Writing of Riding

A recent post on a discussion forum that I am a member of caught my attention this week. Relationships are what I deal with every day, think about at almost every turn of my mind, and am involved in constantly. The relationships I have with my horses, co-workers, colleagues, family members, friends, acquaintances, so on [...]

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If we were to believe 100% with all of our being that a negative thought could produce a negative action, a negative reaction and a negative outcome… would we continue to have negative thoughts?
It has been well documented by those who experience it firsthand, what we think we create, or we attract, or we become [...]

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Come swiftly, or slowly. Come towards me when you are ready. I will stand, I will wait, I will be ready in every moment.
Turn left or turn right, stay straight ahead if you like. I am centered, I am balanced, I am ready in every moment.
Jump ahead or turn around, step straight forward, step straight [...]

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What are the purposes of enclosing the horse’s mouth in Dressage or English riding? The employ of a tightened caveson, or flash, or other arrangement of noseband in the riding of the horse has long been purported as necessary to help the horse accept the pressure on the bit. To help develop the horse’s mouth. [...]

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How do we combine precision with relaxation? How do we inspire it in our horse? It is done first by example, so how do we learn to do it ourselves?
Our mind can help and hinder our goals as riders. At times it seems like a running commentary there to disturb and distract, keep us locked [...]

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Circling around me of late, is meditation. The quality of letting go free our attempts to label or name, or identify the objects, people and animals around us. Letting go of that, and being able to see deeper, see what is behind our assumption, estimations and interpretations. In working with the horse, the opportunity not [...]

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A thought on my mind lately, that of compassion and appreciation mixed in the relationship we have with the horse. To me, it is foremost in my mind at all times the importance of being mindful and respectful of the horse’s safety. By that I don’t mean to limit it to just the physical sense [...]

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In riding, we make attempts of setting goals, giving ourselves something to inspire, challenge, motivate, and reward ourselves with. We feel accomplished when we have met the goal, or disparaged when we fall short of it. Perhaps the goal is not specific enough to attain or fail at, so becomes a safety net of sorts.
The [...]

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Circular, that is time. We live in a world dominated by linear functions, our calendar reads left to right, start to finish. There is little left of the cycles we once relied upon as a species to guide our functions from day to day, week to week, month to month, season to season, year to [...]

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So it’s icy out and I have work tonight so no time to play with the ponies. I figured I would post something written over the course of this fall. It was largely inspired by a Neuromuscular Therapy course I was attending, and also from the previous understanding I’ve had of the horse. Something to [...]

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