I absolutely LOVE summer, heat, humidity, they agree with me. But I also use summer heat as an EXCUSE not to ride!!!!
Who is with me on this one???? You get all dressed up to go ride, you walk out the door, and you think, maybe later, maybe I will get up earlier, maybe after they eat, maybe after I eat, EVERY EXCUSE in the book, I have used.
But what if you look at this differently. My main reason for not riding is FEAR, I will admit that. The FEAR of getting hurt! The heat seems like as good a reason as any NOT to ride. Can I USE HEAT, to my advantage?
What CAN I DO in the heat?
- Walk
- Halt
- Backing
- Small Bending Circles
- Turn on the forehand/haunches
- Leg Yields
- Serpentine - Using Reins or just the legs
- Etc.
GENIUS!
I have been doing this for a few days now with Taika and I have to admit, I am having a BLAST. Every minute spent on her back adds Courage Penny's into the Piggy Bank! I can feel my confidence growing and it is so simple. We are developing our partnership!
It is hot so she doesn't want to run off or bolt or do anything except stand. She gets the reward of a nice cool bath after. We find places that are in the shade which pushes me out of my comfort zone and are places I haven't ridden before but it is easy because she wants the shade too.
There is some prep involved that I recommend. If it is really hot you can hose off before riding, just make sure you sweat scrap. I always use my Thieves for Courage and Stress Away for Calm and they really help me! I wear my FROGG TOGG which has been a HUGE game changer for me (link at the bottom). I keep a bottle of water right by my grooming area, with my amazing electrolyte stuff to save me from passing out when I get off.
All of this has made for a GREAT Summer and I know that every foot step I take on the back of a horse, gives me one more penny in my Courage Bank!
If you have read this far, you might be interested in joining my FREE SUPPORT GROUP for people searching for their riding Courage!
I also have a bonus for you, 3 Easy Ways to Build Courage with Your Horse! Click Here To Get the BONUS!
I remember the excitement to go see this 3 year old filly at the track that would replace my heart horse I had lost. She had unlimited potential.
I would ride her for 20 or 30 minutes with a lovely trot and canter and then all of a sudden, she would REAR to full height and come down like a BRONC in a rodeo. It would last 20 or 30 seconds and if I could ride it, she would go right back to the lovely trot that we has started with, if not, I hit the ground.
Then after just a few months, diagnosis and Devastation! KISSING SPINE! I felt like I had been punched and all the air had left my body. My new amazing horse that I planned to start competing with in the Spring of 2014, had Kissing Spine (along with a fractured skull). I felt completely helpless!
Everyone I knew didn't even hesitate, they all said put her down! She will never be SAFE, she will always be in pain. The more I learned, the more I felt CRUSHED. She was just the sweetest young mare and I had bonded with her immediately at the track when I went to look at her and our bond had only grown.
On top of that, the treatments were THOUSANDS of dollars! I just couldn't fathom putting this sweet young horse down, I had to find a solution.
Lots of research and an Amazing Chiropractor and we had a GLIMMER OF HOPE.
THE GAME PLAN:
1. Teach her to carry herself to build her "ABS", yes, you read that right…."ABS" to support her back. We did this with free lunging, no side reins, no lunge line, it had to be on her terms so that if she did hit that spot, she wasn't confined, she could move through it on her own. No trotting, this was all WALK and CANTER. There are a lot more details if you would like to know more Contact me.
2. Monthly Chiropractor work at first and in the end, it was every 6 months (this took THREE YEARS!)
3. Fix her feet. She had really low heels as most horses in the US do these days. I am now trimming myself because I could not find one trimmer that didn’t take too much off the heels.
RESULTS:
A sound horse, cleared 100% for everything, even jumping. I still have to do maintenance when I see her abs letting down but for the most part, she is MY HEART HORSE, no rear, no buck, just amazing riding partner!
I would ride her for 20 or 30 minutes with a lovely trot and canter and then all of a sudden, she would REAR to full height and come down like a BRONC in a rodeo. It would last 20 or 30 seconds and if I could ride it, she would go right back to the lovely trot that we has started with, if not, I hit the ground.
Then after just a few months, diagnosis and Devastation! KISSING SPINE! I felt like I had been punched and all the air had left my body. My new amazing horse that I planned to start competing with in the Spring of 2014, had Kissing Spine (along with a fractured skull). I felt completely helpless!
Everyone I knew didn't even hesitate, they all said put her down! She will never be SAFE, she will always be in pain. The more I learned, the more I felt CRUSHED. She was just the sweetest young mare and I had bonded with her immediately at the track when I went to look at her and our bond had only grown.
On top of that, the treatments were THOUSANDS of dollars! I just couldn't fathom putting this sweet young horse down, I had to find a solution.
Lots of research and an Amazing Chiropractor and we had a GLIMMER OF HOPE.
THE GAME PLAN:
1. Teach her to carry herself to build her "ABS", yes, you read that right…."ABS" to support her back. We did this with free lunging, no side reins, no lunge line, it had to be on her terms so that if she did hit that spot, she wasn't confined, she could move through it on her own. No trotting, this was all WALK and CANTER. There are a lot more details if you would like to know more Contact me.
2. Monthly Chiropractor work at first and in the end, it was every 6 months (this took THREE YEARS!)
3. Fix her feet. She had really low heels as most horses in the US do these days. I am now trimming myself because I could not find one trimmer that didn’t take too much off the heels.
RESULTS:
A sound horse, cleared 100% for everything, even jumping. I still have to do maintenance when I see her abs letting down but for the most part, she is MY HEART HORSE, no rear, no buck, just amazing riding partner!
Here is a bonus that has helped on our journey to health! If you would like to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!" and to stay in touch!
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
Disclaimer - I am not a vet and do not give medical advice for horses. I am just sharing what I went through and what worked for me.
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
Disclaimer - I am not a vet and do not give medical advice for horses. I am just sharing what I went through and what worked for me.
Disaster struck a few weeks ago! Horses get into the craziest things but this time, I WAS THE CAUSE!
I have 3 mares, you know, MARES. I have one that has high liver Enzymes and COPD which makes things additionally challenging and has me on a whole new journey into the world of TOXINS and what is not toxic. My horses and I have been "Clean" for over a year now!
I used to have hot flashes, lots and lots of hot flashes but I fixed that. The horses have very mild cycles and all 3 get along great. I never have issues, feeding time, taking one or two of them out, they are always just calm and quiet. Truthfully, they are better than my geldings used to be.
Three weeks ago, I found a "STASH" of SWAT. I thought hmmm….I better use this stuff up. It had been a year since I had used anything commercial on my horses, I make my own. After finding the Swat, I just put a dab on their bellies for the no-see-ums. That was it….just a DAB!
24 hours later, I noticed pinned ears. 48 hours I had 3 horses in FULL CYCLE, Kicking each other and extremely aggressive. I also noticed that I was having hot flashes again, HUGE NASTY ONES. Was it possible that a dab of Swat could influence hormones that drastically????
The answer was yes, sadly, it was the SWAT That was fully responsible for not only mares trying to kill each other, but also for me feeling horrible and not even wanting to function! It took a full week for the 4 of us to recover. From TWO NIGHTS of a little dab of SWAT! That is what started my journey into Toxins and hormones.
Mares always get a bad wrap and it got me wondering, are we, the HUMANS, the cause of the mares bad wrap?????
I decided to go through and check the ingredients of EVERYTHING in my tack room, no small feat and I actually gave up after only a few items. EVERYTHING had Toxins, cancer causing, poison control warnings, Endocrine Blockers, you name it, it was in the ingredients. I just used CDC and the Center for poison control to look stuff up, stuff I could not pronounce or even type! The worst were the cleaning products.
The SWAT Went in the trash, I developed a non-toxic salve (I like to call it TAWS since it is the Anti-Swat) and if you have read this far, the recipe is in the Three Snippets for you!
If you are interested in finding out more, click here to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!"
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
I have 3 mares, you know, MARES. I have one that has high liver Enzymes and COPD which makes things additionally challenging and has me on a whole new journey into the world of TOXINS and what is not toxic. My horses and I have been "Clean" for over a year now!
I used to have hot flashes, lots and lots of hot flashes but I fixed that. The horses have very mild cycles and all 3 get along great. I never have issues, feeding time, taking one or two of them out, they are always just calm and quiet. Truthfully, they are better than my geldings used to be.
Three weeks ago, I found a "STASH" of SWAT. I thought hmmm….I better use this stuff up. It had been a year since I had used anything commercial on my horses, I make my own. After finding the Swat, I just put a dab on their bellies for the no-see-ums. That was it….just a DAB!
24 hours later, I noticed pinned ears. 48 hours I had 3 horses in FULL CYCLE, Kicking each other and extremely aggressive. I also noticed that I was having hot flashes again, HUGE NASTY ONES. Was it possible that a dab of Swat could influence hormones that drastically????
The answer was yes, sadly, it was the SWAT That was fully responsible for not only mares trying to kill each other, but also for me feeling horrible and not even wanting to function! It took a full week for the 4 of us to recover. From TWO NIGHTS of a little dab of SWAT! That is what started my journey into Toxins and hormones.
Mares always get a bad wrap and it got me wondering, are we, the HUMANS, the cause of the mares bad wrap?????
I decided to go through and check the ingredients of EVERYTHING in my tack room, no small feat and I actually gave up after only a few items. EVERYTHING had Toxins, cancer causing, poison control warnings, Endocrine Blockers, you name it, it was in the ingredients. I just used CDC and the Center for poison control to look stuff up, stuff I could not pronounce or even type! The worst were the cleaning products.
The SWAT Went in the trash, I developed a non-toxic salve (I like to call it TAWS since it is the Anti-Swat) and if you have read this far, the recipe is in the Three Snippets for you!
If you are interested in finding out more, click here to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!"
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
There are so many places that I could start this part of my story. I have talked about the accident, I have talked about some of the things I have gone through, but I think I will start this part of the story with Taika. I lost my big jumper in 2013 and I just know that somehow, he brought Taika to me in Sept of that year. She was three and had flipped in the starting gate at the racetrack and fractured her skull and ended up with kissing spine (or the KS was the reason she flipped, we will never know which). Where did I start, where did I turn, what steps did I take? It was Daunting!
1. Fix the Physical!
My fear of flipping and her terror at flipping caused us to be a great match for an amazing learning journey. First things first, almost everyone really thought I should put her down. My heart told me different. I worked with vets/chiropractors and a lot of physical therapy exercises to heal her. It took three years but she was deemed 100% sound. During this time, I had learned a lot about horse training so I would be ready when she was ready to get back on.
2. Understand the training!
I found CJ Corral, Carson James, the Buckaroo Crew and through them I also found Warwick Schiller (and a few others). These trainers and supporters gave me the tools I thought I needed to enjoy riding again! It certainly helped. But, getting on and riding Taika again was petrifying. She was scared and I was scared. Just about every time I touched the left rein, she BOLTED RIGHT. We had a LONG way to go and a lot of fear to get over!
I had thought training the HORSE was the answer, WRONG....It is part of it, but not the WHOLE it.....we left out the most important part......
3. Healing our emotions! (Healing Taika's will be a future Blog post!)
Fear follows you, it hunts you down and surrounds you when you need it the least, or at least that is what I thought. Her fear, my fear, the combination was TNT. What I discovered was that I really needed both of our fear to GROW! I needed it to FIND my courage! I needed it to LIVE LIFE in the saddle again.
Finally, last August, I found the start of some help for me, my emotions! I had a lady help me with a process called Aroma Freedom Technique (AFT). My goal for the session was to enjoy riding again. The process we developed, was Thieves essential oil on the Left Wrist and Stress Away on the Right wrist. The left wrist gave me COURAGE, and the right wrist gave me CALM. This first step in the process of working on my emotions, was amazing and it STOPPED the Bolting Right, but I never understood the bolting right, at least not at this point.
I remember that day, the first day that we turned effortlessly left, the smile on my face was HUGE, and the relief in Taika, was palpable.
4. But was that all?
My journey continues. Emotionally healing takes time, effort, and most of all, it in and of itself, takes COURAGE. It is one day, one ride, one step at a time. It is understanding that emotions for both you and the horse flow, just like the tide, good days and not so good days. It takes courage to Not ride when things are not right, and it takes even more courage to NOT use FEAR as an excuse. It is a journey, and I have a long way to go on this journey.
I talk a bit more about my journey to emotional healing in a short Youtube video and it includes my latest breakthrough, for me, IT WAS HUGE. It explained the BOLTING RIGHT when I touched the Left rein, and it WASN'T WHAT I THOUGHT! To watch, Click here!
I love having support and supporting others with building Courage! If you haven't joined my FB group, Finding Courage, and are interested in a support community for Courage, click here!
1. Fix the Physical!
My fear of flipping and her terror at flipping caused us to be a great match for an amazing learning journey. First things first, almost everyone really thought I should put her down. My heart told me different. I worked with vets/chiropractors and a lot of physical therapy exercises to heal her. It took three years but she was deemed 100% sound. During this time, I had learned a lot about horse training so I would be ready when she was ready to get back on.
2. Understand the training!
I found CJ Corral, Carson James, the Buckaroo Crew and through them I also found Warwick Schiller (and a few others). These trainers and supporters gave me the tools I thought I needed to enjoy riding again! It certainly helped. But, getting on and riding Taika again was petrifying. She was scared and I was scared. Just about every time I touched the left rein, she BOLTED RIGHT. We had a LONG way to go and a lot of fear to get over!
I had thought training the HORSE was the answer, WRONG....It is part of it, but not the WHOLE it.....we left out the most important part......
3. Healing our emotions! (Healing Taika's will be a future Blog post!)
Fear follows you, it hunts you down and surrounds you when you need it the least, or at least that is what I thought. Her fear, my fear, the combination was TNT. What I discovered was that I really needed both of our fear to GROW! I needed it to FIND my courage! I needed it to LIVE LIFE in the saddle again.
Finally, last August, I found the start of some help for me, my emotions! I had a lady help me with a process called Aroma Freedom Technique (AFT). My goal for the session was to enjoy riding again. The process we developed, was Thieves essential oil on the Left Wrist and Stress Away on the Right wrist. The left wrist gave me COURAGE, and the right wrist gave me CALM. This first step in the process of working on my emotions, was amazing and it STOPPED the Bolting Right, but I never understood the bolting right, at least not at this point.
I remember that day, the first day that we turned effortlessly left, the smile on my face was HUGE, and the relief in Taika, was palpable.
4. But was that all?
My journey continues. Emotionally healing takes time, effort, and most of all, it in and of itself, takes COURAGE. It is one day, one ride, one step at a time. It is understanding that emotions for both you and the horse flow, just like the tide, good days and not so good days. It takes courage to Not ride when things are not right, and it takes even more courage to NOT use FEAR as an excuse. It is a journey, and I have a long way to go on this journey.
I talk a bit more about my journey to emotional healing in a short Youtube video and it includes my latest breakthrough, for me, IT WAS HUGE. It explained the BOLTING RIGHT when I touched the Left rein, and it WASN'T WHAT I THOUGHT! To watch, Click here!
I love having support and supporting others with building Courage! If you haven't joined my FB group, Finding Courage, and are interested in a support community for Courage, click here!
I can't get back the days I have missed riding. I can't get back the joy I would have had riding on those days. They are GONE forever. I have been going through a grieving process for those days..... A cleansing......
I have lost hundreds of hours using FEAR as an excuse. I am not going to lie and say it is all ok....it ISN'T.
So, let's really look at fear and what I am going to do differently in the future, and what you can do!
FEAR is ok, it is natural and we should and do feel it! But, the first thing we have to do, is evaluate the FEAR.
What is causing us fear?
1. Is it something we need to do something about immediately. Example: I am afraid when my horse pins her ears at me.....THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION.....The horse is communicating with you and you need to have the conversation with the horse. Every case is different, I can't tell you what to do in your particular situation, but I can tell you, your horse is communicating with you, are you listening?
2. Is it something that we are carrying with us from the past? There are things we can DO to get past that. Example: The horse I was riding Flipped over on me, in 2000 because he was bit by a black widow. I have missed HOURS of riding and enjoying my horses because I carried that fear, from the past along with me......it was heavy, it was daunting, and it was IN THE PAST. (See the 3 Snaps exercise reference below!)
Fear should be evaluated, honored, and then either ACT if appropriate as in Number 1, or Let it go as in number 2.....but Don't let it be the excuse you are not enjoying your horses and riding. This will be OUR path to COURAGE...together.....You, me, and our beautiful horses!
What are some things we can do?
1. Coaching session (My FB group did one last week, it Helped tremendously). Join our support community, Finding Courage where we share and learn and grow through our challenges and fears. We even once in a while get a surprise guest to help us out, Like Mindsets Matter with Jazz! (Link will be at the end).
2. Get help with your horse if the fear is associated with your current horse. In my opinion, make sure the help is for YOU to help the horse and the two of you get that help together. I don't like the idea of sending a horse to a trainer because in my experience, Most, not all, issues are communication between you and your horse and that is what needs to be embraced!
3. Ruling out all health issues for you and most importantly, the horse.
4. Use props and techniques that you can learn to help you. I love using oils on me and the horses, for courage and calm. I love the 3 snaps technique (More information a little further down). I love pretending to be my favorite trainer. Different things work for different people. I was given advice to Sing when I get nervous. When I tried that one, my horse stopped, pinned her ears, and tried to bite my foot.....guess that wasn't for me.....but the point is, find things to help you. I wrote 3 snippets about this which you can get at the end of this blog, so keep reading!
Summary of the story, Don't let fear be an excuse to keep you from riding your horse if it is something that happened in the past or you are afraid will happen in the future.
Here are some changes I have MADE!
I rode Run Binky Run, today, May 24th, 2020. She came home in Oct, 2018, and I used FEAR from the day she got here until now, NOT to get on her....She was a DREAM, so relaxed and amazing to ride. I rode Michelle's Fault today. Her 4th ride since arriving off the track, Dec. 30th, 2019 and the first since Jan. 6th. No lunging for either one, no fuss, no fear....just brushed, tacked up and got on and rode! So much freedom, So much Calm, So much Courage! and the best....SO MUCH JOY!
Here is a little summary of the coaching we had in the FINDING COURAGE FB group.....
We had an AMAZING Group coaching call, with Jazz, at Mindsets Matter in my Finding Courage, support community. She helped four of us, work through our FEAR. She helped each of us look at it and FEEL it. She helped each of us go through a process, that fit our specifics, to process that fear into LOVE. For me, the connection I have had to the accident in 2000, was SEVERED....not fixed, not released, but sent back to heaven with my Thank you for all that it has served me to be turned back into divine love. The process was beautiful, crazy, intense, and a huge SHIFT in my very center.
This wasn't what I expected, I have been through a lot of counseling and work after the horse flipped on me, but it was on a cellular level and it was VERY GOOD. If you ever have a need to work through fear, consider having Jazz help you, JUMP ON IT, click here to contact Jazz!! (Ask her to give you the 3 Snaps Technique, HUGE).
My favorite quote from Jazz during the session: Forgiveness is the KEY, Love is the ANSWER.
This did lead to some GRIEVING.....for the fear...it is gone, it is now love, but...IT IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE! COURAGE ON my friends! Courage on.
If you read this far, you deserve a bonus.....Click here to get my Snippets, 3 Easy Ways to build Courage with your horse.
I have lost hundreds of hours using FEAR as an excuse. I am not going to lie and say it is all ok....it ISN'T.
So, let's really look at fear and what I am going to do differently in the future, and what you can do!
FEAR is ok, it is natural and we should and do feel it! But, the first thing we have to do, is evaluate the FEAR.
What is causing us fear?
1. Is it something we need to do something about immediately. Example: I am afraid when my horse pins her ears at me.....THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION.....The horse is communicating with you and you need to have the conversation with the horse. Every case is different, I can't tell you what to do in your particular situation, but I can tell you, your horse is communicating with you, are you listening?
2. Is it something that we are carrying with us from the past? There are things we can DO to get past that. Example: The horse I was riding Flipped over on me, in 2000 because he was bit by a black widow. I have missed HOURS of riding and enjoying my horses because I carried that fear, from the past along with me......it was heavy, it was daunting, and it was IN THE PAST. (See the 3 Snaps exercise reference below!)
Fear should be evaluated, honored, and then either ACT if appropriate as in Number 1, or Let it go as in number 2.....but Don't let it be the excuse you are not enjoying your horses and riding. This will be OUR path to COURAGE...together.....You, me, and our beautiful horses!
What are some things we can do?
1. Coaching session (My FB group did one last week, it Helped tremendously). Join our support community, Finding Courage where we share and learn and grow through our challenges and fears. We even once in a while get a surprise guest to help us out, Like Mindsets Matter with Jazz! (Link will be at the end).
2. Get help with your horse if the fear is associated with your current horse. In my opinion, make sure the help is for YOU to help the horse and the two of you get that help together. I don't like the idea of sending a horse to a trainer because in my experience, Most, not all, issues are communication between you and your horse and that is what needs to be embraced!
3. Ruling out all health issues for you and most importantly, the horse.
4. Use props and techniques that you can learn to help you. I love using oils on me and the horses, for courage and calm. I love the 3 snaps technique (More information a little further down). I love pretending to be my favorite trainer. Different things work for different people. I was given advice to Sing when I get nervous. When I tried that one, my horse stopped, pinned her ears, and tried to bite my foot.....guess that wasn't for me.....but the point is, find things to help you. I wrote 3 snippets about this which you can get at the end of this blog, so keep reading!
Summary of the story, Don't let fear be an excuse to keep you from riding your horse if it is something that happened in the past or you are afraid will happen in the future.
Here are some changes I have MADE!
I rode Run Binky Run, today, May 24th, 2020. She came home in Oct, 2018, and I used FEAR from the day she got here until now, NOT to get on her....She was a DREAM, so relaxed and amazing to ride. I rode Michelle's Fault today. Her 4th ride since arriving off the track, Dec. 30th, 2019 and the first since Jan. 6th. No lunging for either one, no fuss, no fear....just brushed, tacked up and got on and rode! So much freedom, So much Calm, So much Courage! and the best....SO MUCH JOY!
Here is a little summary of the coaching we had in the FINDING COURAGE FB group.....
We had an AMAZING Group coaching call, with Jazz, at Mindsets Matter in my Finding Courage, support community. She helped four of us, work through our FEAR. She helped each of us look at it and FEEL it. She helped each of us go through a process, that fit our specifics, to process that fear into LOVE. For me, the connection I have had to the accident in 2000, was SEVERED....not fixed, not released, but sent back to heaven with my Thank you for all that it has served me to be turned back into divine love. The process was beautiful, crazy, intense, and a huge SHIFT in my very center.
This wasn't what I expected, I have been through a lot of counseling and work after the horse flipped on me, but it was on a cellular level and it was VERY GOOD. If you ever have a need to work through fear, consider having Jazz help you, JUMP ON IT, click here to contact Jazz!! (Ask her to give you the 3 Snaps Technique, HUGE).
My favorite quote from Jazz during the session: Forgiveness is the KEY, Love is the ANSWER.
This did lead to some GRIEVING.....for the fear...it is gone, it is now love, but...IT IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE! COURAGE ON my friends! Courage on.
If you read this far, you deserve a bonus.....Click here to get my Snippets, 3 Easy Ways to build Courage with your horse.
