Meet Elizabeth Riecks Giorgia Ghizzoni | Equine Coaches, Horsemanship Instructors, Horse Trainers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Riecks Giorgia Ghizzoni and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth Riecks, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I (Elizabeth) have been involved with horses all my life, yet when I got into the world of equines professionally I realized that in most horse boarding/training environments the horses were unhappy. This is because the majority of horse endeavors are about pleasing humans, our interests, the things we find fun and exciting, often with a disregard for the horse’s needs. As a result, horses become more like vehicles or robots for humans instead of sentient beings with their own lives and dreams.

I sought to learn from trainers around the world who prioritize horse happiness and strive to give horses a voice in the training process…where it was a partnership and not a dictatorship! On this journey I found that most training systems trained the bodies of horses, much like professional athletes who experience burnout when they are 30! I saw the need for horses to be trained more like yogis who are focused on longevity, and balance, rather than instant gains. This is where the idea of Hatha for horses came to mind. Hatha is a word that is synonymous with Oneness, and Togetherness ….which is exactly what I was hoping to achieve with horses! Thus Hatha Equus was born.

Hatha Equus is a philosophy that prioritizes Oneness with horses, with the main focus of betterment for the horse mentally, physically, and emotionally. “Happy sidekicks to happy horses”.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hatha Equus is a very unique horse training business. We really don’t see ourselves as trainers, or riding instructors. We see ourselves as horse translators, and horses as sentient superheroes. We aim to help humans, who want to have a relationship with horses, learn how to understand what their horses are saying, learn how to communicate with their horses, and how to move forward to their goals with the horse as a willing participant.

Many horse programs are focused on the goals of humans only. We want to include the goals of the horse as well! In most cases, the horse wants to feel amazing in his or her body, feel safe, and find joy in movement!

This approach to horsemanship is extremely controversial. There are centuries of tradition in the horse industry. These traditions are often difficult to break through, and Hatha Equus is approaching horses in a way that disagrees with much of what traditional methods promote. This does come with a fair share of criticism.

However, there is a huge population of equine enthusiasts who have been looking for what we are offering for a long time. People tend to find us when the traditional methods either don’t make sense, don’t work, or don’t feel right. We know we are on the right path when we see horses relax, find their voice, make safer choices around humans, express themselves creatively and choose to be with people. It is also incredibly rewarding when a human has made a breakthrough in their relationship with their horse.

Hatha Equus is, at the end of the day, a philosophy of being with horses in the way that really speaks to the child in all of us. When we first saw a horse, then met a horse, we were in awe of it. We wanted its spirit and nature to never change, yet we wanted to walk in the path with the horse, or to be carried in the horse’s path with full embrace. We wanted the horse to love us as much as we love them. This is what we still want, and what we hope to bring to people.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Most of our friends are horse people so we would take them and their horses on a ride in one of Boulder County’s hundreds of trails.

We would go to Hermit park, on the way to Estes Park, in the fall when the leaves are changing. Ride (or walk with) their horses on the beautiful trails, then on the drive back down, stop at the Colorado Cherry Company to pick up the best Cherry Pie, Cherry Wine, Cherry Jams, and Cherry Cider in Colorado!

Then for a full meal, we’d stop at Mojo’s in Lyons for some legit/delish tacos!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Beyond the horse, Hatha Equus has been influenced by pioneers in the Equine industry such as Elizabeth’s Dressage, and horsemanship mentor, Karen Rohlf, who showed Elizabeth the way to bridging the gap between traditional horse training and the more naturalistic/horse-centered approach HE takes now!

Mustang Maddy, one of Giorgia’s mentors, has taught her all about two way communication – how to give official consent tools to our horses, to make them feel emotionally safe and find new perspectives about activities they previously found aversive (including being ridden).

Finally, a HUGE shoutout to Kathy Sierra, the incredible human behind Intrinzen, an approach based on the most modern research from Movement Science, Pain Science and Stress Science, which creates a whole new world for horses to find their superpowers, fall in love with movement through fun and autonomy, and which is by far the best way we know to achieve physical longevity!

Website: https://hathaequus.com/

Instagram: @hathaequus

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hathaequus/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hatha-equus-longmont

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClcDDda3zbMVUupcO6cIL2w