Trails were lovely today and the sun was shining. Our trail buddy was very tolerant of trotting up his butt, as I had little control with my phone in hand. I was lucky to not drop my gloves or phone in my filming sequences.
There is something different about birthdays that end in 0. A silly human tradition, but one I embrace as well. I can honestly say that this birthday has me at my highest level of contentment. My 20th birthday was in a context of uncertainty, my 30th birthday was in the turmoil of massive change, my 40th birthday was in a context of newly married but professionally dissatisfied ... which brings me to this day. Today, I am healthy and strong. Nothing hurts today (although that's not always true) and my body seeks fresh air, movement and the beauty of nature. Today, I am in a wonderful relationship with my husband who I adore. The experiences we create and embrace are magical, no matter if they happen in our backyard or on the other side of the planet. Today, I work for joy. Gone are the days where I am chasing promotions, raises, rewards and approval. I pick my projects and gigs based on the joy and energy they provide me. I rearrange my schedule to accommodate my lifestyle. I work...
I had a plan. My horse had another. I wanted to canter. My horse wanted to bolt, spook, and gallop! So we trotted and cantered up hills and across trails until the poor guy was winded. I let him walk and catch his breath, which of course is a little challenging when he is still jigging. I thought he had calmed down and we could start practicing canter transitions when a pheasant startled in the bush. Poor Q was wired! So we kept on trotting until finally 10 minutes later he asked to walk. I got this little clip after thirty minutes of trotting and just before he asked to walk. He is looking a little sedate, finally. Eventually I got to do some canter work on a wider stretch of the trail. At first the circles were ovals but eventually Q figured out my game. Which got me thinking ... will I ever gallop? My old timer cowboy trainer told me many moons ago to be very careful about never “opening up” my QH on trail. So we kept our speed to hand gallops in closed spaces. But many trainer...
Tough week. Had me wondering if it was the full moon or some planet in retrograde. Everything seemed to be souring, and my level of irritation was at an all-time high. And then, out of the blue, a client team shared their gratefulness with me. An unexpected gift. Reminded me of the ted talk on gratefulness leading to happiness. Worth a listen. Ted Talk on Gratefulness Ted Talk
I do a lot of singing on the trail but have done it more to relax my breathing and establish a rhythm especially for trotting and cantering. I never thought it had any particular benefit to my horse until I watched this beautiful video by Robin Parrish on facebook this morning. Enjoy, and hope it inspires you to add some music to your routine. Music from Robin Parrish
Annual Trail Rides : 15/200 With the wind chill it is bitterly cold today at -20C. That with some sore muscles after yesterday’s ride makes me very happy to take today off. Yeah, working day! The woods are exceptionally beautiful this week, and the footing is crisp and crunchy. Ive been seeing mirages of the Rocky Mountains through the treetops as the snow has hardened and created stiff peaks. I find it fascinating to be transported to a different world by a light change in perception. Maybe you see it too? Had a good ride out with the BO yesterday. We are reconditioning one of her riding horses, so the pace was 33% slower than usual but we still got in some lovely jogs and lopes. Q continues to express his displeasure with his radar ears and body tension when the other horse edges too close. But a little heat of my calf takes away some of his worries (although there are probably lingering “bunnies in the basket” as per Warwick Schiller . He prefers to lead, or follow ... but this sid...
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