As a young girl, I could not wait to run to the barn after school. I would spend hours sitting on the fence or wandering through the pasture as my horse grazed. I felt content grooming or just spending time with her. Riding or working was never the main goal; I wanted to feel connected. At that time in my life, I felt I could communicate with my horse. We did not need words, it was more like a dance - two partners moving fluidly through space, speaking a language all our own.    As I got older, this connectedness began to fade. Could it have been only the imaginings of a young girl, or had I caught a glimpse of hidden potential? It would take a few more years for me to know the answer.  Growing Up with Traditional Training MethodsBy the time I was old enough to start making decisions about my horse’s training, my ideas were more so shaped by the people around me than by my own intuition. For instance, I was taught the Dominance Theory - my horse would never “respect” me if I did not prove…