Kirschner Alm Bachmair Weissach Riding Facility

Mindfulness has arrived in all our lives and everyday routines; it is more than just a trend, it has become an attitude to life. Awareness of what is happening within us and around us in the present moment is considered a prerequisite for experiencing happiness and entering a state of flow. The ability to engage with the here and now can be trained and practised.

At the Bachmair Weissach riding stable, a very special form of mindfulness therapy is practised: therapeutic riding. Far removed from classic therapy settings – namely in the riding stable or outside in the magnificent nature of the Tegernsee Valley – the riding instructor and her team offer therapy for body, mind and soul.

One does not even have to be an experienced rider, says the Bachmair Weissach riding instructor, a trainer for both people and horses, because above all it is about being together with the horses. One can also work from the ground, or ride in pairs, with the riding instructor or someone from the team sitting behind on the horse. Younger riding guests work with ponies.

Working with the horse trains mindfulness, concentration, attention and impulse control to the highest degree. Through contact with the living being that is the horse, one can ultimately better understand one’s own psychological and physical reactions and patterns of behaviour.

It is about sensing oneself again in the presence of a peaceful animal, breathing consciously, moving consciously, and consciously deciding what is possible in the here and now. For example, whether one can ride with closed eyes or keep one’s hands resting on one’s thighs.

These small moments can initiate important processes of change and allow children and adults to grow beyond themselves. They help activate self-healing powers, regain trust in one’s own abilities and skills, and learn new ones.

The team supports hotel guests who come to the Kirschner Alm for therapeutic riding with empathy and the highest degree of individuality. No therapy session follows a fixed pattern; every guest is perceived and accompanied within the complex interplay of their physical conditions and personal life themes.

At the riding stable, it is said that some holidaymakers come for therapeutic riding five days in a row, while others regularly take therapeutic riding lessons during their stays, thus working continuously and consistently on their personal themes.

These themes are wide-ranging: from stress reduction to therapy for burnout, anxiety or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, through to strengthening existing resources in order to promote learning success, well-being and joie de vivre. There are few contraindications to therapeutic riding; it is only discouraged after operations, with fever or in cases of neurological illness.

Physically speaking, it is a full-body workout. Emotionally speaking, therapeutic riding leads to mindful self-awareness, preserves and promotes health, and brings intense moments of happiness.

One returns from the horse as if transformed.

SABINE FELTEN