I'm not the only deer in the Forest

Act as if I'm in the Stables

Jul 07, 2024

Ginger and Audacity pole bending cup challenge

Bits

In the Stables. The group of girls came racing through the barn yelling and giggling, chasing one another and whooping as they ran. The calm scene turned to bedlam with formerly stoic chickens now fleeing for their lives and horses snorting their dissatisfaction inside stalls along the barn corridor, horse heads appearing over every stall gate.

"Are you kidding me girls? Stop running now! Is this how you've been taught to act in the stables?" thundered the owner and instructor of the Kaizen Farm1 riding stable. There was dead silence and chagrin on the girls' faces.

This was my first month of riding lessons and I was a complete newbie. I had moved from lead line to rein in hand. My reaction of disbelief at the young girls behavior was justified. Apparently we all have to learn to act right in the stables.

I was in awe of the five-year lesson riders. The girls seemed to know everything about horse care and exuded absolute confidence in handling the horses. I was assigned one of the older girls to help me put tack on my riding horse and remove the tack after my lesson. Only the competent were allowed to bridle and harness the horses.

The months went by and I learned to saddle and bridle my own lesson horse. After two years, I was gifted the opportunity to move from the bitey-britches Tabard to the semi-retired chestnut Welsh Cobb TB mare Audacity. She had so much hotness she was unrideable at times - her way ruled the day if her BFF the lead TB mare Mya was out of sight. Audacity is confidence and presence and all horsepower.

I first met her when she and Mya came thundering into the covered arena and interrupted the beginning Dressage class. What an entrance she made galloping with tail and mane flying in the wind thundering as only a huge Welsh Cobb fiery chestnut mare can do!

I wasn't afraid - for I was in awe. I fell in love at first sight with Audacity.

Bridles

Act As If I'm in the Stables. I learned to be calm, collected and focused around the horses. I learned to ride with a quiet seat. My habit of nervous fidgeting came to an end. Even shifting my riding jacket, windbreaker, or making sudden moves like batting at a horsefly or adjusting my riding helmet got nix-nayed. Audacity's sideways look upward at me showed her high training and sensitivity level in the saddle or during groundwork.

I am not the only deer in the forest. It's about how I conduct myself. It's about showing my respect to other creatures {often called people}. It's about how I appraise a situation. It's about how I learn to act responsibly. It's about how I adjust my emotions to act with strength and kindness not anger nor fear.

Ride On. I try to apply this discipline to life. Focus. Intent. Direction. Destination. I can see behavioral issues in people and ask myself how I would handle this with a horse. I certainly would not yell or scream or hit or call the horse names. When I remember to act as if I'm in the stables, I can keep my focus, my calm, a positive attitude, and set my intention clearly without getting knocked off track or kicked out of a stall.

At Liberty In The Arena. I learned to run with the horses. I discovered the book by Jonathan Fields2 - The Art of At Liberty Horse Training which provided the tools. A copy for me and a copy for the Kaizen Farm horse library turned into an incredible opportunity: Audacity was trained At Liberty. Guided by my instructor, Sarah Jerman, I learned to mirror Dressage patterns on the ground with Audacity. I danced with a horse. Just like my dream of doing Deborah Brüchle and Diabolo of Luxembourg seen in 'A Day By the Ocean' YouTube video here. A dream come true.

My last ride at Kaizen Farm stables was in June 2021. Due to many unforeseen events, my family moved to rural North Idaho. I decided to move with them. My heart longs for Audacity and the time we spent together. Her special snort and greeting by blowsing hay and snot all over my riding shirt was her favorite hello to me.

Horses are a gift from God.
My experience with Audacity is one of the greatest gifts I have received.

Drop The Reins

Forest Bathing. Stand beneath a weeping willow and feel the cool sprinkling of its dew on your skin. It is refreshing and wonderful. It happens on a hot summer day or a cool spring morning. The flow of words from a writer can draw a picture in such a way the reader feels the experience. Grandmother Willow is a favorite character of mine in the Disney movie Pocahontas3. Wisdom can be found in observing and experiencing nature firsthand.

This Tranquility. In nature it feels like one has stepped out of time. Time simply becomes moments. Moments of sensations. Seeing. Breathing. Listening. Feeling. Smelling. Experiencing. Time is not important in the moment. The moment is important.

This is Presence. I can act as if I'm in the stables here. I can act as if I am in the Arena dancing with a horse here. In the moment. When time stands still and I re-experience what it felt like. I am able to carry it forward into my current life moments.

This is Living. The moments that take my breath away. No great experience can ignore the Creator, the very presence of God. God is in the beauty, the joy, the gift, the moment, the epiphany a-ha! And, God can only be found in the present living moment. The Here and Now.

This is Life. Will you carry forward all the cares and worries that burden or will you take the moment to recapture Joy, Beauty, Grace, and God. This is what I have come to know as finding my Sweet Spot. Amidst the Storm, there is a place I can stand in Calm. In the midst of Grief, I can accept the Heaven’s embrace and express my sorrow as well as tears of joy standing in God's love. In the darkness of terror, I can stand bravely for I have won spiritual battles before in the power of God.

I drop the reins and place my trust in God. I am free to focus on doing my best today [at whatever I face] and leave all the outcomes to Him - where they belong.

Ride on & Drop The Reins.