Friday, June 26, 2015

Take Time to Play


Last night while walking back to the barn after "dutifully" completing my "scheduled" training session with my mare, I got a little "reminder" from two giggly, blonde, side-braided, long-legged, teenage girls and one big old gelding grinning from head to tail about what’s really important between a horse and rider! 

As they cantered around circling the rolling grass field together, I couldn’t help but notice the lovely, balanced, collected, free, PROUD frame this horse had carrying his crew around and the synergy of his precious cargo aboard. I’m a connoisseur of centered riding and natural movement and balance and this to me was a more authentic beautiful, achievement in horse/rider teamwork than a medal winning round at equitation final! It spoke a truth and lesson for me that many of us "adults" need a reminder in!

We can regiment, schedule, task, and work ourselves to death and take the real meaning of life…JOY… FUN...right out of the very things we love most when we get too ahead or even too behind of where we are in life...at that very moment! Don’t underestimate the power of JOY. The energy that comes from both happiness and joy can make a horse you’ve seen a thousand times before appear LARGER than life when truly CONNECTED.
 
I had to laugh at myself once I realize that it’s okay to deviate from my "scheduled" tasks once in a while and just have a little fun and PLAY! Sometimes, I need to give myself a break! You can kill the fun in the very thing you love the most by turning it into WORK all of the time!!! Who wants to work all of the time? Horses sure don’t….AND teenagers ABSOLUTELY don’t!

Therein lies the lesson in this for me, and probably a lot of busy adults about BALANCE and JOY in life. As I watched these girls and this horse in perfect, joyful, harmony and BALANCE, I realized that I could ride without stirrups, work on serpentines, transitions, and spiral in and out till the cows come home….. BUT what makes the most impactful achievement between horse and rider is a HAPPY horse and rider, enjoying their connected moments in time….TOGETHER.

Don’t forget to keep your time with horses BALANCED and just LET IT GO and have fun with your horse OFTEN! These girls reminded me that it’s a good thing to allow your horse to carry you to that fun place of joy that you both need to go to. Which is part of the very reason us horse crazy people became horse crazy in the first place and have the love that we do for our horses! Kids and horses….sometimes it’s wise to listen to them!


 
 


Friday, June 19, 2015

Horse Lover's: Dream Your Life With Horses!

Horse lovers' dream of horses...it's in our blood. We NEED them to help us find our way to who we are and who we are meant to be as they give us guidance along this superhighway of life. A horse lover is called to horses and them to us despite "life" trying to get in the way and break us apart. Life may succeed for a time, but the polar attraction of a horse lover to a horse and vice versa is like a neodymium magnet.

You see, we are better together. We are at our most powerful true selves. Life has meaning, purpose, intent. We learn to triumph with horses, we learn to fail with horses. We learn to handle joy and sadness with horses. We learn to be present and accept what is with horses.

Understand that we are capable of handling what is to come because life is not a constant ...neither all good nor all bad. Life is a challenge of change that we handle. Like a trail filled with different terrain that we handle along the ride. Like a course we jump filled with different types of jumps, strides, approaches, options. Horse lovers' NEED horses to handle life's terrain. We can't jump the course of life very well on our own feet either. Deep down, a horse lover knows that we weren't created and put on this earth to go it on our own two feet. We were put here to move on six feet...two our own, four our horses. That's the beat our drum gallops to. And that's the only beat our heart's can beat whole-heartedly and happily to. To the sound of hoof beats!

Some advice to non-horse lovers', do NOT EVER ask or expect a horse lover to GIVE UP their hoof beating heart and horse loving soul for you or something YOU want! If you ask this of a horse lover or expect it, YOU should be ashamed of yourself! Asking this of a horse lover is asking them to give up their identity, their heart, their soul and you are being selfish! If you can't handle or appreciate that a horse lover is a horse lover, MOVE ON! You won't be happy, you will be resented. You will figure out the hard way that the secret to your happiness is to work on yourself, NOT take away something from another in an attempt to satisfy you. You make happiness by building it not tearing down!

I get frustrated when people give up on their horse dreams because of life circumstances. Maybe you can't afford your "hobby" the way you used to experience it. Maybe you get married or start a family and don't have the support, finances, energy you need to be involved with horses at the moment. Maybe you have a job that doesn't allow time for it....Remember, life is full of moments. Just because one moment of time doesn't  easily allow for your involvement with horses does NOT mean that you have to "Give Horses Up!" It just means that you have to find a way to balance life so that you can continue to have horses in your life. You WILL have to ADAPT. Perhaps experience horses differently than you have before. But you will LEARN from this new experience. Trust me, a horse lover's soul will NOT allow you to live away from a horse happily for long. You will find your way back to each other as you are meant to!

To those of you horse lovers teetering on this decision, to try to dream a life without horses...you are probably beat down by life. You are probably at a low where you feel that giving this up will bring you some relief, you've been treading water for what feels right now like a long time, and are probably thinking that giving up and going under may be your best option....DON'T DO IT!!! Think about what horses have taught you! The life lessons. The power that you have when you are YOU with horses! Don't give up this piece of you! This is WHO YOU ARE! You will find a way to make it through this "moment" You will be stronger because of if....better ...and if you stick with your horse love and FIND A WAY, you will be closer to your BEST HAPPIEST SELF quicker than if you diverge on a path that takes you away from yourself and your happiness. You can have all that you want in life...ALL...WITH HORSES! Where there's a will there's a way. Find your way toward your dreams with horses!!!

PS:
I speak from first-hand experience on this topic. From giving up to coming back. From sacrificing to reclaiming. From the fog of manipulation to the crystal clearness of reality. From weak to strong. If I can do it- so can YOU...WITH HORSES because that is who you ARE!!!