An Equine Personal Ad

WANTED: Human with imagination and enthusiasm, able to find a way to make anything fun and interesting. Must be able to laugh at my antics, understand my limitations and be generous enough to give me the time to find myself.  I love the outdoors, am looking to travel and see new places and will gladly learn a new language. Most of all, must be able to accept me as I am and be able to live in the moment with me every day. Serious inquiries only. Call 1-800-HORSE

Years ago, I began writing a story written from the horse's perspective about an old mare who had found herself in yet another home after being shifted from one owner to the next. My goal was to express the feelings of a horse at the other end of the lunge line, so to speak. Recently, when working with several different horses, including my newest guy, Wave, I realized that more than anything a horse wants to bond with us and then with each meeting, create a deeper connection. Horses are social animals and they thrive on the interactions between them and other creatures. If we constantly make demands of them, then they see us as bullies, that is, we are the horse in the herd who wants nothing more than to move their feet and push them around. Instead, we need to make ourselves more interesting to the horse to heighten their curiosity. If we bring something different to the experience each time we meet with our horse, they will always be drawn to us. This, in turn, builds a strong relationship.

In the beginning, I was like every other horse owner. I don't have a lot of imagination. My nature is to see something that needs to be done and organize the parts into a workable whole. I thrive on structure and predictability. I am in many ways a right brain introvert. In the past, if things got too hectic or the pressure on me in my life was too great, I would find a way to avoid it, run from it. It's taken many years of practice and desensitization to get me to realize that I can move into situations that could potentially scare me, each time able to gain the tools to deal with the scariness.

I had to learn to be more playful with my horses. I do have a good sense of humor and so it doesn't take much to trigger the funny bone in me and find the silliness in many situations. The difficulty was combining my highly organized mind with my silly, fun loving soul. Trust me, it takes work, but it can be done!!!!!

Our horses love it when we dance around, throw things in the air and create noises, as long as they are given a chance to absorb it at their own pace. Many times a horse just wants you to hug and love on them, touch them everywhere, like their mother did and make them feel like you are just another herd member looking to bond, instead of the bully that wants them to move away and DO SOMETHING! If you remember from the Seven Waterhole Rituals, this is the first one called "Sharing Territory".

I think what stops most of us from going out and bonding or playing with our horses is something called TIME! We have horses as a part of a sometimes busy or demanding life. When I first acquired a horse, I was working full time and had a home, husband and soon after that a newborn daughter. Guess who ended up at the bottom of the list of priorities? And yet, every time I went out to see my horse, I expected her to be ready for whatever I had in mind. Clinton Anderson used to say something like "My horse has 23 hours to stand around and do nothing, so when he's with me for 1 hour, I expect him to do what I want him to do." It seemed to make sense in the beginning. Why shouldn't our horses behave for JUST one hour and perform for us without resisting; is that asking TOO MUCH? But, as I have spent more time with the horse and better understand their nature, it turns out that they should be saying, "You've been gone for 23 hours and now you want me to just give you all of my heart and soul, mind and body for one hour without even taking the time to spend a few moments in my world?" "Would it kill you to just love and hug on me, let me roll, massage me, stretch my limbs, play nice music and interact in a playful, interesting way? Or maybe we could go for a walk to the park or you sit in the sun while I graze next to you."

Unfortunately, for a lot of us, the answer again is TIME-don't have enough in our every day lives. But, sometimes, it is just that we have not been able to let go and let our imaginations and our fun loving nature spill out into our precious few moments with our horses. I know it's hard. I work on practicing the art of just being with my horse every day I go to the barn. It's hard to teach people the art of being, but I will tell you that it is a process that you have to try. Once you experience it, you'll never want to go back.

This past week I was able to get on Waverley for the first time. Thanks to the great patience and kindness of Aimee, I now have a new partner. I have to remember to honor his wishes and when I answer his ad I will remember to have only the best intentions for a long life together. Call your horse today and start a new relationship. Here's the video of my first time "RIDING THE WAVE"!!!!!

New Guy in My Life

There's a new guy in my life. It's the first time in 25 years with horses that I've owned a gelding. I know everyone says that mares are temperamental and hormonal, but I find the relationship with mares to be similar to my friendships with women. There is so much more to their behavior besides a "boys will be boys" attitude. They bring something different to each day and I have been fortunate to find mares I could connect with at the deepest level. 

But in the last few years I have had the great fortune to meet and get to know several handsome geldings owned by my students. I am now riding a couple of them every week, giving me the opportunity to improve my own riding. I'm using one of the geldings, Twister, as a lesson horse for my experienced students. I really do enjoy "hanging out with the boys" and it is a nice change to have one of my own. He was given to me by his owner who had decided to get out of horses altogether after trying to sell him for almost a year. Waverley,( I call him "Wave") born on the fourth of July, is a 6 year old Arab with long lanky athletic features, a quiet playful temperament and big gorgeous feet. That last characteristic was especially important because I have continued to trim my own horses and just love having a "low maintenance" critter that I can trim easily. It has taken a while to get him to pick up his feet quietly, but I need to remember that the horse's feet are his primary source of escape and taking one away for even a second can be disconcerting. Even after 9 years, Chanty would only allow me to hold her back foot for as long as it took to pick the dirt out, then quickly took it back.

I took over full care of Wave about 3 months ago during which time we have been getting to know each other. The first thing that you notice about him is that he puts his nose and lips on everything, including me. He is sweet, but is unaware of horse and human boundaries. He is very playful and has spent more time moving the big ball in the arena than any other horse at the stables. His original owners described him as one who could get along with any of the horses and it's true. I introduced him to my other Arab, Image, a 16 year old mare, and within moments he was engaging with her in a soft, polite way. He's not pushy in a demanding way and does not defend his position aggressively. He's been ridden before but because I was not able to see it for myself in person, I decided to have an experienced trainer who makes a living starting new horses, ride him for the first time. 

She used the word "cool" to describe him and rode him at walk, trot and canter with a fluidity that I cannot wait to experience for myself. He may be the first horse I've owned, since Rosie, over 25 years ago that I can ride without concern for lack of experience. Wave is still maturing mentally and emotionally and that will improve with time but it looks like he has the physical prowess to perform at many levels. At my age I'm not looking for a high level dressage partner, but it would be nice to have a healthy horse to take to horse clinics, trail rides and maybe an open show in the future. Who knows? For now, we're going to take our time and enjoy each day. The picture up top was taken on a beautiful January afternoon here in the NW with sunshine and mild temperatures. We walk to the end of the driveway and sometimes over to the park, where someday he and I'll will ride together. I look forward to it. A new adventure, a new day with the new guy in my life.

A Life of Learning

The year is almost over and I am once again reflecting on what it has meant to share my days with horses. This year I have spent more time teaching young people to ride and had a very busy year of Centered Riding. I was able to attend a few clinics and riding lessons for myself and with experience have become a better instructor overall. This past fall, I took that experience and carried it to the classroom of a local community college where I was hired to teach anatomy and physiology to adult students. I was surprised at how quickly I adapted to the environment and was able to discipline myself to prepare for classes, which unfortunately, meant spending several hours at a time sitting in front of a computer. Standing up and speaking in front of a class, sometimes for up to 2 hours at a stretch was even more challenging. It turns out that my experience speaking to students on or off a horse in a large arena (usually with a microphone) gave me the confidence to speak "without notes" and present a large amount of material with the authority of an expert. I credit my ability to think on my feet to all the years of working with horses and students, not knowing exactly where the lesson on the ground or in the saddle was going to go, but remembering to keep my attention on what was right in front of me. That sense of presence kept me focused and allowed me to tap into the stored information in my brain, placed there after years of seeing or doing the same thing, over and over. It is that unconscious competence that allows us to automatically come up with the answer to a question or solution to a problem quickly and calmly. It made me feel so good to know that my unconscious competence reaches beyond my knowledge and skill with horses.

As life at school became more hectic, I found it more difficult to find time to give lessons as well as work part time as a health care practitioner. As my husband would say, you're trying to split " two halves of your time, THREE WAYS". I was not able to give my all to each of these activities and had to make a decision. Unfortunately, the decision was made for me, when my beautiful Chanty died suddenly in October.  Since that time I have given very few lessons and am still trying to work out a way that I can resume lessons for ALL of my riders, not just those who have their own horses. I am continuing to look into using another horse, one who belongs to a boarder at the stables and in the new year I will get back to giving lessons, as my job as instructor at the college does not start up again until the spring.

While I was struggling to manage my time between school, lessons and work I developed a very common physical symptom known as heartburn. When it first hit me, I dismissed it as being simply a temporary problem related to my recent food intake or caffeine consumption. I began taking an occasional Tums. That turned into an occasional pepsid, which became a twice a day pepsid. At times I would wake up in the morning with a burning sensation in my throat and runny nose from the irritation making it's way up the back of my airway. Ironically, the heartburn was at it worst when I was presenting a lecture on the autonomic nervous system and the role of the sympathetic branch to stimulate the fight or flight reaction. Without going into too much detail, this part of our nervous system allows us to respond quickly to danger or the presumption of danger. If I were a horse I'd be moving my feet with head held high, pupils dilated inside large eyes, nostrils flared, snorting and puffing up my body to look larger. Fear tells our bodies (and theirs)
to bring more blood to the heart and lungs and muscles of the skeleton, while shutting it off in the non vital areas of the stomach and intestines. In response, the acid in our stomach churns to try and digest even when there is not a lot of blood flow or movement in the stomach/intestines. The valve keeping the acid in the stomach weakens and up goes the acid into esophagus and your throat.

It was obvious that my life was out of balance. I was isolating myself in a world of deadlines and self imposed standards of excellence, convinced that I needed to make each A&P class, a high quality experience, even though I was not given the time or the resources to do it all. For much of my day, I was thinking about what I could be doing to prepare for classes in order to complete EVERY chapter in the allotted time, even though it meant presenting large amounts of material. This would put stress on me to have a large amount of information compacted in to each lecture and put stress on students to learn the material quickly in time for an upcoming exam. I became inpatient, short tempered and unable to enjoy the simple things in life. What had I gotten myself into?

It's called real life...unfortunately I was dealing with it in the very same way that many humans approach life...motivated by fear. Fear that you will not be able to complete your goals, fear that you will fail, fear that people will think you are incompetent, fear that you will get sick from the stress, fear that you will let someone down who looks up to you- fear, fear and more fear. Apparently, we are no different than the horse. Fear drives their behavior as well. As humans, we spend most of our time with horses trying to convince them that there is nothing to fear and that the internal message telling them to run, run, run needs to turn down the volume or turn off completely. How is that accomplished? With small steps-moments of fear, followed by moments of reassurance and relief. Each time they survive the few moments of fear, their confidence builds and so that when they encounter the same fear again, they are able to handle it. Doing TOO MUCH at one time overwhelms the horse and eliminates their ability to cope with the fear or react in a more controlled way. Once they adapt to their environment, they let go of what has passed and return to the present moment. I have used this method many times over the years when I first work with a horse, but completely forgot the lesson in it all when it came to my own experience. We as humans tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves that pushes us to respond as if our life were in danger. That stress, if not quickly relieved, changes our very physiology and throws off the balance in our mind and body. The longer the mind and body spend in this constant state of fear, the longer it takes to recover from its effects. We also tend to revisit the moments of fear frequently, as if we can change the outcome by reliving them over and over.

I have finished the quarter at the college and after 2 weeks am just beginning to regain my sense of balance. I have returned to spending more time with my horses (I was recently given another horse, a 5 year old Arab gelding....more on that in another blog) and have completely stopped taking the pepcid. I sleep better and I feel a sense of peace in my life, able to look outside of myself and enjoy the experiences of others. I can share my love of animals, friends and especially FAMILY at this time of year when it means so much to just have time with each other.

I told my college students that they should never stop learning, that they should consider themselves a student for the rest of their lives. In that spirit of learning, I can say that no matter how old you are, you are always susceptible to the effects of fear when it is allowed to rage out of control. I have learned that I need to work on something new in small increments, especially those things that take me out of my comfort zone. I need to give myself a break and relieve the stress of a new challenge with something that is familiar and comforting, even if it means taking a deep breath and allowing a moment of peace to wash over me in the midst of a busy day. Enjoy the beauty of nature, the love of family and friends and spend the day with your favorite horse. They will teach you all you need to know about life.

"See You Guys Later....Have Fun"

I've just lost a dear friend. We had been together for over 9 years. And in that time I'd learned more about myself and the people in my life than at any other time. She and I did not get along at first. She did not understand what I wanted from her and I was way too pushy. I expected a lot. We didn't even speak the same language. But, she stuck with me through it all, and with a quiet wisdom, waited for me to figure it out....all of it. Life, love, relationships, communication, compassion, patience, perseverance, dedication, drive, determination and most of all, to appreciate the things that are right in front of us....right now. Because at any moment, they can be taken from you, without warning. Don't waste time and energy worrying about what was or what could be, only WHAT IS!  That's what Chanty taught me!

Rogue's Sea Chanty age 18 (2011) 

Chanty arrived in my life in Sept 2004 after my other horse Sally had foundered for the 3rd time and was unable to continue being ridden regularly. Chanty's  previous owners found her hard to handle and rode her with both a twisted wire bit and a tie down to slow her (I know this is shocking, especially to those of you who have entrusted your 6 year old to her). After several attempts to control her this way, the young girl and her mother, who owned Chanty from age 5, decided to take a break. Soon after, the mother died and Chanty went out to pasture until she arrived at the stables where I was boarding Sally.  She was 11 and very overweight. The young girl, now in her 20s was selling Chanty. She was a registered Morgan, bred from a saddle seat champion mother. Because of her sturdy build and broad back, she was trained not only to ride, but to pull small carts. I recognized them both, as I had boarded at the stables where the young girl had kept Chanty in her early years.

I was in the market for another horse, but Chanty, a bit chubby and very unfriendly, didn't seem like the prime candidate for me. She was a solid horse, but stood at only 14.3, while I was used to riding horses 15.2 and above. Then, Chanty foundered after being on unlimited grass for several months, including the two months since she had arrived at our stables. The girl was desperate to find her a home, as she was planning on moving out of the area. I, unfortunately, knew a lot about caring for a foundered horse and in a moment of weakness agreed to buy Chanty from her for just $500.

Our relationship did not start off on a good note. I was just beginning to delve deep into "natural horsemanship" and let's just say, it didn't go very well. Chanty was scared, unsure of herself and ME, while I was inexperienced and way too aggressive with her. I remember a lot of pulling on her mouth and riding her from one wall to another, just to slow her down. She responded to even the slightest leg pressure or contact with extreme forward movement. The only reason I kept Chanty during all of this turmoil and beyond, was that she never once tried to buck me off. She tolerated my ignorance and my heavy handed methods for several years. In the days and months to follow, I would hear myself saying "I'm sorry" to her again and again. They are such forgiving souls....

I started this blog 5 years ago because I knew that when we write down our moments of discovery, it gives us a way to mark time and especially the progress (hopefully FORWARD progress) in our lives. This blog, of course, is all about my horse life and the peaks and valleys of that life with Sally, Rose and Chanty as well as other 4 and 2 legged friends that have joined us (including my beautiful girl Image). What I've noticed is that as the years have passed, the peaks have been higher and the valleys, not as low. I credit  that to my dear Chanty. Since taking her to my first Centered Riding clinic in 2009, my life with her, and my life in general has changed for the better. She and I had gone on many trail rides, small gaming and open shows as well as trips to the local fairgrounds, but it wasn't until we started on the path to becoming teachers of Centered Riding, did life really become a wonderful adventure. My confidence and abilities as a rider took off and I discovered something called "balance". Not just the kind that keeps you from falling down or off your horse, but the balance in life that comes from looking outside yourself to see what is really important: Love for other people through sharing of your knowledge and experience AND the beauty in watching nature's most perfect creature, the horse, move on the ground as well as in harmony with a rider in the saddle.

Chanty was with me when I received my certification as a Level 1 instructor. It was one of the proudest days of my life and I was so happy to share it with her. She and I then began to give lessons and from the first one to the last one just two weeks ago, Chanty performed like the steady, reliable partner that she was.  We now spoke the same language and she understood that I was asking her to accept many different riders on her back. She was patient with each and every one, but she made it clear that she would not tolerate the tension in their body or the gripping of their legs, nor the pounding of their weight on her back. When this would happen, Chanty would come to me and politely explain "you need to help this person to release their tension and explain how to move their body with mine". As I improved in my teaching, our conversations during a lesson occurred less often. She would simply give me a look and I would check the rider's position, followed by a small suggestion to help them change something in their body, sometimes with just a simple breath in and out.

I believe that Chanty's favorite moments were the time spent with the kids. I know they were mine. It was difficult in the beginning to shift gears from working with adults, mostly women my age, but slowly I began to acquire more and more youngsters. I had to tap into my imagination and use small toys and games to keep the lessons fun and easy. I've always played music when I ride or give lessons and I think Chanty enjoyed the rhythms that it inspired in her riders, young and old. Because of Chanty and the many kids she taught with me, I was fortunate in meeting some wonderful parents and families. The smiles she put on their faces will remain in my deepest memories for years to come.

Chanty gave me so much and allowed me to share it with so many people. As sad as it  was to say goodbye to her, I know in my  heart, she will always be there when I need her. I'll think of her when I'm riding another horse or when I'm giving a lesson in the arena. Most of all, I will think of her on those beautiful days when I will travel over to Willow Grove to see the shimmering reflection of the sun on the water, the soft green hills and the sand on the beach. It was one of our favorite places to spend time together because we could just walk right off the property from the stables and be there in minutes. I think, though, my favorite place to ride was the trails at the end of Stella and Harmony. She and I would canter into the woods,up steep hills with my husband trailing behind us on his mountain bike. I like to think that Chanty is in heaven right now and she would say the same words to me that Brian says at the end of this video, "See you guys later, have fun."

Trail Riding At Stella

Horses in the Moment

Have you been living in the moment? Which moment? ANY moment!!! Several have gone by while I am typing this and my goal today is to continue to stay in the present as I go out to play with my horses and instruct my students with theirs. I first learned about this when I began playing with my horses years ago, even though I didn't know it was happening. While they were watching me move around,  intent on my goal to get them to move in a certain direction and at a particular speed, my mind was processing and formulating patterns and evaluating my success with each attempt to place the horse's feet in the EXACT spot that I had imagined.

Then I began to notice that the more intense I was in my thinking, the more words I created in my mind AND the more my ego was invested in the outcome, the worse things got. Frustration set in and it was no longer about the horse; it was about me and what I had to accomplish to retain my ranking as "lead horse". But, instead of improving my leadership with the herd, I became the "bully horse", you know, the one who runs the other horses around, biting and kicking to get his place in the grass and sometimes for no other reason than to pass the time and blow off steam while he is with the herd. I say he, only because, my experience so far with horses has been that mares take care of the business of pecking order pretty quickly and then leave each other alone. As soon as there is a specific reason to move another horse, the lead horse does not hesitate to communicate with his/her body and move the feet of the "followers" and more importantly, STOP moving their feet when they have done what he/she has asked. This is the idea in the release of pressure or reward with rest that motivates the horse to bend to the wishes of the lead horse.

When you practice being in the moment with a horse, you are removing the need for ego in communicating and interacting with them. If there is a need for movement and cooperation, it is asked for RIGHT THEN and it is asked in a way that makes sense to the horse. Communicating so as to make yourself clear and establish a relationship is different than shouting and demanding so that you feel superior and dominant to the receiver of your message. They may get the message but it may not 'stick' so that it is easily understood the next time. Horses are similar to people in that respect. They appreciate clear, concise communication and they like having it repeated when they are in the process of learning. For horses, it usually takes 3-4 repetitions for them to get it. When humans bring ego into the equation, they also bring emotion, because it is inevitable that we will be unsatisfied with the response we get from the horse, if it doesn't match our own perception of what "right" is or how quickly it should be answered. Our emotions come out in our physical feelings of tight muscles, quick temper, rapid movements that may strike out and a loud voice with sharp criticism for the horse. This further erodes the relationship with the horse and in the end, isn't that the real goal? furthering the deep bond you have with your horse? Horses (like people) know when they are in the presence of another creature who lives in the moment, free of the restraints of egoic thought. They are drawn ever closer to them and become curious to know who this creature is and what he/she has in store for the next moment.

My beautiful Arab mare Image

Take time out of your day and spend a moment with your horse-no pressure, no plans, no expectations. See what the moment will bring and enjoy yourself!

Teach What You Know

Riding Twister at Instructor Clinic

Teach what you know? Well that could be a very short lesson...and was when I was a new Centered Riding instructor, just over 3 years ago. Looking back at my blog from that time, it was clear that everything was unique, as it applied to riding and giving lessons, with the simple concept of breathing offering new and exciting possibilities. I was astounded at how much our breath could affect the overall tone of our body, the opposite being tension. Tense muscles, means bracing in the body that usually pulls a rider off balance, leading to disruption of fluid movement in harmony with the horse. The good news was, if you were able to tap into your brain's awareness of breathing and produce a release of tension, you could then bring yourself to a wonderful balanced, vertical, centered position and your horse would love you for it. Simple, right???

It's become abundantly clear to me that Sally Swift's philosophy, which she so beautifully outlines in the four basics, while simply put ,carries with it, so many layers. Peeling away the layers led to my discovery of, to name just a few, the Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, Tai Chi, Zen and Buddhism, natural horsemanship, classical riding and liberty training. Becoming a Centered Riding instructor has taken me to a new level of understanding of nature as well as my own strengths and weaknesses. It has changed my attitude and approach to medicine and healing, of which I have been a part of as a practitioner for over 25 years. Becoming an instructor has tapped into my natural aptitude for teaching and given me the confidence to communicate in simple explanations while allowing me to express myself with humor that makes the time with horses and students so much fun.

Along the way I've also expanded my knowledge of the nature of the horse. I am now able to share that knowledge with riders who, I feel,  have a responsibility to the living, breathing creatures that allow them to sit on their back day in and day out. As the rider gains greater awareness of their own body, they are able to tune into the movements of the horse and the two mirror each other in what will hopefully be a beautiful flowing, harmonious dance. And to make sure, I like to play music during lessons to encourage the playful, natural rhythms to flow freely.

But...and this is the good news, bad news part of all of this. It takes a commitment and a discipline with lots of practice, to become a better teacher, a better rider, a better person. Centered Riding is not just about riding. It's about finding the true balance in your life-physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It's about letting go of the need to make or force things to happen and LET the process evolve, giving it as much time as it needs. Horses, it is said, do not wear watches, teaching us instead, to live in the present. Each step in the process of becoming a better instructor has led me to people with more information and insight and creative ways of explaining "the basics". It means that even if we stick to the basics, we will bring to each lesson the combined knowledge of those who encourage and inspire us. The possibilities are endless and limited only by your own creativity at bringing it to life for your students.  I've been fortunate enough to meet some of the top instructors in Centered Riding and I am proud to call each of them "friend".

Learning to Buttress Using Your Psoas
with Karen Irland (R) and Suzan Seelye (L)

Now when I walk into the arena and someone says, "teach what you know", I am able to honestly say "Oh, well let's just take a look at what you and your horse are up to today". Maybe we'll just spend time clearing the rider's mind of the stress of work and home with a simple shakeout , a few Tai Chi moves, and throw in a couple of yoga stretches for good measure. Beautiful music playing in the background sets the mood and after a few hugs for the horse after her own stretch and warmup, the rider is ready to mount. Today is not about what we accomplish in the lesson but whether horse, rider and instructor leave the arena feeling more centered and balanced....emotionally, mentally and physically, no matter how simple a lesson.

Yes, I do know a LOT more than I did over 3 years ago and yet I am just learning to bring the simplicity of Sally Swift's teachings to my life and prove that indeed less is more in everything we do. Thank you Sally. I am honored to continue the work that you so brilliantly began as a second career in the 1980s. Your life and work lives on in every one who dedicates themselves to the philosophy of Centered Riding and the simple but profound message in the four basics. Count me as one of the fortunate ones.

Merry Christmas to My Teacher, The Horse

I was able to go out and clean stalls today without any other plans for riding or teaching and for once I remembered what it was like in the past to own a horse or horses in a stable while faced with the many demands of life outside of the barn. The time I spent out at the stables back then, was more about maintaining than interacting with them and planning it as a learning and playful experience for both of us. I've been fortunate that I have the time to delve deep into my passion for horses. They are a vital part of who I am and what I've become. It made it all the more satisfying when I found myself sitting on the back of Image, riding her at a trot for the first time, just two days ago. This was one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

It was similar to last year when I was able to ride Chanty over at Willow Grove on Christmas Eve-that day I felt I had reached a turning point. The weather was gorgeous and I took advantage of the day. Chanty behaved beautifully and my love and respect for her soared. Since then we have gone to the park several times and there have been occasions when she has fought with me to return to the stables faster than I would want. Like little kids, horses have days when they just don't want to go along with what's being asked of them. But, because, she and I have a bond, she knows that she will have to comply even on the days she "doesn't feel like it". My challenge as the human and the leader, is to maintain my calm, confident demeanor. Being human, that doesn't always work out, but we both try to keep it together.

Now, I can expect the same of Image. She is calmer and more confident with people and she and I have a real connection. I look at her and no longer expect her to jump and run from me if I move too fast or raise a rope towards her, throwing it at her back and hip. She handles saddling and accepts the bit in her mouth. She stands still when I throw my leg over her back, whether from the mounting block or from the ground. She anticipates that I will pull on her mouth and tries to stop the whole riding process by shaking her head. But, it won't work. If I have to, I will jump off and lunge her by unclipping the rein from one side and lungeing her at a canter. She gets the idea.

I can honestly say that I feel closer to her each time I ride. With her hoof walls growing out, I am not afraid to push her physically to move out and develop the stamina and muscle tone she needs to accept more activity in the coming months. It is so exciting to have a budding relationship with a horse who I have been able to personally nurture. I have seen  the change in her emotions and I know that her brain has undergone a physiologic transformation that allows her to process her environment with greater calm and consistency. It is a quality in horses that I completely admire and envy. They are malleable, adaptable, flexible, or what ever you want to call it. We as humans do not return from the kind of stressful, dysfunctional life situations that we create in the horse and return as a whole, well balanced, productive and functioning person. Their survival has depended on it and it is what keeps me interested in learning more and more about the horse.

Image is the future for me and my life with horses and I happily join with her and Chanty on the adventures of the New Year where they will teach me even more about myself and the world we live in. Merry Christmas to my loved ones, family and friends and my teacher, the horse.