It happens this time every year. The horses let loose of their winter coats and the hair comes out almost in chunks. The kids who come to Shayna Meadows for equestrian programs giggle with delight and amazement over this and talk about making pillows or sweaters out of the hair. It is always astounding to […]
This time of year, it feels like winter is going to last forever. Even though we have had some warm weather recently, the sky is gray and the earth brown and we are longing for blue sky and green grass. One of the things that gives me hope that spring and brighter days are coming […]
Over the holidays, I saw two movies…new releases, in the theater even, which is rare for me as the closest theater is over an hour away. I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Darkest Hour about Winston Churchill. I tell you, in some aspects, they were the same movie. Here’s what I mean; […]
It’s a phrase I remember hearing when I was a kid learning how to ride, and in particular, jump horses. My frustrated instructor would shout this at me when I had been unable to get the horse I was riding to go over a jump. Maybe he was running around it (called “running out”) or […]
I offer this story from my post-surgery days last month as a bit of humor as well as a small illustration of the power of hope. On the eve of the four week mark past my surgery, I was feeling good and pretty proud of myself that I hadn’t been overdoing it (not too much […]
I have written about patience—and how I would like more of it–before, but at the moment it is a concept I am finding I need to revisit. I am 2 1/2 weeks out from a hysterectomy and my doctor gave me strict instructions not to exercise for SIX WEEKS after surgery. When she told me […]
Every day I walk the gravel driveways between my house and the office/arena several times and just recently I noticed a little Queen Anne’s Lace growing in the middle of the roadway. We’ve all seen those plants that find a way to grow in these harsh conditions where it seems improbable, and this flower is […]
So this happened in a session with a young client the other day. This boy has something he wants badly to do in the fall and so we set that as a goal and I invited him to build an obstacle course that gets to that goal, knowing that the things he needs to do […]
Zhivago July 1996-April 2017 If the definition of courage is facing what scares you, then Zhivago was a very brave horse. He was afraid of a lot of things…strange noises, things flapping in the wind, rabbits, ant hills, being alone, barking dogs, and even his own shadow on occasion…but when I asked him to […]
Every horse owner knows that spring is a challenging time to care for horses for 2 main reasons: shedding and mud. Those of us crazy enough to own horses are all too familiar with the “Ugh” feeling of going out to get your horse for a ride and seeing him covered with crusty…or worse wet…mud. […]