I began riding in 2006, as an empty nest horse show mom.  I decided it was my turn to enjoy horses as a rider and competitor.  I compete in Western Pleasure on my half-Arab gelding, and am also learning the basics of English riding.

I started out with a child-like love of horses and a grown-up desire to learn as much as I could in order to be a good rider.  Putting those two together with my early background in theater led me to explore the mental and psychological training tools for riding well and competing well.  I was interested in studies and practices that showed that elite athletes rely on mental preparation along with physical practice, because I had used similar techniques in theater.  From years of employing mindfulness practices like meditation, relaxation response breathing and yoga, I was well aware that building physical skills is only part of the game.

As I did my personal research I learned about EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, and began to use it for myself.  I found that it helped me with mental and psychological preparation to ride.  Simply, I rode and competed better when I used EFT than when I did not.  Along with EFT, I began to look at other similar techniques commonly known as "energy therapy".  I also looked into the studies about how brain wave patterns changed in productive ways due to the use of EFT. 

I knew that as an amateur rider, I could teach Relaxation Tapping, synthesizing several popular meridian tapping techniques, and help other riders in very practical and immediate ways.  I know what it is like to be at the beginning and intermediate level of learning, and to have blocks that keep you from doing your best.  I'm not a therapist or a sports coach--in fact, quite the opposite, I'm a lifelong learner.  I was very attracted by the idea of taking a simple self-help technique, that of tapping meridian points, and teaching it to others for them to use in their own development.  It complements any sports training technique you might use (and is used by many professional sportsmen and women as well!)  My experience in teaching the technique to groups and individuals has been very fulfilling.

My philosophy is:

• We can all be joyfully responsible for our own growth, given the right tools.  Personal Growth is not the special province of experts in therapy, life coaching or spirituality.
• Self-help should be portable and applicable in a variety of real life situations.  I want a technique I can use quickly, in any situation, not only in special conditions.
• We make our best progress when we address our whole selves:  our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual natures.  We live our lives on all of these levels, and they all require nurture.

I love teaching Relaxation Tapping to riders to help you achieve your best ride, whether that's on the trail, around the pasture, in the show ring, or wherever your heart desires.

Ange Dickson Finn