Increase Your Feel with Your Horse.
Deepen Your Seat Manage Your Energy Communicate Clearly
This is the BEST "Well Connected" course ever, and I felt I learned a lot from last year's but this was supreme! I took some things I knew to a whole new level but the greatest parts were I learned SO many new things and especially loved the exercises of how to apply the theory of what I learned. I know my connection with horse has deepened greatly. My mental skills have improved as have my confidence and ability to apply the knowledge consistently and have fun doing it. Nothing like the joy from being one with your horse. Thank you so much for that. Really appreciate your talents as an educator and horsewoman and the time and effort of all you do for all of us. I wish everyone with a horse would take your training. Both they and their horses would benefit greatly. ~ EB
17 Step-by-Step Exercises
To Develop Feel, Connection, and Communication,
with Your Horse - for a Lifetime
"I thought my horse was insensitive - a "tough nut." Not true!!
I've been practicing your Well-Connected exercises, focusing on controlling my body parts at a walk, trot, and lope. He is very responsive and reacts with little effort on my part. What a revelation!! I feel as if we are on the path to a new and better relationship and much-improved performance." ~ PW
Like most riders, you want to deepen your seat - feel softly anchored in the saddle - be calm and quiet within - and communicate accurately with your core, legs, and hands.
You want to have a sense of ease and focus within - be skilled in the core fundamentals of horsemanship - and feel the magic of connection with your horse.
You'd like to have a way to practice those critical skills at home, in easy-to-understand, and do routines.
I've had to stop and restart the program a few times for various reasons. My progress hasn't been linear, and that's been ok. I've redone a number of lessons w/ varying degrees of "success" depending on how my horse and I showed up on a given day. For instance, New Year's Eve neither one of us was apparently feeling it. We were both just flat - bored perhaps - but with no distractions and no excuses. Monday I reviewed exercises 13-16 in prep. for Tues. to make sure that I had my head in the game. Yesterday turned out to be amazing. Despite distractions both inside and outside the small arena, my horse Ace was with me - focused and responsive to all aids. I was able to successfully use exercises 13-16 at various times to create/maintain/test our rhythm and flow. Love that feeling of our connection! Thanks, Barb, for giving us these tools as well as the inspiration to keep trying! ~ N.F.
What if the next time you ride, because of newly discovered skills and exercises (for both you and your horse), you could walk into the arena or go down the trail - feel grounded - attentive - and fully engaged?
And what if you knew those
exercises were things only you could do
with your horse?
I am loving your Well Connected course as I have become aware of practicing, (grounding, letting go, releasing tensions in my daily life situations) it has been a huge shift and I thank you so much for bringing this forward so simply and beautifully. - RD
The Well CONNECTED
Sequence of Skill & Behavior Development
"I think the sequence is so great. My horse is so much more relaxed. I can see how she is trying to listen to me, and it is a new stretch for me to do most of my guidance from my seat and legs and breathing. Thanks for teaching me such simple but profound lessons! "~DeAnna
Discover 17 Powerful Exercises that Simultaneously Develop Balance, Rhythm, and Communication with a Horse.
Exercise #1: GET GROUNDED
It’s so easy to get going too fast on the inside, and it happens in a flash.
When you practice the Get Grounded exercise, you become mindful, calm, and engaged about your horse and what you intend to do.
That internal state of being grounded allows your true potential as a rider to shine through.
The Well Connected course is wonderful. I’ve owned horses most of my life and this course has helped me enjoy them even more. And it’s helped me enjoy my day with all the issues of life! My choice is to slow down and get this into my soul. Thank you for being such an awesome communicator. ~ NB
Module 1:
DEEPLY SEATED
Three Exercises to Develop an Anchored Connection to Your Center of Balance, Your Horse's Center of Balance, and the Motion of Gaits.
"I practiced what you were saying as I watched the video. I pretended that I was in the saddle and going into a recovery state. I checked my Fitbit watch and saw my heart rate go down from 74 to 69 bpm and then imagined Raven taking her big sigh. It works! It was very rewarding. Your coaching is taking our connection to the next level with every practice. Thank you very much!" ~ KT
#2: BEGIN MINDFULLY
Begin Mindfully includes four routines. They are designed for before you mount up - after you get on (including your seat position, body alignment, and getting loose in your limbs) - focusing - plus a routine for your initial walk to begin your warm-up.
#3: FEEL THE MOVES
Feel the Moves includes a routine for feeling the motion of individual gaits through your seat and a practice for understanding how increased speed and distance impact all you do.
#4: DECOMPRESS
Decompress includes a routine for when you pause and/or stop your horse to help you get grounded again. This is a routine that can transform your riding... and there’s one for you... and one for your horse.
Module 2:
ENERGY WISE
Four Exercises to Create and Experience Energy, Rhythm,
and Speed Modulation with Your Horse
"I rode my downward transitions by only taking a deep breath. It was AMAZING.
He absolutely nailed the transitions and I never touched the reins. Because I didn’t interfere with his face he kept his forward momentum into the trot and everything looked so much smoother. So...Barb was spot on. Her breathing and energy (bring your energy up and bring your energy down) exercises really do make a difference." ~KM
#5: FLOW ENERGY
This exercise includes a routine for moving energy up and down at all gaits using your eyes, breath, and seat. You’ll move smoothly from one segment to another, and you’ll be making waves (the good kind!)
#6: CHUNK IT
This exercise helps you expand the concept of making waves to smoothly modulate your horse’s speeds. Now you’re not only feeling the rhythm of the gaits, but you also know you and your horse have a variety of ‘gears’ for your gaits, and your horse understands when you ask for them.
#7: SLOW SEAT
This exercise is about navigating transitions that can be seamless when you are slow on the inside and use your eyes, breath, and seat methodically as you approach the transition.
#8: EASY STOP
This exercise helps you get comfortable and skilled with the rhythm of the sequence of using your breath and your seat to stop - without using your hands. It combines everything we’ve done in all of the exercises so far.
"You asked if we felt the changes in the energy module... "Yes, indeed!" This has been a game changer with my sensitive mare. And so fun to practice!" ~ KG
Module 3:
CLEAR COMMUNICATOR
Four Exercises Help You 'Speak the Language' of the Horse to Develop a Relaxed, Responsive, & Confident Horse
"As a teacher, I experimented with mindfulness as a means to reduce stress and anxiety with students. There are several emerging and impactful approaches that center on breathing and core posturing to enhance more mindful learning and living.
This is an insightful extension of these principles into the equestrian world of “feel” that helps us be better riders, and better people." ~EW
#9: COMMUNICATE PROGRESSIVELY
This exercise helps you execute a progression of clear communications for your horse. The word ‘communications’ expands the idea of cueing to include thought.
#10: ENGAGE - LISTEN - RESPOND
This exercise helps you understand communications with a horse: purpose, energy, and application. You request an action, and you 'hear' their response, and then you follow up with a release or new communication. This sequence builds trust, willingness, and trusted responsiveness in a horse.
#11: GUIDE - SHAPE - ACCELERATE
This exercise provides key guidelines for using your feet and legs to communicate with your horse. It also gives you a simple strategy to eliminate leg/feet confusion for yourself and your horse.
#12: SUPPORT SMOOTHLY
This exercise provides insightful guidelines for using your arms and hands to communicate effectively with your horse.
Module 4:
MICRO-MOVES EXERCISES
Five Exercises Develop Your Ability to Communicate Effectively, Yet Subtly with a Horse - Almost Imperceptibly
"Why I value your videos is the fact that you are such an effective communicator. Strong information is presented simply and effectively. You motivate my riding journey, and I thank you. ~DB
#13: THE BANANA
This exercise helps build an awareness of where your horse's nose and body are as you move forward. You practice coordinating your eyes, breath, seat, legs, and hands to move forward smoothly and in sync with your horse. It involves forward motion and is the beginning of collection - and - it can also be a relaxing exercise for you and your horse.
#14: CLOCKWORK
This exercise helps you learn to steer your horse with your eyes and legs by moving their shoulders in tiny increments – then building to larger ones.
#15: DEMAGNETIZE
It's the nature of horses to gravitate to specific places (like the gait, the barn, or other horses.) This exercise builds directly on the Clockwork exercise by effectively refocusing your horse back to the job at hand.
#16: TOW THE LINE
This exercise is a favorite because it's simple yet impactful in making subtle and tiny adjustments to ride in a straight line, moment-to-moment. The degree of difficulty of the exercise can be increased or decreased by adding distance, speed, and alternating gaits.
#17: HARMONIZE
This is the most complex of all the exercises. It combines a horse's proper body placement (including following the nose), even forward motion, energy up and down, straight lines, and circles at varying speeds. It involves a pattern that can be mixed up as you go until you and your horse are beautifully in sync.
EACH EXERCISE INCLUDES
A Pre-Exercise Reflection
... to get you thinking prior to watching the video/demo
A Video Exercise
... short 5-12 minute videos for clarity and simplicity
... explanations and demonstrations
... a new exercise is posted every 4th day on the Well Connected website
A 'Cheat Sheet'
... a short reminder list of the exercise steps in each exercise via a PDF download you can print out and take with you
Lifetime Access to the Well CONNECTED Website
... that houses all of the elements of all of the lessons
PLUS MORE --- BONUSES!
#1. TWO LIVE COACHING SESSIONS
One is after the completion of the first three modules, and the second is after the completion of the NEW fourth module and the entire program. These calls will help you put the ideas together for you with your horse.
#2. OUR CIRCLE OF TRUST
As part of the Well-Connected Program, you will be forever invited to a live interview every month-6 weeks. You can ask questions of our guests. You may also join our private, fun, and positive FB group (if you like), where members support each other. This is an ongoing way for all of us to keep learning, meet celebrities in the horse world, have fun, and appreciate our awesome BS community.
#3. SUCCESS MINDSETS
A PDF containing 15 more power-packed mindsets designed to help you stay connected to a positive mindset within yourself. The concepts listed will guide, inspire and encourage you. You can print it off, post it wherever you like, or edit it to suit yourself. This bonus will nourish your spirit and encourage you. Success is a way of thinking and being. It is not a destination.
#4. CONNECTING WITH YOUR HORSE VIDEO
One of the critical skills in the Well CONNECTED approach is creating waves of energy expenditure and recovery. In this video, I explain this idea in-depth. Then I demonstrate an exercise on horseback that shows how to create these waves – including what to do when your horse doesn’t respond to your seat for slowing down.
#5. SOLVING ENERGY CHALLENGES
If you've ever had challenges either not being able to bring your horse's energy up (your pony is too laid back!) - or - bring your horse's energy down (too high-strung) this video will give you tips to create energy waves for both scenarios.
#6. SEQUENCING CUES FOR MANEUVERS AND TRANSITIONS
This video will help you develop an increased ability to sequence the order of your cues, time their use, time your transitions, sharpen them and make them smoother.
"Having a plan for a ride in the arena is SO helpful, and when all goes according to that plan, it really feels like you have achieved something. Being able to expand on or adjust that plan for something else because of something that happens is also super helpful. I love to have specific exercises in mind because that gives me the tools I need to make the plan work." ~ IH
Barbra Schulte is driven by a singular desire to help others grow their confidence and potential.
She is a High-Performance Coach, horse trainer, the author of four books, publisher of video blogs and online programs, a clinician, speaker, and an honoree in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
As a national cutting horse competitor, Barbra was the first woman to win two legs of cutting's triple crown.
She was awarded the National Female Equestrian of the Year Award by the AQHA and the Women's Sports Foundation. In 2020 she received the American Horse Publications Equine Industry Vision Award for her positive impact across the horse industry. In 2021 she received the Western Horseman Women of the West Award.
Schulte is the CEO of the Center for Equestrian Performance. She lives in Brenham, Texas with her husband, Tom.
"I just want to say thank you. This resonates such truth for me." ~DR
Registration: $197
A 2-Payment Option is Also Available
THE TOTAL WC EXERCISE PROGRAM INCLUDES:
~ 17 Video Exercises
~ 17 Reflections
~ 17 Cheat Sheets
~ 5 Bonuses including 2 Live Coaching SessionS
~ Lifetime Access to the WC Website
~ Supportive Online Community With Other Course Members
REGISTER NOW!
If you are not 100% satisfied at any time for the next 30 days, we will refund your registration fee.
© barbraschulte 2022