The Way of the Medicine Horse*
TrueHeart Discovery * and MareSpeak*
Tina Marie Barnes
Tina Barnes has spent more than four decades living with and studying the Horse in relationship to its herd as well as its humans.
Mares with their foals along with all ‘newcomers’, whatever species they might be, became her primary teachers. She has called this ever flowing well spring of horse-human connective language MareSpeak.
Some of these horses within the herd were viewed by Tina to be expert ‘energy redirectors, balancers, and grounders’. These seemingly rare horses showed a particular ability, an adeptness along with a definitive eagerness for this ‘work’.
Tina refers to these magical beings as Medicine Horses ….
During her lifetime career with horses Tina owned Rocking W Ranch which later became Hilltop Farm Equestrian Center in Brantford Ontario. Here she was involved in buying, selling, training, coaching/lessons and above all the breeding and showing of Appaloosa Horses. Her particular love for this breed brought along many champions Provincially, Nationally with multiple qualifiers for the World Appaloosa Show in Fort Worth Texas. Her ‘home bred/raised/trained’ RWR High Jinks finished among the Top Five in the World twice in both Western and English events along with being named top horse in many associations.
With the help of her two children Heather and Andy Roberts the farm became home to camps for all children in general but also programs she designed specifically for those labeled ADD, ADHD, Autism (and more) along with programs keeping First Nations and Children’s Aid Society needs in mind.
In 1998 Tina began a program she called Little Whispers Horse Society for Children. This was a place where children from all walks of life could interact naturally with horses while learning an ancient Original Peoples’ based form of horse whispering. From this group another dimension of her craft grew which she called TrueHeart Discovery, a certification program which trains facilitators to work in the equine healing arts in safe knowledgeable ways.
Her success in working with extremely troubled horses has earned her recognition by her clients and peers as an Equine Behavioral Modification Specialist. She has continued to develop MareSpeak and gives clinics in Canada, the United States as well as New Zealand featuring this unique method of communication – behavior modification.
Tina currently resides at Highfields Farm in Saanichton BC., along with her ‘Kiwi’ husband Les Barnes. Here she continues to teach a truly natural form of horse-man-ship through the healing energy and language of the horse.