planBE

The year I turned 50. Technically I don’t « feel » different, but it’s a big new decade for sure. Aside from the mental and emotional impact of the pandemic, I also lost some significant people in my life and finally came to understand how finite my time is. And, perhaps more importantly, at least for those of us who always think we should be better, richer, thinner, stronger, fitter before we do THE thing … I chose to just jump off the cliff now while I still have four functioning limbs (and a brain) to do THE thing. One thing is for sure, time will not make us younger. Enter my 230 km horseback expedition across Alberta, and my 70 km horseback expedition to the bottom of Argentinian Patagonia. The trips of the outdoor « plumbing ». Neither trip caused me any significant pain in my left hip despite my concerns, and both delivered mega experiences. I learned how to dress for sleep when the temperature drops below zero. I learned how to pack my saddle bags for a long day without shade. ...

Annual Trail Rides 202/200 (Bareback 29/40) Ive been reminded of the zen proverb about the empty cup a few times these last few months, and I think it is such a powerful analogy when it comes to learning and growth. Obviously, horses are an incredible catalyst to self-awareness, learning and growth and my Q is no exception. The zen proverb is based on a zen master receiving a student who has come to learn but spends all his time explaining to the master his great accomplishments and successes. The zen master invites him to tea and then proceeds to filling his tea cup until it is overflowing. The student exclaims while the tea is spilling over the the table, and the zen master says "you are like this cup. Overfilled. I can not add to your learning until you empty your cup." Its come to my attention recently that Q prompted me to empty my cup a few years ago, and it continues to be something I am working on. It started when he first arrived, and I could not touch his ears or pu...

Alaina from Alberta Equest started this thread and I merrily follow in her footsteps, minus the creation of a baby human. Some great questions to ponder over this most unusual year. What's the best thing that happened to you in 2020? Personal: After years of being in the precarious position of a contract sessional at the university, I finally secured a two year term as a Faculty Lecturer. I will never have the tenure or permanency of a professor (no PhD) but this is a great outcome for me as I balance between teaching and consulting. Horsey: The summer of canter made a big improvement in my trail confidence and helped Q learn to relax into a beautiful cantalope on the buckle. What's the worst thing that happened to you in 2020? Personal: Had to cancel some pretty cool travel plans, but in the big scheme of things this seems pretty benign. March was supposed to have me spending time in Tajikistan and Istanbul, and then there was a plan to return to Europe in the late spring. At ...

Four years ago today I made a scary decision of offering to purchase a 3 year old untrained andalusian stallion from Florida, sight unseen. It flew in the face of everything I thought about purchasing a horse. It was all business, and based on the breeders understanding of what I wanted to do with the horse. The breeder had 20 colts and fillies of the same age to sell, and my Q was the least dressage flashy and the most in-your-pocket of the bunch. And his conformation made him well suited for working equitation or western riding. We did fly down to meet Q and the breeder before we had him shipped from Florida to Quebec in the spring. But by then the wire transfers and vet checks were done. It was more like an arranged marriage kind of meeting. It actually turned out to be smart, because once we got there and saw all the other horses, I was in awe of the tremendous beauties also for sale. Had I not already made and executed on my (rational) choice, I might have made a different cho...

I have thoroughly enjoyed everyone's decade retrospective, sparked by May as Well Event Picture Challenge . I have loved reading the history of blogs I have been following, and have added a few more to the mix. But it sure was a challenge to find some good pictures from those early years.  2010 seems so long ago, given how much my life has changed in these few years. It was a ho-hum year, with lots of work stress, and riding with my mom and our two palominos (my first mare on the left, and her son on the right). We logged lots of trail miles and I convinced my mom to do some local showing with me, including a pairs class. Note the Elvis outfits for our pairs pleasure class. Hilarious! 2011 is most notably marked by my meeting my husband-to-be and us spontaneously being engaged within 3 months and married within 6 months on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. We had a lovely honeymoon and wedding trip on the islands and New Zealand and became quite fond of the isl...

It has been a big year, I might even say epic. My first full year of starting a new business, teaching three new graduate courses, launching a Masters program, travelling, riding bareback for the first time in 30 years, living in Budapest for 5 weeks. It has been a year filled with freedom, worry, success and challenges. It has been a year of lessons learned and balance regained. I have also hit 97 blogposts for my first year, and I think that is something to celebrate! It sure is fun to go back and remember the highlights of the year. I can only imagine what that will look like a few years from now. So, as my final blogpost of 2019, here are my lessons learned, but not yet mastered. Lesson #1 - Do the thing. And let go. I should title this "gallop on the buckle". Such a difficult thing to do. My natural M.O. would prefer to "lope on the contact" as it provides some speed with much control. My highlights this year all have bold action in common: cel...