Experiences Archives - Shamanic Horse Wisdom

Coaching session by Orlando

maart 31, 2026

Orlando moved to a new place in Vogelenzang one year ago: A beautiful, unique place where the horses live in herds, right next to the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen nature reserve. Orlando needed his time to get used to the new place. And to get used to living in a big herd with other horses. I am very happy with the way he is adapting. Now that he is settled he is ready for coaching.

I have coached with other horses. But I have looked forward to coach with my own horse and to be able to work as a team and to know exactly how to read his behavior. Orlando is clear and fast in his feedback to the client. I am so proud of my horse! He is a young boy, but an old soul. Orlando is sociable, curious, people-oriented, wise and therefore very capable as a coaching horse.

The year of the Horse

februari 18, 2026

The Horse is the spirit of freedom, movement, vitality, and passionate independence. It is the wanderer, the explorer, the one who refuses confinement. In the Chinese calendar, each year carries the combined influence of an animal archetype and one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). This year has the element of Fire, which intensifies this archetype and its qualities become magnified: Courage becomes boldness, enthusiasm becomes fervor, and desire becomes unstoppable will.

The Fire Horse energy challenges all restrictions. Spiritually, it pushes souls toward authenticity and fearless self-expression. In this year, passion is not mere emotion—it is a divine spark guiding action. Projects begun under Fire Horse energy tend to be bold, visionary, and disruptive.

This is not a quiet contemplative year. Growth happens through movement, risk, and lived experience. The Fire Horse teaches that wisdom is gained on the road, not in stillness alone.

Horses as spiritual teachers

december 23, 2025

Orlando is my great spiritual teacher. I mainly listened to my intuition when I bought him as a foal. Not knowing exactly what this journey would bring us together.

Orlando has taught me to be patient and adjust my expectations. And to reflect deeply on why things are not always going the way I would like them to. 2025 was a year of a lot of shadow work and letting go. Not my favorite year, but a year that has brought me a lot. My connection with Orlando has also grown enormously, from fear and uncertainty to more trust and surrender.

2026 is the year of the horse, and I am very excited to see what this year will bring!

Shamanism and equine assisted coaching

oktober 7, 2025

In shamanism, the basic principle is that we live in harmony with our true nature and are connected to our environment. Shamanism is a technique for making contact with the spiritual world. During a trance journey, the rhythm of the drum causes the brain to enter a different state of consciousness, making it possible to travel to different dimensions.

In my trance journeys, I work with various spirit helpers and power animals; they give me messages and insights.

Horses are spiritual beings that naturally have access to different dimensions. During my sessions, the horses will respond to the energy, the elements, and the wind directions.

It is about a deeper connection with your wisdom, which will make you feel more grounded and dare to trust more on your inner voice and the wisdom of your body. You will feel more powerful and more connected to yourself and your environment.

In the summer of 2024, I started the year-long Shamanism training course at Moon’s Farm. In the fall of 2025, I continued with the Shamanic Practitioner training course.

The power of the herd

mei 11, 2025

Orlando has moved from the place where he was born and raised with his mother and half-brothers, to a large herd of geldings that live together 24/7. It’s a big transition and he needs time to get used to it. But he is growing a lot, both physically and mentally.

The place is beautiful, it is a large stable with extensive pastures, bordering a nature reserve that stretches all the way to the sea.

I spend a lot of time observing the herd. In her book The Power of the Herd, Linda Kohanov applies horse-inspired insights about exceptional communication and leadership to our workplaces and relationships, developing assertiveness, stimulating creativity, dealing with conflict, and increasing body and mind awareness.

She draws on the behavior of adult horse herds and the herd cultures of Africa and Mongolia to debunk theories of dominance hierarchies, challenge deep-rooted ideas about “survival of the fittest,” and demonstrate the power of consensual leadership in which leadership roles are fluid.

In your personal power with equine assisted coaching

januari 25, 2025

equine assisted coaching met paarden in amsterdam

Horses are herd animals and prey animals. This makes them very sensitive to changes in mood and energy. Depending on your energy, the horses keep their distance or come closer and show certain behavior. I translate this behavior to you so you can think and feel what the horse wants to show you.

Each session is personalized. If you might find the horses a little exciting, we start with contact at a distance until you are more confident. The idea is that you can work on yourself in a safe and relaxed way.

Horses by nature depend on the herd. The stronger the herd, the greater the chance of survival. In the coaching session, you and the horse form a herd, so to speak. The horse will heal what needs healing the most at that moment. This will reveal patterns so that you can learn to step out and break through them. And so you come more and more into your personal power.

Equine assisted coaching session with Spike

september 27, 2024

paarden coaching en shamanisme in amsterdam en haarlem

Meet Spike, one of the horses of the same barn as Orlando. We gave a beautiful session together last week. Here is what the client wrote to me afterwards:

“After the session, I felt incredibly light as I walked home, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I also felt much more in tune with my surroundings, as if my intuition had sharpened. It’s remarkable how Spike’s restlessness and intensity mirrored the fears, anger, and sadness I’ve been carrying that I wasn’t aware of. The image of him stomping is so vivid in my mind now. And when he stood between us, it felt like something outside of myself was helping me release those emotions, allowing me to let go just a little more.”

Natural Horsemanship in California

augustus 7, 2024

Throughout August I am in California to further develop in Natural Horsemanship. The basis is to communicate with horses in the language that horses also use with each other. 7 games are central: horses play these games together to determine who the leader is. I use these games during the coaching session, which often gives beautiful insights about themes such as setting boundaries, standing up for yourself, and giving direction (to your own life).

Coaching with horses in Senegal

augustus 7, 2024

For 25 years I have been living and working partly in Senegal, West Africa. My son has a Senegalese father and since his birth, the bond with Senegal has become even stronger. I love the people, the culture, the nature, and the spirituality. Me and my son have been to a beautiful place on the ocean where beautiful horses and people live ~ a great place to give horse coach sessions, in combination with yoga. I aim to offer my first retreat in Senegal in 2026.

Shamanic Horse Wisdom

Coaching with the wisdom of horses

Experiences