11/01/2026
Good Morning ~Happy Sunday 🎉
I post photos, stories and updates, for only 1 reason-to inspire others to consider what we do, (to help others).
There are so many misconceptions about this life, success, failure, the right road, and on and on, that it’s easy to feel confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, or 100 percent confident in our choices, all the while missing it completely.
I’ve been all those things and maybe even more at one time or another.
In my current moment, if I’m not sure of anything, I’m sure of this one thing, what we do here changes lives for the better.
Here’s a photo of a former student/Drill Team member, and the amazing thing about her was this:
She did what I said!
She didn’t always understand, hear, remember, or etc. but what did resonate with her, she did to the letter.
She came here with no horse experience, and was too tall, for all of our other ‘lesson’ horses. After much consideration, I pulled this horse out of the pen, as she was impressed by him, and told her that ‘if’ she was willing to take the time that it took to learn how to ride this horse, I’d show her the journey this horse needed to go down, and I’d teach her how to ride off the horse, so that when the horse was ready, she’d be ready too.
She smiled from ear to ear and said her version of, “I’ll do it.”
I’m not sure 🤔 if she knew what she was agreeing to, but she never wavered, complained, whined, or gave up.
She showed up early, and when it was allowed, stayed late. She never asked too much about any of the other horses, her heart was committed to this one. She did everything wrong at least twice, and we both laughed. Some of the things she did wrong was: Pick up all of his feet (when I told her to wait for me), put his tack on backwards, sideways, and inside out, groom in the wrong order, with the wrong grooming implements, use the wrong tack, and etc.
But, what she never got wrong was love, kindness, patience, perseverance, and self control, the things that matter most to all horses.
While everyone else was riding their horses on the Drill Team, and in practices, she was doing this, leaning over him and playing games on the ground with him, that built their relationship and confidence in each other.
She arrived in our Homeschool program in November, and by April she sat on him for the first time, and June 3rd rode him for the 1st. time. I’ve found 6 months of physical, emotional, and mental therapy is the minimum required for each horse to feel comfortable and confident enough for us to sit on them for our first time.
I would give more details about him, but for today that’s not the focus of this story. Today, I’m reflecting on the journey of the rider, our hopes, dreams, and the process of becoming who horses need us to be.
You see learning how to ‘ride’ in a manner that doesn’t harm the horse takes effort, time, and a skilled teacher, who understands the process to help us.
We can be a highly skilled rider, yet damage our horses all day, every day, if our motives are wrong 😑. I’m here to tell you that until we have the attitude of this girl, our motives can actually kill our dreams of having our horses want to partner with us.
You see until we begin to care more about the horse, their health, welfare, and what matters to them, we’re just another human in the long lines of humans who only think about what a horse can do for us. Any time we approach anything with the attitude about what’s in it for us, we take every shortcut imaginable, and pat ourselves on the backs for our time saving, cost cutting ideas.
When it comes to any living and breathing thing wanting to be around us, it’s all about the sacrifice of time, patience, kindness, perseverance, love, and self control.
When it comes to expediency in skills of riding, we learn the fastest off the horse, or on the end of a rope, with someone who is skilled with teaching biomechanics and kinesthetic awareness.
Here is her photo story from 6 months of not riding to the 1st time on the horse.
She will always be an inspiration to me! Thanks A!💙
