Qualified to Counsel

March 6, 2020

Getting to the “Root” of the Problem

December 20, 2019

Why Natural Lifemanship?

July 24, 2018

After 20 years of searching, Natural Lifemanship has helped me to trust myself to confidently embrace & facilitate the horse/human connection.

2,000 Reasons to Become a Member of Natural Lifemanship

January 10, 2018

Repairing Relationships When They've Gone to Pot

March 21, 2020

Cucumbers and Toilet Paper in an Age of Anxiety

March 20, 2020

Defining Relationship Logic®

March 6, 2020

Qualified to Counsel

March 6, 2020

Getting to the “Root” of the Problem

December 20, 2019

Is Life Great?  This Too Shall Pass

November 25, 2019

What If Our Equine Partner Does Not Consent to the Session?

August 29, 2019

The Difference Between Having Boundaries and Setting Boundaries

August 5, 2019

We're Better Together: Development of the Field of Equine Assisted Practice

July 31, 2019

Is There a Difference Between a Tantrum and a Meltdown?

July 25, 2019

Self-Sufficiency Has Met Her Match

April 20, 2019

When Connection Fails

December 10, 2018

NL Trainer, Michael Remole, describes a time in his life when technology made him really stop and think about the intricacies of connection.

The Ride

September 18, 2018

The Ride, a poem about the special horse-human relationship from Kelli Adams of the Barnabas Horse Foundation.

The Gift of Being Our Truest Selves

August 28, 2018

Natural Lifemanship training for those who wish the gift of being our truest-selves, deepen spiritual connection & help others.

Building Connected Relationships

August 20, 2018

The Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship is based on healing trauma through connected relationships

Why Natural Lifemanship?

July 24, 2018

After 20 years of searching, Natural Lifemanship has helped me to trust myself to confidently embrace & facilitate the horse/human connection.

The Ride of Your Life, How Does One Get That?

June 25, 2018

NL Trainer, Cindy-Skelton Hodge life-changing experience with Pete, her equine partner, at a Natural Lifemanship Rhythmic Riding Immersion training.

Maybe Miracles Don’t Just Happen

April 2, 2018

Bettina ponders the nature of miracles and reflects upon the vulnerability and bravery required to take the risks a miracle demands.

Cross Brain Connections: What Are They Good For Anyway?

February 16, 2018

Cross-brain connections literally saved my life - a personal account of how improved brain integration saved my life during a perilous personal assault

Deification is Still Objectification

February 7, 2018

Deification is still objectification- deifying horses, while seemingly kinder to the horse, still serves to objectify and demean them. There's a better way.

My Horse is NOT My Therapist

February 7, 2018

My horse is NOT my therapist. An NL trainer reflects on the claims people make about horses being their therapists and what it means for the horse and human relationship.

Don't Shoot Me, I'm Thinking

February 2, 2018

Don't Shoot Me, I'm thinking -Tim Jobe explains what happens in our brains when we are confronted with beliefs contrary to ours.

But I Miss The Caterpillar: My story of transformation and loss

February 1, 2018

Bettina explains how her child helped her understand that secure attachment extends beyond relationships.

Spiritual Intimacy Grows with Connection through Detachment

January 31, 2018

Natural Lifemanship principles for building connected relationships apply in our spiritual intimacy. Our connected relationship with God grows through connection through detachment.

Dropping the Saddle: A Case Study About a Boy Seeking Connection

January 10, 2018

Dropping the saddle to find a connection. "Oliver realized that his agenda to ride was taking him further away from what he desired most, connection."

2,000 Reasons to Become a Member of Natural Lifemanship

January 10, 2018

Dollface: An Experience of Connection Over Prejudice

January 9, 2018

Connection over prejudice, "Our prejudices and fears had been challenged by her self-confidence and insistence that we treat her like a normal horse."

Genuine Connection in My Relationships: A Personal Experience with Natural Lifemanship

January 9, 2018

Amy share's her personal experience with Natural Lifemanship and genuine connection to herself, a horse, and a community at the 2017 NL Conference.

Think About It: Natural Lifemanship Applied to Politics

January 6, 2018

Rebecca J. Hubbard ponders what politics would be like if political parties applied Natural Lifemanship principles

Can Animals Consent?

January 4, 2018

Sarah Schlote explores the animal's ability to consent and discusses the function of a horse's consent in equine assisted practices.

What I Learned from My Dog with Attachment Trauma

December 23, 2017

The greatest lesson my dog is teaching me is that building a relationship... doesn’t just take time, it takes intentionality over time.

Do Horses Seek Leaders or Rewarding Connections?

November 29, 2017

The Natural Lifemanship approach to building relationships between horses and humans is based on the horse's choice of connection.

Four Reasons Coaches Want Natural Lifemanship

October 6, 2017

How Natural Lifemanship Prevented a 12-Car Pile Up

October 6, 2017

The fundamental principles for all relationships, and the foundation of our Faith, Hope, and Love trauma-informed care learned and honed through the Make Way Partners relationship with Natural Lifemanship.

When Dissociation Looks Like Cooperation

October 2, 2017

Claire Hunter recounts a story about recognizing the difference between cooperation and dissociation in the relationship with her horse Partner.

Why Do We Ride Horses in Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?

September 7, 2017

Riding a horse has benefits that cannot be obtained by other means and is contraindicated when it is not done in a connecting and mutually beneficial way.

Disorders of Connection

August 22, 2017

Natural Lifemanship Trainer, Kathleen Choe links addiction to disorders of connection and explains the detriments of those addictions to our brains.

Living What We Teach

August 7, 2017

Bettina Shultz-Jobe, Co-Founder of Natural Lifemanship, reflects on the challenges of practicing the idealistic principles that Natural Lifemanship teaches.

Six Signs Your Horse May Be Dissociating or Submitting Rather Than Choosing to Cooperate

August 2, 2017

Natural Lifemanship trainer Reccia Jobe describes some signs of dissociation and submission to look for in your horse.

The Journey Back: A Case Study Highlighting One Woman's Experience Overcoming Traumatic Abuse Using Natural Lifemanship

June 20, 2017

Kathleen Choe describes how one client overcame traumatic abuse through Natural Lifemanship and Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Is Natural Lifemanship Just “Joining Up?”

May 23, 2017

The beliefs and intentions of Natural Horsemanship and NL are not the same but both have important places in the world of horses

Study of Children Riding Horses Suggests Stress is Helpful in Improving Behavior

March 20, 2017

Study suggests that riding horses improved the child’s ability to exercise self-control, but it depended on whether or not a stress response was activated.

Comfort and Change Don’t Run in the Same Herd

February 6, 2017

Change does not happen in a state of comfort. If it is more of a problem for the parents than it is for the child, why would the child be invested in changing? 

Connection in the Face of Resistance. . . Does Connection Really Matter?

November 18, 2016

How is asking for a connection from a human or horse who seems unwilling and unhappy about giving it still good for the relationship?

Attachment and Detachment – How Does This Really Look in Session?

September 2, 2016

Allowing the process to unfold organically means attachment and detachment happen in every move that we make within a healthy relationship.

Creating Brave Spaces

August 18, 2016

When a brave space is provided clients learn how to take the reins of their life and move forward in ways that are

Opening Myself to Connection

July 15, 2016

Kathleen Choe describes her first Natural LIfemanship Fundamentals Training that demonstrated connection with the horse through attachment.

Reflections on NL Fundamentals by J. Alex Hamilton

June 22, 2016

Trauma Informed Care is a shift from behavior modification approaches revolving around consequences and rewards, to approaches that focus on building a healthy relationship

Is Pressure Always a Bad Thing?

June 14, 2016

We engage in this dance of a relationship through moments of pressure – requests made by one to the other.  When it is done appropriately, the pressure is not harmful or frightentening

Meet NL Trainer, Kate Naylor, LMFT-Associate, NLC-P,EP

June 14, 2016

Interview with Buck

May 12, 2016

Rhonda Smith of Spirit Reins, a non-profit that provides treatment to children and families who have experienced traumatic events interviews Buck, the main character in the book, The Gift, at his home pasture

Do-overs Part 1: Building new pathways in the brain by intentionally practicing something different

February 6, 2016

Do-overs are a chance to correct a behavior, thought, or belief that interferes with the types of relationships we want to have. They are chances to practice something different.

Buck meets Pip

February 5, 2016

Buck meets Pip, an Excerpt from Rebecca Hubbard's book, The Gift

A Second Chance

February 4, 2016

A poem by Tim Jobs describing how a connection gave both a man and a horse a Second Chance

One Sided Relationships

January 27, 2016

People who do everything they can to meet the needs of their horse but never ask the horse to meet any of their needs.

The Horse is Not a Mirror!

May 7, 2012

If we assign the role of a mirror to horses we are robbing them of an active status in the relationship.

In any relationship, if it’s not good for both, it’s not good for either.

November 26, 2011

Natural Lifemanship is about relationships with horses and relationships with people. If it is not a good principle for building a relationship with a person then it is not a good principle for building a relationship with a horse

It’s not about Leadership, it’s about Relationship.

April 9, 2011

When leadership becomes a focus, so does power and control.  I appropriately control myself so that the horse can appropriately control himself. That is what a relationship is all about