Attunement
being or bringing into harmony; a feeling of being “at one” with another being
MATNEY COOK
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? What I remember thinking about the most is being a rodeo queen, which we all know isn’t an actual career, so you can see how much of a dreamer I have always been. This is the essence of how I have discovered a path to developing first connection, then respect, then relationships with many a horse of all breed, discipline and age over my many years as an instructor, and how I’ve been able to support other people in finding their own path to developing their skills on this same journey- curiosity and a willingness to walk my own way.
I was fortunate to be raised always with and around horses but working with them as a career didn’t cross my mind until in my early 20s. I had the opportunity to assist my mother and first mentor Terri Cook in finishing up some horses she had in training when she sustained a non-horse related injury. I remember thinking,”I can get paid to be outside and work with horses? This is amazing!”
Still, my work ethic, techniques, and understanding of myself had a long way to go before I fully committed to making Hoofbeat Attunement my full time work. Discovering and honing my approach to working with horses and people has taken quite a few years and thousands of hours of focus and practice to come to fruition, and it continues to this day. I’m really aging myself, aren’t I?
I’m sharing all of this because many may see where I’m at and think it’s not possible for them to achieve what I have. There’s truth to that, in that no one of us can ever replicate exactly someone else’s gifts and purpose, however I was once feeling and thinking that same way while I watched others sharing their work prior to me discovering my own. As I began to get an idea of the sort of work I really felt called to do with horses and people I spent many, many hours being disheartened about “not being there yet.” Not having enough knowledge, support, skills, ect. As I look back on those years I realize that what many of my teachers and mentors said was true- I was in a rich time of beginning to develop a set of skills that has grown, changed, shifted, boiled down, and now been refined into what I call “Hoofbeat Attunement.” I now very much enjoy supporting other equine professionals in their development and continuing education to give back the support and mentorship that got me to where I am today.
My journey through life and in horsemanship has taken many twists and turns, and along the non-linear path I’ve met and made friends with incredible beings with 2 and 4 legs alike. My work grew from doing training and lessons in the beginning into working as an Equine Specialist in a therapeutic setting for the Muckleshoot Tribe and Little Bit Therapeutic Riding center, working as an adaptive riding instructor and joining the incredible team of professionals and volunteers that offer services at Little Bit, to my current form of work that includes workshops, clinics, lessons, training, and consultation.
In all honesty, I’m still constantly discovering, redefining, and looking for what exactly Hoofbeat Attunement is. My current theory is that my work is actually about teaching any being that works with me to gain as many skills and tools as possible to develop a habit of returning to an emotionally regulated state so they are capable of partnership, growth, and learning with infinite possibilities mentally, emotionally and physically. How much better can it get?
When I’m not with horses I’m spending time with my amazing husband and partner Vance, our beautiful and fun chosen and given families, or writing and playing music solo or with my band Nobody’s Peach.
It’s a thrill to share this seeking out with more and more heart centered humans so we can continue to treat all equines with the care, respect, kindness, and support they deserve as beings with a heart, mind and soul with more in common than ours than we may ever know.
Credentials and Accreditations: Ken McNabb Certified Master Trainer, HEAL Certified Instructor, PATH CTRI and ESMHL
CAITLIN JONES
I was recently asked the question “so when did you get into horses?” and I was honestly stumped. I can’t remember a time before I was around them in some way, mostly thanks to my mom who was riding even while she was pregnant with me. I realized at a young age that the show ring wasn’t going to be for me, not only because of the expense but because that just didn’t really seem like the point of horses in my world. My favorite memories of horses are the ones that happen by chance—sitting in the pasture and watching the birds land on the their backs, listening to my horse chew her hay, the smell of fuzzy winter pony coats, and the way it feels when a horse walks up to you to say hello.
I was fortunate to be connected with Ekone Ranch (www.ekone.org) at the age of 8 for summer camp, and eventually worked as camp staff for many years teaching kids of all ages how to ride and be around horses safely. Ekone is also the place where I met Matney and we realized we were not only going to be lifelong friends, but had some really similar ideas of the type of horse and human development work we’d like to be doing in the world.
In 2014, after a stint of lots of school and not very many horses in my life I decided to jump all the way in and adopted a rescue horse named Luna, who was about the furthest thing from the “dream horse” of my childhood. She was 15 years old, had never been ridden, half Thoroughbred (and half Appaloosa), and was generally terrified of being asked to do just about anything. This decision set me on a new path of learning and growth that was bigger than anything I could have ever seen coming.
And now, here I am. Although not all of my work centers around horses I feel so very grateful for the parts that do, and being able to share in the journey with all the clinic and workshop participants I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years.
I’ll be taking some time away from the Northwest for the summer of 2023 and spending time with a new herd of equines working for a pack trip operation in Montana/Yellowstone National Park (www.wildernesspacktrips.com) and can’t wait to share stories when I return!
Credentials and Accreditations: Masters degree in Social Work, certified in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, certified as a Wilderness First Responder