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Blog
Change of Seasons
| Posted on October 7, 2012 at 9:56 AM |
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As the season of summer changes into the crispness of fall, I find myself changing with the cooler winds that blow across our fields. When the fields become empty of the soybeans and the eighth of the hay is not even enough for a field mouse to get lost in, I know that the hazy days of summer have ended and a sense of rejuvenation takes place within my body. This is my favourite time of the year. A small window of beautiful foliage from young and old maple trees, the sounds of the geese gearing up for their trip back to the south, the coyotes at night stirring up the quietness of the dark and the dancing and playing of the horses out in the field. No longer being bothered by the pesky flies and the heat of the sun. I look out and see jumps and kicks and rearing and bucking that only the cool air and the nip in the wind can produce. There are days when my body feels like jumping and kicking with the joy of autumn. But it seems that turning 50 this year has reminded me that I am no longer that young mare who has all the energy in the world but a wiser and older mare who enjoys a good romp out in the field but knows when the body is tired and is happy to oversee her herd. Turning 50 has also brought on emotions that seem to explode at the most inopportune times..... just ask my husband. The emotional roller coaster that mid life can bring and has been mentioned to me by women who have already "been there" has been trying to say the least. Yesterday was one of those trying times. I've come to a point in my life where I'm somewhat unsure as to my journey with horses. At least up until this past week when I conducted my very first one on one Woman's Clinic with a lovely woman from Orangeville. She came for 2 days, totally unsure as to what to expect, having no experience with horses and for me, praying that this experience with the horses would have an impact on her. My prayers came true. We had so much fun, lots of laughs and yes, a few tears as well. But the most beautiful moments included Kim and Magic. My draft cross mare showed me exactly why she is here on this farm. Although she prefers to just hang out and eat and be the alpha mare in her herd, she showed me for two days what she could offer to people. Kim went into the paddock to be up close and personal with the horses, and when the 4 left to go about eating, Magic never left her side. Kim fell in love and through 2 days of working together , Kim found strength in herself that Magic drew from her. She taught her how to be assertive, confident and a respectful leader. Magic also showed Kim that putting up boundaries was a positive attribute that everyone should find in themselves, and can easily be worked into their own lives. Those 2 days taught me one lesson....follow your dreams. And my dreams have been to have a safe place for workshops involving the horses as teachers . We have been blessed to have such a beautiful, peaceful energy on this property which allows people to come and truly walk away feeling at ease. My Sasha reminded me of that feeling yesterday. I had not brought her in to work for quite sometime. She woke me up and got me out of my head.... after landing on the ground when she and her 1200 pounds decided to go right instead of left. I was only leading her, as I don't ride my horses anymore... but what was interesting and enlightening, was that this big mare saw me fall, stopped and came back and I believe looked at me and said " don't try and fool me with thoughts from your head..... I felt in your body that you weren't with me at the moment..... I'm always here for you, but you must always be here for me when we are together" So with a deep breath I took up the lead rope and we went into the arena and all that she had been taught, she gave, sometimes with resistance and sometimes without. She kept me on my toes and in the moment. When we were done I sat at her feet and she never left, playing with my hair and keeping me safe. Although my mid life is not a crisis, physical and emotional changes are inevitable, and I will just have to make sure I'm aware of those changes, which require I stay in the moment. And I see that after the experience Kim had with Magic, that's what I want to offer people. The magic of horses, the magic of enjoying every moment we are given and whatever comes up, then let it be....... being here on this farm is a gift for me and my family of horses are willing to share their gifts..... When I became a vegan for ethical reasons, I turned a direction that has been rewarding, difficult at times, but one that I will never regret. I believe we all have something to share with people, and I'm so grateful to be able to share what my husband and I have here. I hope that people looking to find something a little different with horses will come across this blog and perhaps investigate further as to the magic of horses.............. Terri |
TRUSTING YOUR FEELINGS
| Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:59 PM |
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It's a wintering Sunday afternoon and I thought I'd just sit down and reflect the events of the past 3 days. My friend Anne Gage and myself conducted our first WOMEN, WISDOM & WHISPERS clinic this past Thursday and Friday. Doing a 2 day clinic during the week might have been pushing the envelope but I really wanted to try it and I decided to follow what my heart was saying. Now, with the flyers and the advertisements and facebook and emails, you would think we would have a waiting list of women wanting to join us for these 2 days, but what we did end up with was a wonderful group of 5 women (which I was thrilled about) join us at Blue Heron Stables. These 5 women did not know each other but at the end of the 2nd day you would have thought we had known each other for years. The love of horses is what drew these women together but it was connections of body, mind and spirit that jelled all of us women at the end of the course. Our theme was the Intuitive Connections between Horse and Human and the experiences that were shared between all of us brought tears and laughter and a bond that will last a lifetime. Between discussions in the coziness of the livingroom to the work with the horses in the arena, it brought about feelings and AHA moments for all of us. As the owner of the wonderful horses that we worked with during the 2 days, I have to say that I was practically brought to tears by the calmness and the relaxation of both the horses and the women. The energy in the arena was electrifying as there were personal moments for each and every one of us. I would like to personally thank Anne for her knowledge of horses and life experiences that she brings to these clinics and I'm grateful for her friendship. We truly do work well together. I would also like to say how grateful I am to beable to provide a space where women can come together to share, reflect and be themselves in a safe environment and work with the most amazing animals that god could have created. Because by providing this setting, I am meeting women I'm suppose to meet and enjoy having the experiences I'm suppose to have. It's truly a wonderful thing ! So thank you to each and everyone of you 5 women who made the clinic what it was. Just an incredible experience. It was a busy weekend, as I did a Reiki course on the Saturday and was also priviledge enough to have a healing done by the Reiki method as well as a healing done by a Shaman Practitioner. It was the most incredible experience. Again, met 2 wonderful women who loved and supported the events that happened that day. When my husband and I moved to this farm, I had a vision about a year later, and I'll be honest, this is hard to write down, but I'm learning to just be true to myself and be open with my heart, but the vision was to open our farm to clinics such as these and that is why I'm so grateful that Chris Irwin is here to add to his horsemanship clinics with his EAPD Program. Equine Assisted Personal Development. And for those men or women interested in learning more about this certified program just go to Chris' website, but if you're heading down a path and any of these words tug at your heart or gut, I encourage you to take a leap and at least inquire about it. It might just make a difference in your life. I'm learning to take those extra steps and it makes for a wonderful journey!!! :) Thank you |