One Neigh at a Time

02/25/2026

NEIGH for the Day

If you want to be happy, you must first get yourself off your mind.”

02/25/2026

When I first started giving my horses treats, something shifted.

The moment I walked into the pasture, their focus wasn’t on connection anymore.

It was on the treat.

They started searching my pockets.
Invading my space.
Following me everywhere.

Their minds weren’t present.
They were thinking:

“When is she going to give it to me?”
“How do I get it?”

And I realized…

This is us.

Whether it’s sugar.
Alcohol.
Gambling.
Overworking.
Scrolling.
Even certain unhealthy behaviors.

The “treat” becomes the focus.

It’s no longer about connection, peace, or presence.
It becomes about the next hit.
The next taste.
The next rush.

And just like my horses, we can start organizing our entire thinking around it.

So I stopped giving treats.

Not because treats are evil.
But because I could see how quickly it became their obsession.

At first, they still searched for it.
Their brains expected it.
Their bodies anticipated it.

But over time…

Something changed.

When I walked into the pasture, they stopped looking at my hands.

They looked at me.

They returned to presence.

That’s how habits work.

When we remove the unhealthy “treat,” there is a season of craving.
A season where the old pathway still fires.
Where the mind still says, “Where is it?”

But if we stay consistent long enough,
the brain rewires.
The focus shifts.
A new habit forms.

The first thought that once ruled us
loses its power.

Horses show us what behavior looks like — without shame, without story.

And they remind us:

What we feed grows.
What we stop feeding slowly fades.

Connection over consumption.
Presence over pursuit.

And eventually… peace.
-Kathy Slagter
📷 by Samantha Dawn - Equine Photography of
SD Taking Care of Business when in training with KD Performance Horses

02/22/2026

Neigh for the Day 🐴✨

Fearing the challenge makes the challenge larger.
Reacting keeps the lesson hidden.
Both the problem and the solution are part of the path.

— One Neigh at a Time 🙌

02/21/2026

NEIGH for the Day
“Nothing changes without willingness.”

02/20/2026

NEIGH for the Day…
Here...you can borrow my belief

We believe in you!

02/20/2026

One of the things Melisa has shown students for years is how deliberately horses position their bodies during a client’s emotional work.

Some will align their heart chakra with the client’s. Others will use their brachial key, throat chakra, or even the crest of the neck, depending on what the person is processing. Gypsy Vanners often do this almost immediately; other horses ease into it once they feel safe and understood.

This alignment is not random. Horses choose the part of themselves that will support the client’s energy system the most, almost like a tuning fork meeting another tuning fork.

They aren’t mirroring. They’re participating.

And when clients learn how to stand with a horse without an agenda, completely grounded, present, and available, the horse will show them exactly where healing is ready to happen.

✨Join us in our new online community to deepen your understanding of the horse–human connection, personal insight, and presence, guided by the wisdom of horses and Melisa’s unique approach!

https://touchedbyahorse.community

02/18/2026

“Whoa. I can feel your heart from here —
Let's breathe together."

02/15/2026

NEIGH for the Day
“You live your life forward yet you learn your lessons by looking backwards.”

02/13/2026

🐴NEIGH for the Day
“Calm is strength, not weakness.”

📸KDPH Jack of all Trades “Jax”

10/08/2025

We live in the present, yet we learn from our past.

09/06/2025

🥵If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all… maybe it has nothing to do with luck and something to do with drinking?
Have you said…
💔 “I just have bad luck with cops—that’s why I keep getting in trouble.”
The truth? Could your drinking DUI arrests, bar fights, and the fear of jail all came from alcohol.

❤️ Maybe if you put the bottle down, the handcuffs stopped. Freedom comes with sobriety.

👉 If alcohol keeps putting you at risk of jail, there’s another way. 🚦

✨ You don’t have to do this alone. Reach out, and let’s take the first step together. – Kathy, Recovery Coach 🌟

Kathy@oneneighatatime.com

09/05/2025

Recovery Month is Here!
Are you ready to hop on and join me in recovery?
Excuse number #1
💔 “It’s just my weight… that’s why I keep having heart problems.”
The truth? It wasn’t my weight—it was the alcohol.

❤️ When I got sober, the chest pains stopped. My heart began to heal, and so did my life.

👉 If drinking is breaking your health, you don’t have to face it alone. Recovery is possible. 🌱

✨ Change is possible. If you’re ready to take the reins, then I’m here to walk beside you. – Kathy, Recovery Coach 💜

Meet Jax, 18 month old Gypsy Cross💜🐴