Body Positivity Part I: Restriction
Real talk, I’ve never felt that my body was welcome in the horse world. I’m to curvy, to brown, and don’t have the hard sculpted edges that most riders in mainstream media are portrayed with. My height, a tall 5’9, is the only concession to conformity that I possess. From a young age I was told that my body needed to change if I wanted to achieve my goals. That I needed to lose the baby fat, get on a diet, and run 5-7 miles a day. I was 12, going through a hellish growth period, and not that it matters but I
Basilio: Looking to The Future
This summer Basilio turns 3. Which is mind boggling, I feel like 2017 was just yesterday, that I blinked and somehow a new decade arrived. 3 years old is a big milestone for any young horse. Their bodies are significantly slowing down in their growth, and their brains are catching up too. You’re on the tail end of babyhood and there’s no denying that sooner than you think you’re going to have an adult horse on your hands, one who’s ready to start work under saddle. I was initially planning on sending Basilio out to get started by someone else. I’ve never started a
I Don’t Want To
Since the 1st of this month everyday I've been making a committed effort to do the things I don't want to. I don't want to eat healthy. I don't want to exercise. I don't want to organize my day. I don't want to set short term goals. I don't want to plan out my life. I don't want to wake up early. There are so many things I don't want to do. Things that are hard. Things that are persistent issues in my life that aren't going away anytime soon. While writing the things I don't want to do down and confronting them I realized how much I tell
Exhausted
Today I'm exhausted. You know the kind, it settles deep into your bones, and makes your eyes heavy. On days like this I remind myself that it's perfectly ok to be tired. That it's ok to rest, just don't stop. And while I could feel guilty about pushing the pause button I'm not going to. I'm of no help to my horses if I can't muster the energy to be there for them 100% of the way. Today I'm resting. Tomorrow I'll start fresh and keep moving forward. And that's perfectly ok. And when I feel the panic settling in, that voice whispering that
Yearling Chronicles: March 2019
This month Basilio and I are working on getting him to move off of pressure. We started the basics of it when he was younger but I haven't dedicated the time to defining it in a more specific manner with him. This week I started I started asking for a small step of him yielding his hind quarters away from me and the pressure from the whip. I repeat the process in both directions, my end goal and hope is that this will set him for a turn on the forehand and eventually yielding away from leg pressure. So far he's getting
Dreams
2017 one of my life long dreams finally came true. On July 30th Basilio was born, and after riding everything and anything under the sun I was finally able to say that I had my dream horse. He has his dad's uphill canter and clean changes, and his mom's fire and love of being fiddled with. I was so excited to watch him grow and develop. Every day I spent as much time with him as I could, getting him used to being handled, or even just brushing his mom and watching him explore the world. I'm pretty sure the first day
March 2019: Updated Playlist
About 90% of the time that I'm at the barn I'm by myself, which means that I'm filling the silence music. My playlist honestly doesn't change much it's filled with music that motivates me and sets the tone of working my horses. Whether I'm free lunging, riding, or just getting some chores done, having a sound track is sometimes what keeps me moving through my time at the barn. There's also nothing quite like riding your horse to your favorite song, it's a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything. Here are the songs that are my driving force this month and some
31 Posts in 31 Days
It's two months into 2019 and while I've been fairly productive the past couple of months the feeling that I could and should do more has been nagging at me. Finding my footing on this blog has been harder for me than I thought it would be, which is a big reason why I defer to sharing rider profiles. It's so much easier to tell someone else's story and to show the greatness they've accomplished. Because of this I've decided to post once a day, every day, for the month of March. I'll be honest, this is going to be a challenge for me. I
Training Update: February 2019
We're about halfway through Winter which has me ridiculously excited for warmer weather. One of the ways I've always coped with the cold is channeling my energy into working towards my training goals with my horses. Not only does it take my mind of what always feels like an endless onslaught of cold once February rolls around, but it also feels super rewarding to see the results of my hard work once Spring pops up. This is the second Winter I've had two horses, it's a balancing act to make sure they both get the attention they deserve, but it's one that I
Rider Profile: Deb
Interviewing my friend Deb last October was one of my favorites. It was a beautiful fall day with the perfect weather. What I appreciated most about interviewing Deb was how much talking to her reminded me of this simple truth: we are so, so, so lucky to have horses in our lives. As horsewomen and men I know from personal experience that it's easy to get caught up and take for granted how much love and trust our horses give us. I hope you enjoy Deb's interview as much as I did, and that it reminds you how important it is to