Using horses as therapy for children and adults

                                     

                                                      Buy link

 Today I have the pleasure of interviewing my lovely neighbor, Robyn Lawrence. Her book Hoofbeats & Heartbeats has recently been released. Congratulations, Robyn! How exciting for you. That’s quite an achievement, and thank you for joining me today. 

Thank you for having me, and for featuring my book.  

It sounds like you have dedicated many years to learning and helping both people and horses. 

Yes, as a psychotherapist, I’m certified as a recreational therapist and a teacher for special needs middle school student. These skills have come into play over my years of volunteering at the nearby therapeutic facility, Hearts and Horses. I’m also a Reiki practitioner and am trained in equine massage therapy. 

That’s an impressive list of accomplishments, (I bet your horses love spa day, lol). I understand before you wrote your book, you were also putting these skills to use in your EASE program. Tell us about that. 

 I initiated the EASE program with my equine facilitators at my own home in Northern Colorad,. EASE stands for Equine Assisted Self-Empowerment. This can be done in groups, or on an individual basis. For more information, please shoot me an e-mail.     

                 rlaw46@hotmail.com 

Q: How did your decision to write Hoofbeats & Heartbeats, an interactive journal for self-discovery, come about…longtime idea or a sudden flash of inspiration. 

  A: I’d have to say it was a combination or both. My passion for horses stretches way back. Then, after a recent physical trauma of my own, I gained personal insight as to what this type of healing can do. 

   Seeing the increase in mental health issues for young adults, and the general decline in mental wellness of all ages, I felt a need to reach out. Trauma, physical or mental, is very personal, and effects people on many levels from life threatening to simply having a series “bad days”. If my learning and experience could help, I wanted to make it available to others. 

Q: As far as readers, whom do you see as your target group.  

A: Generally, the 11-19 age group, but that means emotionally, as well as chronologically. We are all learning as we grow, and many adults have found lessons in the book helpful too. 

I really liked the way you brought the spirit of the horse and other animals into play. Nature and animals are so amazing if we take the time to look. 

Q: In Hoofbeats & Heartbeats you tackle some weighty subjects such as past abuse, grief, bullying, and lack of confidence, but then you give people tools to heal and help deal with these situations.  

A: Yes. In this chaotic world so many of us are burdened by some form or stress, and we often lack support or direction. The journal is meant to help ( especially young people) identify their emotions, which leads to empowerment. 

Q: Can people work on this journal both individually, as well as in groups--perhaps with a facilitator. 

A: Absolutely. Both the book and the EASE program can be approached in groups or on the individual level. 

Q: What animals do you have now? How about a bit of a brag as to your past adventures and achievements showing horses. 

A: At present, I have a great combination of two dogs, twenty chickens, three horse, and one terrific husband. 

   I showed Paint and Quarter horses for over twenty years, both Western and English style. And I was thrilled to place in the world show competition. So many great experiences, and several fellow competitors remain dear friends.  

Q: What is the most important thing you would like readers to take away from Hoofbeats & Heartbeats. 

A: You are enough, and you are not alone. Horses can help you become aware of your authentic self, while building trust in yourself. Understanding your emotions, empowers you.

Now for a fun question: 

Q: What would you like to be for 48 hours—a rock star, butterfly, a tree, a ballerina, a soaring eagle…a horse! Why?

A: An eagle. I’m afraid of heights so the eagle might help me there! I would feel the power of freedom, and get a wonderful aerial view to broaden my focus and see the world from a different perspective.

Q: A brave choice, considering your fear of heights. Anything you would like to add?

A: During my research and writing process, my eighteen-year-old granddaughter and twenty-one-year-old grandson were so helpful with input from their point of view. It was such an unexpected opportunity for spending quality time with them. 

 

You can find Robyn Lawrence’s book Hoofbeats & Heartbeats at Amazon.   Buy link

To inquire about the EASE program or purchase books in bulk at a reduced rate, please e-mail Robyn at: rlaw46@hotmail.com   

Blurb:

   This interactive journal is a journey into the lessons we learn from horses that reflect our own inner voices. Each prompt, page, and lesson opens a doorway to a deeper self-discovery. Understanding what horses can reveal helps uncover personal clarity and empowerment toward becoming one's authentic self.

   When life's disturbing circumstances create frustrating situation, sometimes we need a mirror to help create a new path, one to celebrate. All situations are opportunities for growth. Horse therapy is a process that teaches us how to understand patterns of behavior that no longer serve us. The changes you learn to incorporate help you become stronger, more resilient, and proud of who you are becoming.

   Activities and lessons will engage you in the journey.

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May Rock and Frémont’s Fort by Zina Abbott

 

 

My most recent romance, Ardith Yosemite Bride, is set partly in Yosemite Valley in 1903 and 1907. However, because it also features the development of the Yosemite Valley Railroad that ended up bringing thousands of tourists to the Yosemite National Park region the first half of the twentieth century, a big portion of my story takes place along the Merced River.

 

The Merced River starts high in the Yosemite National Park located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Although this map does not picture it well, as the river leaves the park, it flows down through steep mountains and foothills, creating steep banks with very few level spots to accommodate roads for a railroad bed. Although not as accessible as some rivers, it played a vital role in the Mariposa Grant owned by Colonel John C. Frémont, a prominent U.S. Army mapmaker and explorer and, at one time, candidate for the office of President of the United States.

 

View of Merced River less than a mile north of the Fremont Fort marker site

 

Col. Frémont was in California at the time of the Mexican-American War. In 1847—after Alta California capitulated but before the Treaty of Hidalgo, which ended the war, was signed in February 1848—he bought a "floating" grant of over 44,000 acres for $3,000. One of the stipulations of the treaty was that the United States government would honor legitimate Mexican land grants. Once Frémont learned of the presence of gold in the Mariposa County foothills, he adjusted his boundaries to include many rich mining areas, which they named Bear Valley. 

 

1874 by Carleton E. Watkins 

 

He and his wife, Jesse Benton Frémont, built their home there. It was north of the city of Mariposa and south of the Merced River.

 

 

While Frémont was gone on other business, other miners "jumped" his claims. This led to court battles that did not conclude in Frémont's favor until 1854. While waiting for court's ruling, Frémont built a fort to control the only entrance to the gold-producing mines, primarily the Josephine and Princeton Mines. The terrain was steep and rugged, and the road were few. 

 

2011 Photograph by Barry Swackhamer for hmdb historical marker

One prominent physical feature on the Frémont property was an outcropping of quartz rock which at eighty-two feet, was considered the largest in the Motherlode Region. Originally known as Tower Rock, it became known as May Rock because for years, Jessie Frémont sponsored an annual May Day celebration at the location. Activities included picnics, racing, music, and a May Pole dance. People came from Bagby, Bear Valley, Elkhorn, Hornitos Mariposa, Quartzburg, and Princeton.

The land was later owned by Louis Trabucco, a prominent retailer in the area.

 

What is the connection between a California Gold Rush town of the 1850-60s and Bagby in the early 1900s? Both May Rock and Frémont’s Fort are not many miles south of Bagby—now abandoned and covered by the water in the Bagby Reservoir. Part of Bagby on the south bank of the Merced River held Benton Mills—named after Frémont’s father-in-law—which was a quartz stamp mill to extract gold mined from Frémont’s various mines. 

 

 

 

 To find the book description and purchase options for Ardith Yosemite Bride, please CLICK HERE 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=5783

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=298255

https://noehill.com/mariposa/poi_may_rock.asp 

California State Library; https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalHistory/posts/589102804633841/

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Thee's a new cowboy at Creed's Creek Ranch by Rhonda Lee Carver

 (Make sure you stay until the end. I've included an unedited snippet)

There's something about a romance novel that can make a person feel...special.

Especially a contemporary western romance.

Maybe it's the contrast between the grit of the ranch and the softness of romantic chemistry. The way a cowboy can get his hands dirty, wrangle cattle, mend a fence, and work the land through a thunderstorm without flinching, and then turn around and unravel a woman with just one look.

The modern-day cowboys aren't just riding their horses across dusty prairies any longer. In novels, they're fighting to save ranches and farms, ex-military heroes who are running away from something or toward something, carrying old scars, champions chasing one last dream. Readers expect these cowboys to be stubborn, small-town charmers who always expected a bull to know them flat onto their backs but never love.  

Oh, and the women they love? Yee-haw! They're just as gritty and stubborn. Independent. Sharp-witted. Ready to stand her ground. They don't need rescued, at least not in the traditional sense. They stir up trouble and can handle any situation that comes their way. They force a cowboy to break free from all the demons and scars.

I've been asked a dozen times: What makes a contemporary western romance an addiction to write?

It's not the attraction. It's the conflict.

The tension in that moment of an exchanged glance, touch, or run-in that changes their lives forever.

And of course, what's a cowboy without his ranch?

Dust under his boots.

Bonfires on lonely nights.

Country music and a beer.

The scent of leather, whiskey, and summer heat.

A ranch is a perfect atmosphere for love.

I'd like to guess that in every cowboy's heart, he's looking for a woman brave enough to tame the storm inside him.

BLURB from The Texas Ranger: Saddled Up:

The mission says no. Desire says yes.

Texas Ranger, Ben “Bear” Lane, has spent his life chasing criminals and living by the badge. When it comes to matters of the heart, he has one steadfast rule: “badge before babes”. When his team, Texas Heat, is ambushed, they are placed undercover in a small-town working a ranch. He's about to face the fight of his life. Nothing rattles his control like Aasia Powers, a brilliant scientist who's been his friend since he arrived in town.

She makes Bear realize some rules are meant to be broken. She could be the only thing that brings him to his knees.

Every laugh, every glance, every touch burns a fire right through him, dissolving every doubt. One slip could put the mission—and them both—in danger, especially when suspicion leads directly to her. Danger puts her in the crosshairs of a ruthless enemy.

Fin’s Creek is full of drama and suspicion. Secret pregnancies. Family drama.Friendships on the line.

Bear and Aasia must navigate responsibility, broken relationships, and the complexities of the past as their emotions deepen and temptation becomes impossible to resist. Boundaries will be tested. Trust will be questioned. Danger is moving in, and Bear is losing focus. Will he tell her his secrets, or will he continue to be an “honest liar” and lose her?

What Bear knows...he's saddled up for whatever may come. Revisit this charming, complex town, Fin's Creek, where love grows in the Texas heat.

UNEDITED SNIPPET:

A scream fell off her lips and she jumped up, feeling the softness of Bear’s face bumping her.

“What the…?”  His voice pulled her out of her shocked state.

She wasted no time. She came off the bed and landed both feet on the floor. Pointing, she couldn’t seem to get her voice to work. Finally, she stammered, “Rat. There. It was watching.”

He climbed to his feet, reached over and switched on the lamp. The dim lighting lit the small space. The rat was gone.

“It was there. I saw it. I did.” Just as soon as the words were out, she realized Bear had one hand clamped over his nose and blood seeped from between his fingers. She had bloodied his nose. “Oh no! I’m so sorry. I’ll grab something.”

Aasia raced into the bathroom and grabbed a clean towel from the rack. Bear was sitting on the bed, still cradling his nose in his palm.

“Let me see,” she said gently.

He lowered his hand and he had two trails of wetness streaming from his nostrils.

“I’ll be okay,” he said confidently. “It’s just a nosebleed.”

“I’m going to help you.” She shook out the towel and pressed the terry cloth against his injured nose. He looked up at her and she could see the humor in his gaze. She was grateful he could find the humor in the situation, but she wasn’t quite there yet. “Bear…I…”

“Stop. This is nothing.” She did manage a smile when hearing how he sounded with the towel pressed against his face, muffling his words. 

“I hate rats. Since I was a child. We used to have them and sometimes they’d come into my bed.” She pulled the towel away, checking the condition of his nose. “It’s not broken and the bleeding has stopped.”

He took the towel away from her and used his thumb to lift her chin so she’d look at him. “Hey, it’s okay. I understand.”

She met his gaze and what she found there made her heart skip a beat. He truly wasn’t angry or bothered. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Maybe this was for the best. You deserve more than a ramshackle camper.”

Aasia felt closer to him than she ever had. She sat down on his lap and wrapped both her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “You are an amazing man, Bear.”

“I’m glad you think so, but you’re cutting off my air supply.”

She quickly let go. “I’m truly not trying to beat you up.”

He chuckled. “How about we get you out of here?” He lifted a tendril of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

“I agree.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to catch the rat and take it home as a friend for the kitty you rescued?” His teasing made his eyes light up.

“That’s not even funny. I think that’s where Pedora would draw the line.” She stood and found her clothes.

She found him watching her. His expression trickled excitement through her. “You’re going to probably a bruise on your nose.”

“I’ll come up with a good story to tell the boys.”

“Yea?”

“Yea. How I got attacked by a lioness, she knocked me to the ground and nearly consumed me with her sharp teeth, but I managed to save myself from her claws.” His eyes sparkled.

“You’re full of jokes, aren’t you?” She threw her shirt in his face, and it fell onto his thigh. He lifted it and inhaled her scent from the material.

Something changed between them. An understanding of sorts. She realized the rough and tough Bear had a softer side, and she wanted to investigate it further.