05/05/2026
The last couple weeks at Nordika have felt like jumping off a cliff and building the parachute on the way down. Two clinics back to back, a Jackpot event, an in person podcast interview, lots of horses, many dogs,tons of people and yet two completely different worlds; with the same message, if you were actually willing to hear it.
We kicked things off in the dog field for a herding clinic with Jordan Markowski, letting dogs think, sort things out, and remind us (sometimes adding a bit of humble pie) that they don’t need a handler glued to them micromanaging every step. Funny how quickly things clean up when you step back and let the dog show up to do the job they have been bred for.
Then we rolled straight into this past weekend with Brooke Rempel, and this is where things really settled in. For those who don’t know Brooke, she’s the kind of horsewoman who doesn’t just train horses, she helps people find their path. Her work through Heart of Horsemanship is rooted in feel, biomechanics, relational principles and mental presence, but what makes her different is how she threads it all together. She’ll meet you exactly where you are, no judgment, no fluff, tons of heart and then somehow, without making a big deal about it, she’ll open a door you didn’t even realize you’d been standing in front of. It’s practical, it’s honest, and it sticks. You don’t leave with just “what to do”, you leave these clinics with an understanding as to why, and feeling it in your body.
Brooke, thank you. Six years of you coming here and somehow each time there’s another layer of magic tht gets un-earthed. More awareness. More feel. A little more magic woven into the very fabric of the farm itself. And the rest of us just sitting there mid-ride going “well….that explains a few things.” OR my personal favourites “ what the freak just happened and how do I duplicate that again” 😉
To all the riders and auditors who showed up, thank you. You guys are the reason these weekends actually come together so beautifully. The willingness to try, to get it wrong, to laugh at yourselves, to go again; that’s the whole thing right there.
Also, we need to address the new standard of riding posture that has now been officially established thanks to my daughter Faye Bulous. You were either a shrivelled raisin or a juicy grape. There was very little in between. And oddly enough, some of the biggest breakthroughs happened somewhere between those two states. We laughed a lot. There may have been a few tears (happy ones, relax). No riders were harmed in the making of this clinic, just gently called out by fruit and asked to sit up like functioning humans, both physically and within themselves.
Behind the scenes it’s been a push getting everything online for the season. Weather, timing, my husband, being away for training, all the moving parts, all the things that don’t show up in photos. But standing here now, it finally feels like we’ve hit our stride. Spring has shown up, the farm is alive again, and we’re not tiptoeing into the season… we’re in it. And if the last two weeks were any indication… this is going to be quite a year.
We’ve got more coming. More clinics. More weekends like this. More retreat getaway opportunities. More chances to step into something real with your dog, your horse, and yourself.
If you’ve been thinking about joining in on one of our events…..this is your nudge. 🌿
Nordika Farm & Retreat Nordika Stockdogs
Kristi Luehr Erin Jardine Heather Wein Jennifer Wintjes Colette Lyhne Maia Nunn
