New Year, New Horses

When haltering from the same side continuously evokes protest, try haltering from the opposite side. You’ll discover you can still tie the knot correctly even without looking.

It might feel like all of a sudden when you realize those dreams you had that seemed to exist in only some far lost distant future are actually happening right in front of you in this very moment.

Some afternoons we just need to watch the squirrels from over the fence.

You have to let the good days go just like the bad ones. Today was a good day but don’t carry that forward as a prerequisite for tomorrow. Today was a bad day. And that’s not a future indicator either.

Don’t assume someone who asks for help knows less than you.

To rest and to celebrate can be the same thing.

Progress is noticing how things are different rather than how things are the same.

Healthy horses appear healthy.

Some days the horses know when it’s me who needs the extra care. I often forget that they’re capable of carrying us in more ways than one.

When the weather is nice, nap outside.

Know the difference between a grip and a hold.

Moving horses from environments they are born or bred for will affect them. Taking a desert horse and moving to the tropics is a big change.

Horses bust through metal fences too.

Some trauma is just unravelable.

Some teachers never let the student become the teacher. The best teachers are those that tell the student they are ready to become the teacher even before the student feels ready.

Inspired by Glennon Doyle with Amanda Ripley: We don’t see people (horses) for who they are, we see them for who WE are.

When they aren’t heard, they either shut down or shout louder.

It’s really fun to have a partner in a horse who is more excited to venture on the trail than to venture back home.

I’m constantly asking: Can I create an environment in which they feel:

Safe

Seen

Soothed

Secured

There is hardly ever a time when I don’t feel better after spending an afternoon in the barn.

There’s a difference between scared fear and curious fear. Curious fear shows that they can hold a little worry but still want to explore and learn.

Follow trends in modern parenting to learn more about trends in taking care of animals. Just as parenting have evolved from the prior generations, so too has our understanding of horses.