Sunday, May 19, 2024
I Am A Proud & Grateful ‘Horsewoman’
Friday, May 17, 2024
What is a Horsewoman?
Brave not stupid
Independent thinking
Creative
Good balance and agility
Forgiving
Optimistic
Good boundaries
Wise
Sensitive listener
“Core values of good horsemanship cluster around calmness, consistency, and fairness.”
Lots of quality time (she explained that by this she meant that when we spend time with our horses we should tune everything else out and be solely focused on our horse.)
Observation (she observed that I need to take T Boo off the green grass.)
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Forget the Goals
I finished The Compound Effect, recommended by my oldest son, and then hearing that we were interested in that subject, my youngest son recommended another, Atomic Habits.
So far, there is definitely some overlap, but Atomic Habits is going off in even more mind-blowing, wonderful directions.
Forget the goals, which motivate you temporarily, and for the wrong reasons, and go straight to the heart, the systems.
Instead of saying, when I accomplish this I will be that (goal thinking), you embrace being that thing you want to be right now and changing the entire system to sync with your identity.
If you’re training for a marathon, you are a runner
Once again, I got to thinking about my horse life with T Boo (Tweed), and all the others—I have goals—but what is my basic operating system?
I am a horsewoman.
My greatest need from my horses is to connect with them.
Way down on the totem pole is my riding relationship, yet most of my “goals” are wrapped around riding.
What if I concentrate more on the overall system—connecting with them as much as possible?
It is freeing to think of it from a systems standpoint, rather than a “goal,” which seems temporary, utilitarian, and impersonal. The system should, if organized right, take us past the “goals,” and onto something far superior to them.
****
The vet came out today and gave Epona everything she needs for training next month. She was happy to see Epona again, and as one of the team of caregivers, she had a vital part in getting her here.
In fact, a lot of people participated in getting Epona to this point in her life. It kind of feels like she’s everyone’s horse.
We’re going to take her down on June 8th, but we will really miss her.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Horse Challenges at Home: Other Horses
Of all the distractions training at home, other horses might be the most challenging, especially when they’re all out grazing where your horse in training can see and talk to them. Our arena and roundpen are surrounded by pasture, so the horses at liberty can come right up and watch, call out to Tweed, and taunt him with their grass eating.
The book I’m reading, The Compound Effect, is truly inspiring…and convicting.
I believe I already mentioned that it talks about how your positive investments compound in your life, slowly at first, then exponentially faster later.
But it also talks about how your negative habits do the same thing in reverse, eventually derailing you from your goals and your “why power.”
He also points out that you are 100% responsible for the choices in your life. It’s not 50/50, 75/25, or 99/1. You are responsible for your life. No excuses. No blaming someone else.
This has been a challenging year, and I was getting in the mindset that I didn’t have time to train/ride, exercise, or eat healthy, because I was so busy with my new responsibilities.
That was incorrect thinking, and I am trying to fix it.
One thing I’m doing is making sure I work with Tumbleweed everyday, even if it’s a short session. No excuses. My time constraints dictate that I stay put and not haul away every time I want to ride Tweed, which equals a little more work, but probably more gain, too.
Today, we were doing our thing, half circles and lope, trot, lope transitions, and the pony, Lily, came over to watch and talk to Tumbleweed. She’s low on his hierarchy, but it was distracting.
Tumbleweed’s world goes like this:
#1 Foxy (by far)
#2 Epona
#3 Beautiful Girl
#4 All the rest
So, Lily wasn’t the Big Bang, but she was a reminder that they were all eating grass while he was having to tune in and work.
I am very proud to say that with very little correction Tumbleweed gave his attention back to me and completed his training. I made a big deal over him, then released him with the herd on a positive note.
This ability to tune into me when he is with me will pay dividends out on the trail when he could easily become distracted and unsettled by the other horses I’m riding with or the unexpected people, dogs, wild animals, birds, and bikes we will most certainly meet on the trail.
It is an investment that will compound little by little, but eventually pay off BIG.
Happy Mother’s Day, cowgirls! I hope you’re enjoying your fur babies, and human ones, today.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Horse Challenges At Home: Toddler Energy
We received our photos from Britt Harvey Photography, and I’ll be adding them to the next few posts, starting with a few of my grandson, the topic of this post, The Challenges Working Horses At Home.