from Pritchard came together to meet and re-unit with their horses and I left the theme of the week up to them to dictate, and I suppose it really should be no surprise that it ended up being all about Feel...hahahaha! It is simply inescapable and insistent in being brought to our full awareness....... So...what better way to start then with the (soon to be infamous:) Waiting Game? Once again peace descends upon the area, as horses await they time to come in at free choice to be with their human. Each one different in their methodology of the approach, yet each one intensely focused, almost in a microcosm, unsure, curious, seemingly indifferent at times, certainly unsettled at the turn of events and checking out what every other being is doing, until they all, horse and human alike reach stillness and presence....and that wondrous magic occurs yet again.....This is truly an exercise that will effect you like no other. We ended the first day with a casual trail ride up the pipeline, enjoying the shade and quiet time to be 'with' our horses.... and oh ok! And a really good loooong gallop up the grassy hills...:) Long trotting out brought some interesting reactions from both species, horses adapting somewhat quicker the the humans to this seemingly innocent enough task and we dwindled to 1/2 the group rising with the sun to repeat the next morning. And what a treat! The cool, sweet smelling pines and damp grasses swishing as our horses hooves beat out a regular cadence as we rode the grassland trails, up and down hills, through stands of aspen and finishing up by the misty lake and the call of the loons...almost a surreal morning. The last day was a competition of sorts involving a course with certain requirements and obstacles that participants had a bare exposure to at the outset. As well as being timed, marks were added for exceptional feel and awareness of their horses individual needs. To watch everyone get so soft and connected with their horses was astonishing! To see the expansion of Consciousness; for the slightest try, the softest ask, the most generous allow and the grace of knowing when a threshold of confidence had been reached.
What a group!

One last ride out , experimenting with ponying and all it entails which is such a powerful lesson and boy! It sure allows us to be clearly the leader and how it can give that all needed focus and intention to our riding, not to mention exercise to that second horse always left at home.... moving a few head of cattle, a splash in the lake and then the sad packing up, cleaning and loading all our toys and memories up...and off to our respective corners of the world again.... Thanks Roma and Keeper, Tracy and Mesa, Deb and Topper and Cheryl and Magic !