Kim Baker

Why I am an Internationally Recognized Horse Expert

I have loved horses all my life. As a child I collected as many Breyer Model Horses as I could, and had My Little Ponies as well. If anything had to do with horses, I wanted it. I also collected unicorns and pegasuses. I loved the cartoon She-Ra, where a regular woman and her horse turn into super-heroes (similar to He-Man). The horse became both a unicorn and a pegasus, called a unisus. I got the model horse for that too.

What sparked something inside of me was the movie "The Black Stallion," where a boy and horse are shipwrecked on a deserted island and become friends in order to survive. If anyone has seen the movie, 95% of people love the beach scenes. This is where Alec convinces The Black to let him ride him. Once he does, this magical bond and relationship unfolds and the two race around in the surf together.

I've often wondered what is so special about those beach scenes. Well, besides Frances Ford Coppola being an awesome director, it's the end result that everyone dreams of having with a horse. Where the horse trusts you 100% and you trust the horse 100% and when the two meet they become one body moving in synchronicity. At one point Alec even raises his arms in the air and just flows with The Black as they canter down the beach bareback and bridleless.

Arabian horses became my favorite type of horse because of this movie. Cass Ole, a black Arabian stallion from Texas, is who portrayed The Black in the movies. When I would go on family vacations I would visualize me and my horse riding through the terrain we were traveling through, having that special bond because it was just the two of us.

In 2002, I got my first horse, a grade Arabian gelding named Zimi. Zimi was a deep red color, almost a liver chestnut. He had a multi-colored mane and tail, with light reds, deep burgundy reds and even some blond (known as flaxen in the horse world). He stood 14.3 hands (about the size of a normal eight year old child). He had white socks on both hind feet, and a big white star on his forehead with a little white snip on his nose. In the winter time when he grew his long winter coat he would grow a white mustache on his nose. Zimi had a complex personality. He could be really sweet, and then he could get upset/nervous really easily. He tried really hard to please me, but sometimes I just couldn't give him what he needed. He was a dream come true for me. My very first horse. I learned so much from him. Looking back now I realize just how much he was constantly teaching me about what he wanted and needed from me.

I did everything wrong with Zimi. I used butt ropes on him and other methods of force to get him to do what I wanted. I didn't like it. Despite that, Zimi and I had a special relationship. I was able to ride him bareback and bridleless in the arena where I boarded him. One day he was at the water tank when I pulled into the facility and we raced each other down the road to the gate where I bring him out and work with him. Even though at that time I made training mistakes with him, our relationship was very special and I was very tuned into him.

I only had Zimi a short seven months before he died an unexpected death. A heart attack/reaction to local anesthesia. I saw him die in front of me and it took a piece of my heart. Yet I knew I wasn't done with horses and several months later in 2003, I purchased a black Arabian gelding named Night. Night is all black except one white left hind foot and a little white star on his forehead in the shape of a crescent moon. He is what we call a true black horse, meaning he doesn't fade to a light brown in the summer time. Although, when he changes from his summer to winter coat and back again to summer coat his hair will turn somewhat reddish. Night is 14.1 hands tall (about the size of a small eight year old child). When Night runs, he holds his tail real high in the air and looks exactly like Cass Ole, who portrayed The Black in the movie. Night is not a touchy feely horse. He is very strong and confident in who he is, as opposed to Zimi who I think was more insecure. Night is very intelligent and was easy to train. Because of Night's intelligence and confidence we were able to help each other grow in a way that is really hard to put into words. We both know exactly what we need from each other (sometimes it take me longer to figure it out). Everyone understands the term soul mates and that is what Night and I are, but it goes beyond that. He has been an amazing teacher and I would do anything for this horse

Training wise I did things very differently with Night from the start. Before Zimi had died I started to work with a mentor and she was enlightening me on the benefits of groundwork. So Night and I started with groundwork and went through all seven levels of her program. Night is a different horse, a different personality from Zimi, but I know in my heart the groundwork is what has enabled Night and I to have the kind of relationship we do. Night is my go anywhere do anything horse. Night is my Black Stallion. We have done so much together: ridden in the Colorado Rocky Mountains alone, fallen down hills together (ground gave out below us), competed in Reining, Trail and Native Costume together (I have a rack filled with all the ribbons we have won competing), and I can ride him bareback and bridleless too, and often on our mountain rides just ride him in a halter.

My mission and my passion are helping people obtain this kind of special relationship with their horses and other animals.

How I have helped people overcome problems and develop a deeper relationship with their animals

Sky's Story - by Kristina B.
Last May, I began having problems with Sky being "barn sore" and unresponsive to leg and hand cues. I decided to move him to Kim's for 60 days of training. Kim began working with him and taking care of him. We saw immediately that he was not getting enough to eat at his previous boarding facility. Kim also determined Sky needed body work to overcome alignments which made it difficult for him to back or move in certain directions. After his chiropractic sessions and Kim's special care, Sky was brought back to optimum health, which resulted in 180 degree change. Sky was able to and willing to work with Kim. In only a couple of weeks, I was able to use less energy and get more out of our time together. I feel that Kim's whole horse approach, considering Sky's physical and mental health as well as my part in our relationship has made all the difference. Now elements Kim has been helping Sky and me with are starting to come together and it's a great feeling. The 60 day training was well worth it and Kim and I continue to work together several days a week. In addition, Kim's workshops, connections with other holistic horse practitioners and providing references and reading sources has also helped me in my search to have the best relationship possible with Sky.

See what other people and their animals are saying on the Testimonials page.

Why I am an Animal Communicator

I have loved animals all my life. I was raised in Colorado and lived in a tri-level house on a cul-de-sac that backed up to a drainage ditch nestled at the bottom of what is called Green Mountain, just west of Denver. There was a lot of both domestic and wild animal life in the neighborhood. Heaven for a young girl that loves animals. In our front yard was a big blue spruce tree that was home to mountain blue birds. The mother had three youngsters she was raising.

One day, a neighborhood boy came a long and shot the mother with a slingshot right out of the nest. She fell to the ground and died pretty quickly. The boy was all fun and games, laughed and went on about his business.

I witnessed the entire scene and it made me so angry and sad at the same time. I rushed over to help the mother, but it was too late, there was nothing I could do. The babies were chirping loudly and I waited, but no one came to their aid. As a two year old child, there was not a lot I could do at this point. I tried to get my parents to help the babies, but they were not interested.

The power of witnessing the scene, then watching the consequences unfold as a result of the boy's actions was heart breaking to me. The babies all perished. The wealth of emotions, and conflicting emotions that arose in me during this time was so overwhelming. I could not believe the boy could do such a thing and not care what happened afterwards. It enraged me. I wanted to go yell at the boy and tell him what he did and what happened to the babies, but I knew he would not care and he would just laugh at me. This act sparked the passion inside me to become a voice for the animals.

So that's what I did. I went around talking and healing animals as best I could. My parents didn't know what to do with me, and it made them uncomfortable. Eventually they told me to stop telling people I could talk and heal animals.

I suppressed my gift until I met some people in 2007 that said oh yes you most certainly can talk with animals. I took classes, workshops, read books and practiced, practiced, practiced. In 2010 at a horse workshop, we had the opportunity to meet the horses in their paddocks before we got to work with them. We were to connect with them without physically interacting with them. We were given a small journal. I sat down and went to town. Had full on conversations with all of the horses we were going to be working with. The ladies running the workshop were so impressed they asked me to talk to one of their dogs and some of their other animals. They asked if I was doing this professionally and I said no. They encouraged me to hang out my shingle and go professional.

My mission is to help humans better understand animals. To be their voice and enable people and animals to have a loving and respectful relationship together.