The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 128 | Becoming nervous system navigators with Wired 4 Connection author Lucie Klaassen

Today on the podcast, I had Lucie Klaassen back on for the first time since Season 1 (!) and we had a chance to catch up on all the ways her work has evolved since that first conversation.

Lucie’s new book, Wired 4 Connection: Transform your Horse Training with the Polyvagal Principles, just came out over the weekend, and I was excited to ask her about how this new body of work came to be.

Throughout our conversation, Lucie and I discuss how invaluable it is to practice horsemanship through the lens of the nervous system, and she shares several tips on how to incorporate this important framework into your sessions with your horse.

CW: brief mention of depression and suicide between minute 4:30-5:10 of the episode. 

Lucie believes certain horses come into your life for a reason. She started to translate everything she had learned about trauma to help her horse Jajão regain trust in humans. Jajão has given Lucie so many lessons and insights about how to deal with trauma in horses. She wrote a book about this, Wired 4 Connection, to spread this knowledge in the most accessible way. Lucie wants to contribute to making this a better, more compassionate world for horses.

Lucie is not a therapist; however, she calls herself a specialist in trauma and resilience by experience. As a horse trainer and awareness & mindset coach, it is her passion to empower every horse owner to understand how the autonomic nervous system works, so you can reconnect with your body wisdom and have move more joy and ease in everything you do with your horse.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Lucie’s book, and let us know what you learn!

Lucie’s website: https://trueconnection.lucieklaassen.com

Episode 122 | Making the hardest choice with Diana Waters

Episode 122 | Making the hardest choice with Diana Waters

In this moving episode I am joined by horse trainer Diana Waters of Responsive Equine. We begin with an overview of some of Diana’s formative equestrian experiences, including her passion for training at the walk and its many benefits to the equine-human partnership, and then head into a vulnerable conversation about her journey rescuing a horse whom she diligently and compassionately attempted to rehabilitate, only to ultimately make the incredibly difficult choice to end his life.

Episode 119 | All about track systems for horses with Amy Dell

Episode 119 | All about track systems for horses with Amy Dell

The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 119 | All about track systems for horses with Amy Dell I was excited to be joined by Amy Dell of Abbotts View Livery for this episode, who wrote the book Horse Track Systems and runs her own track livery in England. What I...

Episode 118 | Leading with relationship with Jodine Buydens

Episode 118 | Leading with relationship with Jodine Buydens

The Whole Horse Podcast | Episode 118 | Leading with relationship with Jodine Buydens This week I was joined by my long-time friend and colleague Jodine Buydens (pictured here with her mare Breeze) for a beautiful conversation on the horses who have shaped...