The Turnaround

A force to be reckoned with

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Bits

The 4th Turning maximus (Latin)

The wind blows where it will, powered by a force to be reckoned with.

Mary was a seasoned rider, but this day she chose to ride a green horse out on the trail. The young horse named Dixie was spirited, long legged and quite a handful. Mary chose a mountain trail, one that she had traveled before on her older mare, but she had not followed the path all the way through the mountain pass.

After passing familiar landmarks and known trail spots the duo continued climbing the side of the mountain. After several minutes of the trail narrowing, Mary became a bit nervous about continuing, but decided Dixie was handling well and so she pushed forward. The trail became more twisted and with each turn of the rocky pathway, the face of the cliff was closer to them. The young woman began to search for a safe place to turn the horse around and head back down.

The trail had started to crumble at the edge, and as they were up high on the mountain, the descent over the side would be perilous at best. She decided at the next switchback, no matter how narrow, she would turn the horse around.

Mary and Dixie breasted the next corner only to discover the entire path ahead in the distance had fallen from a rockslide and there was no turnaround spot available.

The young horse quivered below her and exhaled a deep blow from its lungs. Mary sat in silence on the young horse. She had made a terrible judgment call. Their certain death warrants just got signed. They were up against the cliff rockface and the trail was too narrow for a turnaround and there was no trail to go forward. They would certainly go over the edge and end up far below in the canyon. Mary spoke:

"Well, girl, it's up to you. I can't get off and we can't turnaround without us both going over the side."

Mary calmed herself and breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. She had heard stories of trail riders coming to an impasse, and with a True Blue horse or a Pure Gold horse, there is a way possible. But she was on a green trail horse, an inexperienced and young horse, without a bond to Mary and without the proper muscle development in the hind end to accomplish such a feat.

Mary dropped the reins and reached forward carefully to slip the bridle from Dixie. Then she spoke softly and reassuring to the young horse:

"I am going to give you free rein and let you figure this out. This is not your fault. It is my fault. I am so sorry for putting us both in this spot. But if you can figure it out, you can get us out of here."

The young horse seemed to understand. Dixie stood quietly with Mary still in the saddle for some moments. Then the young horse shifted her weight to her back haunches and rose up suddenly, placing her left hoof on the cliff face. Slowly, with a weight shift and swivel, the right hoof rested on the cliff face too. By hoof placement and weight shift and slight swivel, maintaining the rearing position, Dixie used her front hooves as guides as she turned herself and Mary around on that narrow thread of a trail path. A successful turnaround and both horse and rider descended the mountain trail together.

Green to Pure Gold

Dixie went from being a green horse to Pure Gold that day on that high mountain trail. And Mary has never ceased telling the story of herself, Dixie, and The Turnaround done by a magnificent, loyal-hearted, brave, and highly intelligent young horse.¹

Bridles

The 4th Turning maximus (Latin)

Preparing for the Storm.

This is about stretching and reaching beyond what I think I can do. Preparing and equipping for the times I will meet eminent disaster face to face. My heart must be strong enough for boldness. I must be ready to do what needs to be done bravely.

This is true on many levels. It can mean showing up and grooming a horse before groundwork in the arena. It can mean slipping the sketching of the Dressage course under the sleeve of my riding shirt to remind myself of turns and gaits. It can mean wrapping the rope around the pommel of the saddle just right to grab at a full gallop. It can mean taking the time to visualize the right path forward.

Or, it can be placing the oil paints on the palette in just the right spot and just the right amount to do another painting session. This trial period of oil painting for me is out and out War, an impasse, a fall-off trail. I am learning new skills, new techniques, and using new mediums.

When I bravely show up into a defined space of air and temperature, oil paint and Galkyd, brush movement and colours all meeting on a canvas - I am a warrior! I must complete my day's mission before the elements interact and become too tacky to push and mix to create all the lovely shadows and highlights - a glorious mess of buttery paints.

Green to True Blue

The skills and proficiency will build in time with practice and dedication. It takes a bit and a bridle to go from green to True Blue.

Drop The Reins

The 4th Turning maximus (Latin)

When the wind arrives.

This past couple weeks has been a challenge to drop casually into a lifestyle I have dreamed about for over 50 years: becoming an equine oil painter.

I am humbled to say. I had to get on my knees and pray for courage and belief in myself. I am not a technical artist, nor a commercial artist. I feel the creation of my artwork deep in my soul and I die many deaths over when I think I have not done my best. An artist knows.

Over my lifetime, I have learned that my go-to is finding the right teacher when I, the student, am ready. There is no pride in being self-taught for me. To me, self-taught means I will not be vulnerable or I will not take instruction. Many times I sold myself short by not signing up with a master.

A good student will always exceed the best teacher.
- Mrs. Portis, my first Art Instructor
So. California

Last week, I could not face the canvas of my recent work-in-progress horse painting. So, I bought a beautiful gray cloth to drape over the standing easel. No longer would I would have to stare at the half-finished underpainting. I have always hated 'the underpainting' process - the in-between stage before the magic happens of creating an art piece.

It helped to not have to look at the painting for awhile. My bravery finally showed up in time to attend the next LIVE workshop. A mixture of prayer and naked determination activated my superpower - Showing Up.

I am so grateful to God for listening to me bemoan my cowardice about life, about art, about the future. I found great solace in the re-telling of The Turnaround. I cried as I typed the story of Mary and Dixie, the horse that earned the title of Pure Gold. I am pretty sure Mary said a prayer on that trail somewhere during that trail ride. When I first heard her tell the story in the film, I had tears rolling down my face sitting among the other riders in the meeting room above the stables at Kaizen Farm² .

Going Pure Gold

The story of The Turnaround will continue to be re-told by those it touches. When I am struggling, facing a no-turnaround zone in my life, I do not have to rely upon my own strength to accomplish the hard things in life. I simply have to be present and ask for help, then wait till the wind arrives.

This is Drop The Reins.

Drop The Reins came from my experience of riding with eyes closed, arms straight out from my shoulders and allowing the horse to go at its pace from walk to trot to canter while I simply trusted the ride with eyes closed. I felt the float happen and then I was flying with the horse. We had become one.

When God in His mysterious ways, His Wonders to Amaze.

Stories of Faith that need to be told.

1. Story is retold here with fictitious names. Story is from the documentary of the making of 'Buck' the movie starring Robert Redford as Buck Brannaman, the original horse whisperer.

2. Kaizen Farm, Meridian, Idaho. https://kaizenfarm.com