THE RIGHT TOUCH

Sally was not a therapeutic instructor, but she sometimes helped riders with disabilities. Once she worked with a man who had a type of cerebral palsy that caused him to make constant involuntary movements. He studied riding and tai chi, and he was able to participate in many activities despite his constant movement.

Sally watched him ride, and then talked with him about the center, and how his center could become a place of calm; she used the image of leaves floating on still water. She placed her hands over his center and as they both breathed, he became quiet and still, first in his center, then up and down through his body, until he was sitting quietly on the horse with no involuntary movements. He walked the horse off, and rode around the ring, looking like a soft, quiet rider with no disability for those moments. Afterward, to use centering to help cope

shock), and the girl sat up, shook her

head, got on and had the best ride of

her life! This doesn’t happen often, but I

was glad Sally was there---I might never

have dared to do bodywork again!

Sally’s work has many applications

beyond riding. In 1997, she attended the

American Riding Instructor Association

National Conference, where she was

honored as a Master Instructor. Many

of the instructor candidates were ner-

vous: They were scheduled to take a

battery of certification tests the next

day. Sally offered to work with them ear-

ly in the morning; she got them breath-

ing, using soft eyes, grounded and

centered, and taught them the “bubble”

---she had each person visualize being

engulfed in a clear, protective bubble,

in which they kept only positive things

like confidence, calm, being organized

and remembering what they had

learned. Anything negative would

bounce off the surface of the bubble.

Then she had them move in a group,

walking, running, even skipping---and

nobody collided; every movement was

smooth and coordinated. All 60 instruc-

tors floated out of the room with smiles

on their faces, ready to face the testing

with confidence.

Sally was a lifelong learner and

always remained young in her think-

ing. She was positive, accepting and

down-to-earth. When she walked into a

room, everyone was drawn to her. She

was humble, despite her fame, and con-

nected easily with people of all ages

and interests.

She once told me that in her youth,

Capt. Federico Caprilli and his method

of teaching jumping was a hot topic---

everyone discussed the forward seat

and was for it or against it. Nowadays,

she said, few people even know

Caprilli’s name, but anyone who

jumps uses his method. It was not her