International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 57 | Page 48

Kathy Pike

is the founder
of the Academy for Coaching with
Horses, where horses become the
guide and mentor to human and
teach them higher levels of love,
honor and respect for self, others,
and all of the earths creatures. She
brings fifteen years of experience
as a professional coach, writer,
workshop leader, and outdoor
adventurer to her leadership work
with horses. She is a published
author and regular contributor
to magazines and publications.
Kathy travels throughout the U.S.
and internationally, facilitating
programs on emotional awareness
and
personal
/professional
development. A former trainer for
CoachU (a leading coach training
organization), Kathy now employs
horses in her training and coaching
programs. Kathy is a leader in
the field of bringing horses and
humans together for leadership and
coaching. Once dragged by a horse
Kathy learned to face her fears and
work with horses again. Her greatest
teacher has been her wild mustang
Corazon de la Montana who teaches
her about trust, intention
and leadership every day.

The Ultimate Horse Experience

-By Kathy Pike
When you go to the woods, the
deep woods in the mountains,
you come back a different person.
For many years now I have been
dedicated to developing my life’s
work. Originally inspired during a
river trip on the Tatshenshini River
in Alaska I left the wilderness to
give back and be of service. Leaving
the mountains, rivers and canyons
that I once traveled on a regular
basis, I studied massage and energy
therapy, became a life coach, and
stepped into offering programs with
horses, writing books, marketing
and teaching others. All of which I
enjoy, but it pulled me away from
the mountains.
The Ultimate Pack Trip in Jasper,
Canada in August brought me right
back to the power of the earth and
horses to help us go deeply into
what is meaningful and how that
can transform our lives.
(Writing in journals after a Journey
Meditation)
The trip is still fresh in my mind
and heart. As I recall the five-day

pack trip it is hard to believe so
much could have happened in
such a short period of time. Every
morning I would lay in my tent and
listen to the soft wind blowing in
the high alpine evergreens creating
a continual hollow sound. The
nearby stream trickled, softly, before
the early morning light touched
the top of the trees. Bear bells that
were wrapped around the lead
horses necks, to keep the herd safe,
sounded far away and distant; the
herd had roamed during the night,
but I would hear them making their
way back. Soft raindrops fell on my
synthetic tent, my protection from
the elements. In the early morning
hours, camp was still quiet.
A few beautiful days of sunshine and
warmth provided us time to enjoy
the green meadows and mountain
views as we sat in our circle for
journeying and journaling. Later
in the week overcast days brought
a cool moist air. A full day ride,
filled with downed logs to navigate
over or around, brought us to the
spectacular Indian Snake River
falls. Each day brought something
unique and special.
The memory that burns brightly for
me at this time was during our trip
out of the woods. The temps had
dropped severely and it felt more like
late fall than summer. Everyone had
bundled up well, however, when we
hit the open meadow, in five days
time, it had transformed. Now, the
meadow had the dull yellow straw
colors, with rust and reds emerging.
The green tones of summer, that
were present when we arrived, now
were gone for the season. The wind
was cold and biting. I was wishing
I had my silk scarf that I had forgot
at home. My shoulders hugging up
near my ears in a feeble attempt to
gather warmth.
On both sides of the trail there was
evidence of grizzly activity, lots of
activity. The spongy mossy tundra
surface was turned over, moist
deep earth and roots exposed. The
grizzly had come down from the
mountains during the cold night
and was rooting around for food.
My eyes roamed the open meadow
looking hard for any signs of the
bear. I commanded my breath to
drop deeply into my body staying
centered and collected. My horse’s
nostrils opened and flared slightly

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as he kept steady on. Quietly and
softly our group of eight people
and nine horses moved through
the willow filled meadow. I could
feel the focus of the entire group,
knowing that we were safe, but also
on alert.
Once across the meadow we moved
into the wood and then finally
crossed through the milky alpine
river we had crossed on the first day.
Once across the river the tension
released and we had lunch.
Truth be known, in some perverse
way I felt more alive in that meadow
than I have in years. I could smell
the deep essence of the earth and
grizzly. The vibration of the energy
of the grizzly activated all the cells in
my body. It brought me back to my
days running rivers in Alaska where
signs of grizzly were abundant. That
morning, WfV