08/24/2026
If I could get one message through to all my kids and every other horse kid out there, it would be "slow down". There is no rush to reach the next achievement, no competition, there is no need to try to keep up with the older kids, you're not too "grown up" to enjoy anything. You don't need to try to reach forward, what you have NOW is so special, so incredible, you'll be chasing this feeling for the rest of your life.
Remember when you thought about your horse and got bubbles of excitement? Wanted to squeeze something because you just love them so much! Every time you think about the next fun thing you're going to do together you buzz with excitement.
Remember sitting in the car and imagining riding a horse along the road side, cantering, galloping, flying over the jumps. Practicing our canter leads and fancy trot around the school yard?
Horse magic doesn't go away, but it becomes harder and harder to feel through the foggy mess of real life responsibilities, partners, jobs, bills, families, those glimmering moments become more and more rare. We chase it endlessly. We look for those moments in every little aspect of our lives with our horses. I find them easier to find when I watch kids play with the horses, I remember what the dream felt like.
My horse mom always told me that you will NEVER love a horse like you do with your first horse love. Not because you love the rest any less, but because your life and mind become crowded, there isn't as much space for them.
You know where these moments pop up most? Not when we're winning a show. Not when we're bragging to our friends or achieving a new goal. They're in the small, quiet moments in between it all. Today I sat on a stool and combed every hair on Wispy's perfect little legs, trimmed away from every little scabby from bugs and fungus, dabbed Coat Defense on each little spot. This was it. This was the little moment of magic I've missed. Gently tending to their needs, quietly communicating without words, sharing space and being a comfort to each other. We find it in teaching a new trick for no reason, just because it's fun for us both.
When we're young we're always trying to reach the next goal, be better than the person next to us, grow up fast and grow "too cool". But as they rush through their childhood they're rushing through those precious moments of pure horse love. Where all you have to think about is YOU and THEM.
