H O R S E  W I S D O M

When I was seven years old, my father took me and my brother on a holiday with a horse and carriage. We spent a week travelling  from farm to farm with the horse and carriage. I fell in love with horses right away and i told my parents i  would love to start riding lessons. Growing up in Amsterdam in the Netherlands my parents could afford one hour of riding lessons per week. But i always spent as much time around the stables as i could, just to be near the horses because it made me feel so good! From the age of sixteen I became an instructor at a pony camp in the south of the Netherlands, which gave me the opportunity to spend all of my hollidays around the herd of 30 Icelandic horses. Riding all day in nature, working with the young horses and teaching the kids how to ride; i loved it. One of my friends bought a horse there and brought it to the Amsterdam area. We took care of the young Icelandic stallion for years together. Teaching him everything from the beginning; bonding & trust, grooming, lunging and groundwork. Until, finally we could ride him. Only now, in retrospect, i realize how much this horse actually taught me about myself, my emotions & thoughts and about my skills.

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At the age of 27, due to circumstances, i decided to take a break from horses and concentrate on other things in my life. By that time i had graduated from university of Amsterdam as a psychologist and was working for a youth care organization. Helping troubled families, kids and adolescences all over the Amsterdam area. In my free time i was training Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art. Combining music, dance, balance and strength and learning to play several instruments. I travelled  to many Capoeira workshops in Europe and visited Brazil several times. Learning lots about Brazilian culture including the Portuguese language.

On my  30th birthday, I went to the Cavalia horse show in Belgium. While watching Frederic Pignon work with his stallions at liberty, my heart skipped a beat. For days after i kept dreaming about horses and i realized I wanted them back in my life. Searching the internet (without knowing exactly what i was looking for) i signed up for several natural horsemanship workshops. I learned some new skills and enjoyed to be around horses again. But i felt there was something more... After reading Linda Kohanov's book the Tao of Equus, i came across Kathy Pike's work; Equine Facilitated Learning and Coaching (EFLC).

After following Level 1 of Kathy's program at the Academy for Coaching with Horses, I knew this was what I was looking for. Combining my passion for horses, with my degree in psychology, the EFLC work offerers a way to help people to reach their full potential. I travelled to the United States several times and graduated as a Equine Facilitated Coach in 2011.
After graduation, I facilitated several EFLC sessions and workshops at different locations in the Netherlands. There was something inside of me yearning for more 'horse-time'.... I moved to France in 2013 and lived for almost two years, by myself, on a large estate. Taking care of a herd of horses, the cats and the land. I facilitating individual coaching sessions with the horses and organized several workshops on the beautiful property. I was living my dream. Returning back to Amsterdam i found a beautiful place on Mallorca where i facilitated several workshops. Together with the horses, helping people to come (back) in touch with their authentic self, their skills and their potential.

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With over 35 years of experience around horses, i am skilled at reading the communication of horses through their bodies. As a coach in the EFLC work, I facilitate the learning of my clients assisted by horses. Every time again, i am amazed by what horses have to offer. How they can help people to heal, to learn and to grow.  I am very passionate about offering this experience to anyone who is interested in experiencing this type of coaching. I am currently living in Amsterdam, but i  facilitated sessions and workshops at different locations in Europe.