Happy New Years Eve Dec 31, 2013

Stay Straight and Focus:

As I rode Allie today in the field, I thought “stay straight and focus” on where you are going whenever she would turn her head to look back at the barn.  She would turn her head left or right, depending on what she was seeing off to the side.  I thought, “come on, girl, go straight”.

Then I realized my life was just like this.  I would try to go straight and stay on the course that I, or God, had chosen for me.  Then something would catch my attention and I would start looking to the right or left.  Sometimes I would keep going straight, but like Allie today, I had a hard time thinking of going straight as my attention would be on what was either to the right or left of me.  Sometimes, I wouldn’t go straight and would actually veer off course and start going to the right or left.

 

What is it that draws our attention off of our initial or desired path and makes us look or go a different way?  When we think we have our path clearly in front of us, and we start making plans to follow it, and we do start to follow it, why can’t we follow it to the end?  Before we realize it, there are little turns to the right and maybe even bigger turns to the left.  Sometimes, there are delays and something we have to go backwards a few steps.

 

I start to think that I am meant to follow the new path.  Why, what is wrong with the old path?  If I start the new path, do I know where it is heading or what I am suppose to do? Probably not.  But if I was not suppose to follow this new path, then why was the choice in front of me?

 

I begin to think that the path that I was initially on isn’t the path that I want to be on any longer.  The new path is taking me into a different direction, one that I wouldn’t have thought of earlier but now looks like a good choice.  Just like Allie wanting to take another route around a brush pile or through a field, maybe when there is a turn in our path we need to think that the new path is a better path.

 

New paths bring different choices.  New paths make us choose between old ways and new ways.  New paths bring a difference to our lives. 

New Paths.  New Choices.  New Ways.   Sometimes, different choices aren’t what we would want.  Sometimes they are sad, sometimes hard, sometimes they are ones that we don’t want, but once the choice is made, and we let ourselves change, sometimes we see that the choice make us a better person.  New paths make a wonderful difference in our lives if we choose to follow them.  One thing is for sure, though, we can only change if we follow different paths.  Make a change, make a choice, and become what you are meant to become.

As 2013 comes to an end, so does the old paths.  2014 will bring new paths, new choices, and a new way of life.

Change and Rewards

"Change is for the better. How can people ignore what seems so obvious because it would mean change." The book, "The Soul of the Horse", talks about doing what is best for the horse, and our relationship with them. Use logic and knowledge wherever found, searching and finding out what works for you. Ray Hunt would say that he is here for the horse.

“Just as a rainmaker doesn't quit until it rains, don't quit until you have what you want”. Continue working with your horse until you get the desired results. As you build a confident horse, the horse will change for the better. You will change into the herd leader.

“Some people think they will hurt the horse’s feelings. This is simply leadership in action. You would actually be building respect as the leader.” How true! Horses aren’t people and don’t need what people need. Horses aren’t dogs and don’t need what dogs need. Horses need what horses need. And that is a leader. One that they can trust to lead them to safety.

All horses need a good sleep, and in the wild, they will go to the center of the herd and lay down, where they feel safe. It makes me think that we need a good sleep too, somewhere where you aren't thinking about the day or what to do, somewhere where you can fall into a deep sleep, waking up refreshed.

Communicate with your horse. Be safe while doing that. Move your horse around, gaining the respect of the horse. Begin to speak the language of the horse. Like Joe says in his book, "who moves who".

Horses will never be dishonest with you. I have always said horses are black and white, they will always let you know where they stand.

Are you black and white with your horse? Where are the gray areas? What will you do, specifically and not in a general way, to change the gray into black and white?

Change is necessary as we grow in our communication with the horse.

I guess I will work on the general area of patience, but more specifically work on slowing down when asking for each step of maneuver.

What about you? Change how you handle the horse, change how you ride, change how you communicate with the horse?

Change is good. We learn to be better horsewomen and leaders.

Just as rewards are good. Horses need to be rewarded when they try or when they accomplish something. And I think horses need to be rewarded a little, maybe in the form of backing off some, when they are bad, as you can’t keep the “punishment” going on forever. The horse’s reward is “release of pressure”. When the horse does something you want, has some try with what you want, doesn’t understand what you want, may be getting a little worse than what you want, THEN release the pressure. Go back to where the horse understands and start over. Slower.

Have you ever watch horses in a herd. Even a herd of 2 or 3. Sometimes they are not kind teachers. They bite and they kick. They can look really nasty. But they get the point across. Move or I will move you. Now, there is no gray in that look.

Then have you ever seen that horse, that gets nasty with another horse, stand beside that horse and swish flies or let them eat hay with him? What happens when the nasty horse walks away? The other horses follow. They know who is the leader.

Continue to learn as much as you can. With learning comes understanding. You’ll learn what works for you and your horse and what doesn’t.

But the learning may take time. Getting the respect from your horse may take time. Be patient and take the time that is necessary. If you rush yourself, you will get flustered. If you rush the horse, you will go back 2 steps.

“Are you a person of action?” If you make the decision or suggest a choice when you are in a group, people start looking to you to make the next decision or choice. Making a decision is acting on your thoughts. When you work with your horse, you need to decide what you want the horse to do. It’s ok if it’s not quite the right decision, because the next time you ask, you will change how you ask or what you ask for, and that is how to get to the right decision for you.

How should we act around our horse? How should we act when we ride? How should we act when we approach to catch or just to rub some? We should be confident and act the same way in all that we do. Act like you know what you want to accomplish, even if you are unsure. Don’t act unsure, act confident. Maybe, in the same way we take the pressure off the horse when the horse doesn’t understand what we want, take some pressure off yourself. Go back a step to where you know what you want and where you are confident. Remember, respect from the horse goes to the confident leader. Whether the leader is on the ground or on the horse.

Now we are full circle and it come down to communicating with the horse, in the horse’s language. No gray and white areas. Be the leader. The horse will respect you for it. And not only respect you, but want you to be the leader.

And the horse will chose you!

“Embrace the Journey!”

Changes are Happening

November16, 2010




What can I say? Changes always happen. We look forward to some. We don’t look forward to others.

When changes come, we need to learn to accept what life gives us. We may like what is happening or we may not. But there is no use in being sad, or mad, or upset, or whining about it. We just have to make the most out of the changes and move on.

A saying that I like is “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” I truly believe that. We may not understand the why’s, but we can follow His direction. He will guide us down the path that He has chosen for us. Our creator knows us best.



Sometimes, changes are about not knowing what the future holds. The unknown is a biggie. That can be scary, but it can be exciting. I guess one just needs to think about what they want out of life and follow that path.

I do know that you need to do what makes you happy. Do what is healthy, not only for your body, but for your family relationships. Make the right choices for you, and with your spouse or the other important people in your life.

Isn’t it a great feeling to wake up, anticipating the day? Wouldn’t it always be great to have the feeling of “I can’t wait to start my day” or “I wonder what I can do today that is fun or that I’ll enjoy?” Sometimes, we get so much into a rut that we forget that we could feel that way.

Changes really do make you think. Where do I want to go in life? What do I want to accomplish? What would I change? How should I go about completing what I hope to complete? What does my life hold for me?


I’m content with the changes in my life. A new path is developing. I have a new focus that concerns my family, my husband, my children, and my grandkids. Our life has taken a change for the better, and I pray that the family feels the peace that will come with that change.

But with changes comes the sadness of all that we leave behind. Lots of memories that now we won’t be adding any more new memories to that time of our lives. But we take what we’ve done and what we’ve learned and move on. We take our knowledge to make a better decision of what we want to do now.

We make new memories. As my hubby and I change as we grow older, we will look forward to this enjoyable time in our lives. A time with grown children and our young grandchildren. It’s time for us to find that path in our lives that we both desire.