Hi, I’m Rachael Middleton from Lincolnshire.
I’m a horse owner/rider, mum and small business owner. I’ve ridden and owned horses for 30 odd years and have found it very difficult, in recent years, to feel pleasure working with my mare, it’s felt more a forced feeling. My married life, although a strong and loving one, has been strained at times by moods, attitude and poor communication.
I’ve struggled for some time with feeling ‘at odds’ with myself and longing for things to change. Then I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from Horses as Teachers for four Emotional Wellbeing Coaching sessions at the end of 2019. Wow what a way to end a year!
Having seen a Facebook post from Horses as Teachers (Rosie) I investigated what the coaching might help with. When I read this…
“Do you feel like something is missing? Despite being outwardly successful, maybe one part of the jigsaw doesn’t quite fit? You might feel stuck, or lacking direction. Quite often the feeling is linked to a relationship – either with someone close, with yourself, or even a situation. Sometimes you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong.”
…. I thought ‘that’s me!’
I’ve tried various therapies and techniques (mainly connected to my horse riding) NLP, Emotional Freedom Therapy and ‘just manning up’ to list a few; and while there has been degrees of success with some of them the results have been short lived and I have found myself back where I started so thought it was worth trying Emotional Wellbeing Coaching.
I had my first coaching session with Rosie and my husband thought I’d been swapped! The difference was so noticeable and to me it was such a relief. I found it quite strange to be honest how good I felt. Finally, I felt ‘normal’. The coaching sessions were fortnightly, and that first fortnight was great. The second fortnight I struggled, it was like I had slipped into old ways, so it was reassuring to hear from Rosie that this is normal and the reason she doesn’t let new clients go longer than two weeks between sessions. After that ‘hiccup’ I was able to harness what Rosie was teaching me and put it to work when I found things slipping.
Before my coaching I struggled to consistently work with my mare, making excuses, procrastinating, making short lived efforts. My relationship with my husband seemed to be stuck, good times followed by eruptions and then it would settle a little. Nothing serious but the easy-going settled partnership we shared was put under unnecessary strain.
With Rosie’s coaching I have started working with my mare on a regular basis, which saw me achieve my first goal of 2019 with her, riding on Christmas Day (I hadn’t ridden since August!) and my relationship with my husband has found it’s groove again, which ultimately has meant I am far more relaxed and at ease with myself.
It’s not an easy process and like anything takes effort to begin with to form the habits needed to help yourself. I’ve had a ‘break’ over the festive period and realised I was slipping again. I took the time to journal this and it enabled me to refresh my mind on the four elements.
Would I recommend Emotional Wellbeing Coaching – hell yes, it’s the one form of coaching/therapy that has had noticeable, long-lasting and positive results for me. Being honest is very important to me so the fact this coaching is all about reconnecting yourself with who you truly are has put the pieces of the puzzle back together in the right order for me.
I did receive my coaching as a scholarship however it’s had that big an impact, and I know I still have work to do to really cement the habits and skills, that I will book another course of sessions. My husband agrees with this decision too!
Through the coaching I have discovered what makes my heart sing with work, I have rediscovered my confidence and I’ve reconnected with myself.
