Are you an equestrian on the path of living life genuinely?
Do you consider your horse a sentient partner?
The Whole Horse, Whole Rider Program (WHWR) is a holistic approach to horsemanship which includes personal growth, nervous system considerations, somatic awareness, biomechanics, ground schooling, Centered Riding® instruction and classical dressage.
WHWR is a dimensional equestrian experience for all disciplines seeking the best possible relationship with themselves and their horse from the ground up and the inside out—because this journey truly is the ride of your life.
The Whole Horse, Whole Rider Pillars
A safe, inclusive, positive environment
A progressive approach
Unmounted and mounted tools for life in and out of the arena
Consideration for the horse as a sentient being
Whole Horse, Whole Rider
customized programs + clinics
The Inner Equestrian™ Life Coaching Confidential phone, Zoom or in person individual coaching as well as workshops at your facility or venue to identify or re-assess goals, build or re-define confidence, sort through interpersonal dynamics at the barn or with colleagues or trainers. (No horse required.)
WHOLE HORSE CONSULTATION When you want what’s best for your horse, consider the entire horse from a holistic perspective, including mental, physical, emotional and environmental health and well being. These sessions also support finding a path forward through overwhelming or conflicting information. (Long distance or in person.)
WHWR Program This customized program is designed especially for you and your horse combining some or all of the elements listed here. A phenomenal approach for equestrians seeking a 360º perspective and program of holistic horsemanship.
Centered Riding® Instruction Privates or small group lessons with your horse emphasizing Sally Swift’s fabulous universally beneficial “4 Basics” (breathing, centering, building blocks and soft eyes) among other profoundly helpful tools such as grounding, clear intent and consideration of “comparable parts”. Your horse will respond and reflect their appreciation!
Classical Dressage Instruction From work-in-hand, short or long lining up through the collected movements of piaffe and passage, to mounted work including lateral work, Classical Dressage emphasized a non-competitive approach to schooling the horse in a progressive and gymnastic manner with mental and physical balance and lightness as the priority.
CUSTOMIZED CONSULTATION Individual, groups, facilities and programs via phone, Zoom or in person/on site
Calendar
summer
BEING WITH HORSES: A PRACTICE IN PRESENCE Join us for a gentle contemplative practice where we’ll play with Being versus Doing on Saturday, August 31 from 2—4 pm at Trinity Ranch in Lamy, NM (unmounted, no experience needed) Pre-paid $60 or $150 for all three (Includes facility fee and NM tax) See below for more dates.
autumn
BEING WITH HORSES: A PRACTICE IN PRESENCE Saturday, September 14 2—4 PM (See above.)
Centered Riding® Group instruction Small group lessons with your horse emphasizing Sally Swift’s universally beneficial “4 Basics” (breathing, centering, building blocks and soft eyes) among other profoundly helpful tools such as grounding, clear intent and consideration of “comparable parts”. The Trinity Ranch Saturdays 9/7, 11 and 28 from 11—12:30 pm. $100 (includes Lynn’s facility fee) + $25 haul in fee.
The inner equestrian autumn coaching series “Review, Revise and Renew” your relationship and goals with your horse as the season shifts from summer to autumn. Taking a pause to acknowledge where you’ve been, where you’d like to go and how you’re going to get there is refreshing and inspiring, plus you’ll enjoy community connection and support along with Lynn’s coaching. Zoom with recordings available. Tuesdays 9/17, 9/24 and 10/1 from 6 pm—8 pm MST, $99 if signed up by 9/10, $125 thereafter (+ NM sales tax).
FREE Demo Sessions by appointment We’ll focus on a variety of unmounted and mounted topics with one or two horses. This is a fun and friendly opportunity for visual learners to observe and ask Lynn anything horse or equestrian related. Most mornings by arrangement at The Trinity Ranch in Eldorado/Lamy, NM.
WHOLE HORSE WHOLE RIDER CLINIC aka Pony Play Days | Saturday, September 21 at Stanley Indoor Arena, Stanley, NM 10—4 pm. $295 or $275 each if you sign up and pre-pay for both September and December (see below) by 9/14. Auditors $30 with one trade position available.
BEING WITH HORSES: A PRACTICE IN PRESENCE Saturday, September 28 from 2—4 PM (See above.)
Intro to Working Equitation October 19—20 with Amy Star, “R” Judge USA Working Equitation Association and Working Equitation Canada at Turtle Ranch, Medanales, NM (near Abiquiu) FULL Auditors welcome $30 one day, $50 both days, with trade positions available.
WHOLE HORSE WHOLE RIDER CLINIC aka Pony Play Days | Saturday, December 7 at Stanley Indoor Arena, Stanley, NM 10—4 pm $295. Auditors $30 with one trade position available. Last one of the season!
Meet Lynn Clifford, LMHC
I was literally raised in a barn! I grew up in Maryland at my family’s training, teaching and boarding facility, adjacent to my grandparents’ Arabian breeding farm with fields my grandfather plowed with a team of Belgium horses. My mother had designed our place under one large roof so our home was on the upper level with the business office, community area and observation window below, all looking out across the indoor arena lined by 27 stalls.
My early years were filled with freedom. Astride my beloved Welsh pony, Lily, I roamed for hours, riding bareback with a lead rope attached to her halter. During those adventures Lily’s benevolence and the liberty and connection I felt with her and in nature were profound. Still, my time with Lily is one of my greatest influences.
Daily exposure to a thriving, progressive equestrian operation, along with my mother’s tutelage and that of world-renowned clinicians provided a vibrant and inspirational atmosphere to grow up in. Simultaneously my interest in personal growth and development evolved. Observing the dynamics of customers entering our program, I noticed that their interactions with horses paralleled their lives outside the arena as we bring ourselves to all we do.
When I began teaching in my teens, I naturally addressed the mental and emotional aspects of the rider’s experience as well as the physical. As my students’ internal and external experiences began to align and they relaxed into the moment, the horses transformed. The feedback loop between horse and human was undeniable and this realization eventually led to a Master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy which includes the element of “the third” in the healing relationship.
My equestrian path is holistically focused with an emphasis on Classical Dressage—French, Spanish and Portuguese schools of lightness—with cross training for the psychology and physiology of the horses. Sally Swift’s Centered Riding® principles so positively influenced my early riding years, I obtained my Centered Riding® Instructor Certification in 2022 and continue to update annually. I’ve also been in charge of developing and running several successful equestrian programs over the years. I enjoy variety and cross-discipline training for both the mind and body; my favorite breed is “Horse.”
I am also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and an Access Consciousness® Bars and Body Processes Certified Practitioner and hold a special appreciation for Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Nervous System Theory for optimal relationships between living beings. See www.lynnclifford.com for more information.
Mentors
Numerous horses of various breeds
Helene Asmis, my mother
Lucile Bump, Senior Level IV Centered Riding™ Instructor
Peggy Brown, Dominque Barbier, Manuel Trigo and others
Trainings and INFLUENCES
Undergraduate studies | Psychology, Gender Studies
Graduate studies | Expressive Arts Therapy
Trainings | Conscious Horse Conscious Rider®, Centered Riding® Level I Instructor Certification, Natural Lifemanship Trauma Informed Equine Guided Psychotherapy, Mindfulness Certification, The Tao of Equus, Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association Level II (EAGALA), and Hacienda Tres Aquilas with The McCormicks
Licenses | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Currently based out of The Trinity Ranch, Lamy, NM | travel by arrangement
For holistic counseling services, explore www.lynnclifford.com.