Thank You....

I read this post and it made me reflect on how grateful I am to have horses in my life.. Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone but it's always prudent to give thanks where thanks are due.

I'm very lucky in that I grew up with horses. There is no time in my life where horses have not been a central focus. I can never articulate everything that I am thankful for but I do know that they have radically changed my life for the better.

1. Thank you for giving confidence, and for teaching me that life is easier when you're confident (or at least faking confident)

Any rider can tell you that a lack of confidence is picked up on by your horse and things don't go as smoothly. Even if you aren't confident, fake it 'til you make it, in horses and life.

2. Thank you for teaching me humility.

It's not possible to be around horses for any length of time without being given a lesson in humility. They have an uncanny ability to knock you down a peg when you need it the most.

3. Thank you for bringing me into a world where my friends cross all demographics.

This may be what I am most thankful for. I have a fabulous group of friends, many of whom I would never have crossed paths with without horses. I'm lucky to count people from all walks of life, all ages, and all tax brackets as friends. This diverse group has helped shape me into the person I am today.

Two of the best friends a girl could ask for.
Brought into my life by horses, kept in my life by complete awesome-ness 

4. Thank you for giving me wings to fly.

The freedom and joy felt in soaring (over fences or over fields) is exquisite and incomparable.

5. Thank you for teaching me when to whisper and when to shout.

Sometimes you need to pony-club kick and sometimes you just need to flex a thigh muscle. Both have a time and a place and the skill to know when each is applicable is tricky but powerful.

6. Thank you for soothing my soul.

Even just a close proximity to horses has the ability to make things better, and to make problems not feel so insurmountable.

This was 2 weeks post surgery, all I wanted was to
pet my pony and sit in the barn and absorb the utter barn-ness

7. Thank you for teaching me that honesty is powerful.

You cannot lie to a horse. They are wise and insightful and will always know when you don't mean what you say. The ability to be honest with yourself and those around you is a powerful tool.

8. Thank you for being a constant in an ever changing world.

Nothing centers me like inhaling that fabulous aroma that is horse. No matter what is going on in the world or my life, I can always count on going to the barn and finding a little bit of peace.

9. Thank you for helping to raise me.

I grew up on the back of a horse.  I would not be who I am today without their kindness, patience and unconscious support.

Partner, the best babysitter

10. Thank you for teaching me to value money.

I'm a master budgeter because all horse expenses became my responsibility once I turned 18 and moved out. It's where my blog name comes from. I was a starving student and grain (and board) always came before my own groceries in the priorities list.

11. Thank you for teaching me to step outside my box.

I've been lucky enough to come from a varied equine background. I feel that it gives me a larger toolbox to work with. Sometimes, you just need to do something new, something that scares you.

12. Thank you for teaching me how to let go.

Sometimes it's just when it's time to take a step back and let a horse go on to a new home and sometimes it's saying that final goodbye to end suffering and allow dignity.

Stella, you were loved enough by multiple people to let you go when you said it was time.

While writing this post, I kept thinking of my favourite quote, it just feels appropriate.

“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and once it has done so, he/she will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.” Ralph Waldo Emerson