About

“Many years ago, I took lessons with Katharine, on Freedom. It’s by far the best horsemanship experience I’ve ever gotten. You see, when I started with Kate, I already thought I knew it all. What girl-who-loves-horses doesn’t? 🤷🏼‍♀️. Well let’s just say, it’s been 10 years, and I am confident that my foundation and roots is all because Katharine took the time to teach me more than just how to sit in the saddle….Energy, empathy, balance, awareness, all the things that help you connect with the horse. Powerful. Meaningful. Intentional.
I am forever thankful.” – Shelly B

About:

Conscious Rider and Katharine Turner Mays.

Katharine moved to Austin Texas into a petite ranch in 2000.  Using her skills as a professional empath and psychic she helps clients find their way into a deeper energetic union with the horses.  Starting with the correct riding seat (Sally Swift) and beginning with lightness on the horse creates a grace that classical dressage introduces for both the horse and the rider. 

Katharine is a professional artist, she trains horses and people in the mornings and paints in the afternoons. 

Katharine’s Horse Story.

‘I loved spending time in my teens riding with my mother, getting our horses fit for hunting, before school or in the week ends. 

My mother got me my first pony Sir Percival Pink, at the age of 11.  I will never forget us walking through a boggy field one Spring to a beautiful round, 13.2 strawberry roan pony.  I had no idea why we were there but I fell deeply in love with him.  He was the kind of pony any horse mad child like myself would dream of having as a partner in my life.  Then she said the immortal words “this is your pony”. 

I had many many wonderful adventures on this guy, he took care of me over huge jumps out hunting.  He taught me about courage and he was my joy.  I went to sleep at night loving him and woke up in the mornings the same way.  After some years I grew too big for him and got to love and take care of other ponies until I got my first beautiful horse, Flint.

Born in Britain and brought up in Hampshire, we fox hunted when we could on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  I rode my ponies first Pinky then Blacky, Dandy and Flint over huge jumps from the age of 11 to 24.  Our hunt was the Hursley Hambledon my mother was a pink jacket and my uncle, was the master of the Silverton Hunt in Devon.  Off season I did Three Day Events (cross country, dressage and show jumping). 

I studied ‘dressage’ on and off growing up and later concentrated on the Baucher system from the classical school of de la Guérinière.  Over the years I have been methodical in learning and teaching his method to both my horses and my clients.

Because my main horse Freedom had been traumatized and needed his confidence back I began to learn gentler , ancient ways of interacting with horses and found natural horsewo’manship, this became another deep dive and learning curve for the next decade, I met and studied Parelli and Monti Roberts.

My classical riding back ground helped me to teach people to ride.  The natural (empathic) horsewo’manship helped clients and horses heal from trauma. Typically I worked with clients who could ride but had lost their confidence.  I noticed if a rider had a life challenge it would be mirrored by their communication or lack there of, with the horse, once we got conscious of it the connection and the riding would improve.’ 

About:

Transforming Triggers.

I have since developed a method for people to transform a trigger before getting on the horse to keep the horse calm, as ‘a calm horse is not a dangerous horse‘- Mia Lykke Neilson.  This method is now part of a book ‘Transforming Triggers‘ I am writing.  I work with people learning to go from fear to stillness. This work has led me to hold groups and workshops with and without the horses to help people learn to transform their fear and stop reacting in anger, in the end knowing a peace that horses teach me every day.

 

About:

Equine Assisted Integration.

E.A.I. combines Centered Riding (TM), Conscious Rider and mindfulness:

About:

Special Needs Riding. 

From 2010 to 2015.  Working with neuro divergent and neuro typical children and adults with different needs.  I learnt about being present, noticing that I could be tolerated if I had real humility, authenticity and calm.  I realized I was going to have to learn to meditate to be a trusted guide.  I was able to give these gentle, sensitive clients simple exercises using E.A.I. something I developed, by working with clients on the ground with the horses and to help them work through relationship or life challenges.  Because the horses are honest reflections they are able to show us subconscious patterns that don’t work for us anymore so we can upgrade the patterns to ones that help.  These methods helped especially with children and adults who did not want to talk to resolve problems.

About:

Spiritual Awakenings.

After many years of inner work and meditation in 2016 there was a big energetic shift in my demeanor. I noticed I went from a mostly fear based mindset to a predominantly still mind.  This was a change that took some time to adjust to and I took time off to assimilate. 

During this period of integration I began my interest in training horses on the ground using the Mia Lykke Neilson method.   I also, studied Liz Mitten Ryans methods and The Trust Technique, all of which we use in our sessions and the workshops.

I love helping people integrate classical riding through Dressage establishing a knowledge of lightness and grace while experiencing a deep relationship with themselves and the horse.  I work with many incredible clients most, spiritual warriors who want a deeper connection with horses and themselves.  I consider myself living the American dream and love what I do!

 

Katharine Turner Mays  Facilitator

• Director and Founder of Conscious Rider since 2000
• Dressage training
• Hursley Hambledon Hunt 12 years
• Three Day Eventer UK 10 years
• Special needs facilitator and mentor since 2010
• Professional Medium and Psychic for animals and humans
• Classically Trained Artist Portraits of children and animals KatharineTurnerArt
• Kundalini Yoga Certified Instructor

 

Caroline Jackaman Teacher/Guide

• Shoshne Lodge Yellowstone
• Guided trail rides
• Over night pack trips
• Extensive Western horsewomanship
• Conscious Rider 5 years 
• Texas Horse Center
• Camp councillor
• Managing full care of 30 horses

Caroline is passionate about learning and being a strong horse woman. Her ambitions are to eventually be training wild horses and to continue enjoying teaching children and adults in sharing her equine knowledge, understanding and love.

 

Genevieve Kenny Teacher/Guide

• EAGALA Instructor
• Special Education Degree
• Special Education Teacher
• ABA Therapist
• Special Olympics Volunteer 

Genevieve has her own horse riding facility Miercoles Moon in Wimberley TX. She has been with Conscious Rider since 2010.