"The purest measure of one's character, are the acts of kindness they impart into the world." Kerry M Thomas
What Was
As I sit here at my desk, on the morning of December 29th, 2023, the magnificent works of Leonard Bernstein playing in the background, I find myself drifting back through the memory of time. Indeed, though time keeps a steady hum, it is memory that can capture it, hold it, and keep it from changing. I always find it interesting that where we can and do change over time and throughout the journey of life, a pure and cherished memory shall remain, shattering the concept of time. If we can be in that moment who we once were and who we dreamt of becoming, do we not have time enough now, in this moment and the next, to yet create the dreams we had? I believe so, I have always believed it.
When I reflect upon the journey of life, the greater majority of my time has been and still is, absorbed into the world as caregiver. Starting with the slow demise of both my grandfathers, then my grandmothers, shifting horribly then to my father's battle with cancer, followed then by my partner Tonia of 23 years who lost her battle with breast cancer. She and my father both died at home as I watched helplessly as they drew their last, and two days after Tonia passed, my mother fell and crushed her spine, becoming disabled. She is still in my care and at 82, holding her own the best she can. I joke that not only am I her son and her daughter, as my care duties have no bounds, but I am also her emotional support pet! I have been and am quite well enough acquainted with emotional pain and suffering. I have had enough pain to carry for one lifetime, but alas, you never know how much you can carry until the load is placed upon you with nowhere to lay it down.
The fact that I have created my business as an equestrian professional along the way nearly seems like an accident, a necessity of survival almost. My passion for writing has long been my soul-form of artistic expression, my love of teaching and education, the result of each I suppose. One thing sure, my love of horses, and truth be told, all animals and life itself, has long been a reminder that where life is very difficult, and no one is immune to the teeth nor the bite of it, it is only as ugly as we allow it to be. Like a crack in a mirror of a life we lived, the image someone sees may not be the true reflection of ourselves. There is value in all of it, I know for sure that without all of these trials juxtaposed with my daily life, I could never see the smallest of good as among the most beautiful of things. And there has been so much good I have been fortunate to have seen, touched and experienced, for which I am thankful. It is good that we reflect upon what has been, so that we better appreciate that which can be. It is always our decision to make, no one else is accountable for you, nor should you seek validation from another to define your own truth. Your truth is within you, defined by you, always.
2023, what a year you have been! The year of the new and magnificent in both professional and personal life. Two trips to beautiful Australia where I had the good fortune to be given the opportunity to share and present my work and passion. The cherished friendships Daphne and I have made and continue to make. The support of my work and tireless efforts to bring a new, deeper and more profound understanding of the horse and redefine how we think of horsemanship. For this support I am ever grateful. I could have but little purpose to stay on this path of sharing and learning together, without it. I care deeply, and I am driven to share with you profoundly, for we have the common goal of making tomorrow a better version of today. Driven by your support that fuels my passion, I have continued through the course of 2023 to press the envelop of new discoveries, discoveries I share with you through my services, seminars and education platform, my writings, all here on this new in 2023, Sensory Soundness website. Something else of note happened in 2023... I asked my beloved Daphne to marry me, and she said yes!
What Is
New for 2024 but available now: A brand new Applied Sensory Soundness Seminar & Clinic landing page. After the extraordinary support and response to the recent events in Australia, we have washed the old away and created the new and the next! Be sure and check it out if you or someone you know would be interested in organizing an event, and email Daphne@sensorysoundness.com if you would like to be on an email list to get notified when events are scheduled. I cannot express to you enough just how thankful Daphne and I are for the overwhelming support of these events and beyond that, our appreciation for the kindness, efforts, and friendship of Dr. Shelley Appleton and Simon Neich. Without whom none of this would have been possible, nor would my vision for it to grow as we go forward, have been realized. So, check it out, and don't miss out on what I have every intention of developing into the equestrian world's most unique and innovative education and clinic event.
New for 2024 and available now: Life Through the Senses online education; as many of you know the very first course lesson for Understanding Sensory Soundness, Mapping the Senses; An Expedition Through the Mind of the Horse, is currently available. If you have already become a student, thank you for your support. If you're interested in some very unique learning experiences, please come join us! You can see all of the forthcoming courses and sign up for the current one, by going through the Education portal on this website's toolbar. {*More to come, keep reading... :).}
New for 2024 and available now: New Evaluation & Mapping Services, “Harmony with their environment and contentment with their peers, this is the greatest desire of every horse and a common thread between us. Where investing in the physical horse is essential, an investment in the emotional horse is priceless. For it is not the horse’s responsibility to understand our nature, it is our responsibility, to understand theirs.”
I'm excited to offer the equine world these 4 very unique services: Behavioral Profiling, the most comprehensive psychological profiling service available anywhere. / Sensory Soundness, Evaluation & Mapping; which includes two world firsts, the sensory soundness map and the brand-new sensory soundness efficiency score! / Consultations & Assessments A La Carte', the most cost-effective opportunity to source groundbreaking innovations / Sensory Enrichment Custom Course Designs, the name says it all, if you want course designs to advance both horse and rider, this is worth your consideration!
What Shall Be
As we head into 2024 there is much to look forward to! Let me first off invite you to help us grow our Sensory Soundness FB Page, which is linked on this website, and also while you're at it, sign up to become a website member/subscriber. Daphne and I have plans to create a calendar as soon as we can so that you can see when things go live, sign up for services and stay in the know when anything new becomes available.
*In 2024: You can look forward to the release of ongoing course lessons as there are 12 planned for Understanding Sensory Soundness.... And as you may have seen if you're a Life Through the Senses student or website subscriber, that I have already started the outline for the new groundbreaking course study on Equine PTSD. I have every intention of having this completed and available this year along with a webinar I will create to precede this extremely important course. I will say that I recommend that you get in on Understanding Sensory Soundness ahead of the release of Equine PTSD course, as it will enhance your understanding and empower you all the more. *Yes, you need be patient with release dates, I will never present you with anything that isn't the very best that I have to offer, which takes time to create, and my life is rather hectic as caring for my elderly mother takes priority. When you buy a service or a course, you're helping me keep the train on the tracks, so thank you!
In 2024: Not only are we considering new venues for the Applied Sensory Soundness seminar & clinics, with opportunities in the Netherlands and England, as well as Africa and here in the USA already being discussed for later in the year, but we are going to be opening these up to partnerships! That said, if you are a company, know of a company or business, or anything in between that may be interested in getting on board as we grow this area, get in touch with us. "Hey Akubra Hats, I'm looking at you..." as you all well know, I am barely ever seen in the world without my Akubra! :)
In 2024: New Glossary updates are forthcoming early in the year, so please keep an eye out for new discoveries and descriptions such as; Equine Recency-Bias, new updated additions to Egg, and the newly discovered phenomena, Stress-Carryover... which will take your understanding of Sensory Lead Change, Equine PTSD and Trauma, to a whole new level.
In 2024: New Technology! It took me about 30 years of research, study, trial, error, failure and success, to finally realize the groundbreaking potential of Sensory Mapping and how to practically apply it. From this I am now able to develop as an extension of the horse's psychosensory, a diagram pattern-of-motion for your arena to put "emotion into motion". This, which is currently offered in the services area, I have big plans for! Recently we have started talks to merge these innovations with technology, and create a computer program and App, to bring mapping and diagram creation into the palm of your hand! The vision is that you will be able to map your horse and create ongoing enrichment programs right from your iPad, computer or mobile. I will also look to develop one that will help you identify, monitor and therapy, trauma issues. I am super excited about this groundbreaking technology! Are you an investor who might be interested? Contact us, opportunities to get in will be limited.
In 2024: Destination Hope Media comes to life! Daphne and I have a goal, to get the pilot program filmed early in 2024. I invite you to visit Destination Hope here on this website and by all means, as you will read there, if you have a place in mind or you are a therapy location, and you want to be a part of this show, email us. Help us take our Mascot Tink and his positive messages, to folks in need all over the world! PS: We think "Tink" needs to be a plushy, if you agree, let us know! **Please know that we appreciate your supporting our online stores, all proceeds from Rugged Posh Apparel plus, are for the support and development of all Destination Hope programs. It allows us to help those in need of assistance in a variety of ways. So please know, we, and many others, thank you very much. When you wear our brands, you are representing that there truly is, Hope for Tomorrow. ❤️
In 2024: Of all the things already listed, this next one is the most positive and life altering "expedition" I could ever embark on. Daphne and I will be getting married on June 22!
Thank You is something that though often stated is far too rarely underwritten with true sincerity. This for me isn't an empty statement, I truly do thank you for so many things. We do not have to have a personal relationship to respect and appreciate one another all the same. This is my art, my life's work and my passion, and true art has a uniquely personal relationship with every person it connects with in some form. We love and appreciate the music made by those from long ago, who we knew not, yet we are connected across the expanse of space and time by the emotion of the melody. This appreciation is truly the best memory of the life they lived, devoid of the confines of time as we understand it, present only is the result of the dream they chased. Let it be for us too, as we think forward into 2024...
Sincerely~
Your Friend, Kerry
"for every horse, in every discipline, from anywhere" KMT
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