Riding with the Chakras: A Chat with Christina Stinchcomb

The Book Plate Bookstore and The Kitchen Restaurant will host first-time author Christina Stinchcomb on Wednesday at 6 pm.

A riding instructor at her Airy Hills Stables in Chestertown, Stinchcomb will read from her new book “Riding With The Chakras” and discuss its theme—cultivating self-awareness by building a fundamental connection between horse and human—lessons learned from her years as a certified Equestrian Tai Chi Instructor and Equine Gestalt Coach.

Stinchcomb says that after years of instructing students, she experienced an “aha” moment while coaching a friend who struggled to maintain a stable balance and focus while riding. She wondered how she was failing to convey a solution.

She discovered that horses weren’t the problem; her approach needed reevaluation, and she looked to develop better tools.

That day, Stinchcomb said she was on a mission to examine and break down what she was experiencing. It was a turning point.

“I had my awareness really, really dialed up and really heightened — what am I feeling? What am I thinking? What am I doing? And it was amazing because in that moment, the horse was keyed into this sense of awareness and so he was kind of like what’s going on, something’s a little different and he was right there with me.”

This shift in perspective led her to form a holistic approach to horsemanship and to develop a template for this understanding by associating energy alignment and communication with the idea found in the ancient Hindu belief of chakras, or energy centers in the body.

Wanting to dispel the stigma of “woo-woo” metaphysics, Stinchcomb points out that life takes place in a spectrum of energy and magnetic fields and that we can discover new paths to our insight by relating to horses and riding on a different level. The author believes this approach is not just for riding but extends to life, where horses serve as metaphors for relationships and connections.

“Riding with the Chakras” was officially released this month. Christina hopes that her book will demystify chakras and encourage people to explore the profound connection between energy, horses, and themselves.

Find out more by coming to The Kitchen this Wednesday at 6 pm.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more about Airy Hill Stables, go here.