Followers of the "law of attraction" will already know that we 'get back what we put out there'! Meaning... our thoughts attract more of what we are thinking about. This means if you think you never have enough money in the bank, all you will notice is more bills arriving on the door mat, and never enough money in your account!
The wonderful reality being that the reverse is also true! The good stuff you focus on also increases the more you focus on and believe in it.
If ever I needed a reminder of this vital lesson was last week.
I was due to be in Brussels for a few days, and a couple of days before leaving, had found myself thinking and then...saying out loud that Grace must be getting bored just being ridden in the menage. She lives out 24 x 7 with her two field buddies in a big 5 acre paddock. She is ridden 3 - 4 times a week, interspersed with lunging for exercise and Parelli for brain stimulus. It is a life free from pressure, sweat and complication. The problem is it's a life free from pressure, sweat and complication! There in lies the rub!
So back to my trip to Belgium...
Having been away for just one night I woke up to the dreaded 'missed call' alert on my phone from the yard manager.
Grace had jumped out of her field over night. She had cleared a 7 foot wide gorse hedge with wire fence running over the top and a ditch inside. By some miracle she appeared uninjured and unscathed. A few days later, once home I found she was lame and after a few days had it diagnosed as a shoulder muscle pull. (One massage later and 2 weeks of box rest and she recovered just fine).
My horror, absence and geographical distance meant I could do nothing except worry for several hours until I could regain some control of my thoughts at all the 'what could have happened' scenarios. Given that the hedge also travels the length of a busy road, I had to be very grateful that she hadn't jumped in that direction.
Where had this sudden desire to jump come from? Why now? Why when I am away? Why? Why? Why? (You can hear the pity me party setting in...and no end of Belgium Waffles could conquer it)!
It didn't help that only 4 days earlier the vet had put an elastic band around the Sarcoid under her sternum and I was under strict instructions for her not to stretch, roll, and do any big movement that could result in the band 'pinging off'. Jumping 7 foot wide hedges definitely wasn't on the list of things to do!
So what does it all mean? My instincts know she is bored. One of her field mates is pregnant and the other is 10 years older than Grace so whilst they are a close knit herd, maybe life isn't as much fun as Grace would like! To my human eye it seems like pretty good life if you are a horse, but then I'm not a horse and Grace seems keen to remind me of that!
What are my conclusions?
1. Listen to your instincts and if you sense boredom for your horse in their work routine, it probably is real!
2 Horses may need to have fun! Maybe that means variety, maybe mental stimulation, maybe trips out, adventure - possibly all of the above!
3. We are deeply connected with our horses. The truth is that for the last 2 weeks I too have been incredibly grumpy due to boredom in my work. My brain isn't being challenged, and each day has felt like a repeat of the day before - like the scene from Ground Hog day!
4. Pity party's ('why me, why when I'm away') serve absolutely no purpose at all! They simply don't help.
5. Celebrating and being grateful for the fact she wasn't badly hurt, lost or worse is an important coping strategy.
6. Let go and accept! Shit happens, but when it happens and you are away, and can physically do nothing, there is only one option left to you; to let go and accept things will be ok.
January will start with a new plan of action and activities for Grace and I only hope it will please her and keep her in her field. God forbid she finds ME boring and puts in another obvious complaint!
The wonderful reality being that the reverse is also true! The good stuff you focus on also increases the more you focus on and believe in it.
If ever I needed a reminder of this vital lesson was last week.
I was due to be in Brussels for a few days, and a couple of days before leaving, had found myself thinking and then...saying out loud that Grace must be getting bored just being ridden in the menage. She lives out 24 x 7 with her two field buddies in a big 5 acre paddock. She is ridden 3 - 4 times a week, interspersed with lunging for exercise and Parelli for brain stimulus. It is a life free from pressure, sweat and complication. The problem is it's a life free from pressure, sweat and complication! There in lies the rub!
So back to my trip to Belgium...
Having been away for just one night I woke up to the dreaded 'missed call' alert on my phone from the yard manager.
Grace had jumped out of her field over night. She had cleared a 7 foot wide gorse hedge with wire fence running over the top and a ditch inside. By some miracle she appeared uninjured and unscathed. A few days later, once home I found she was lame and after a few days had it diagnosed as a shoulder muscle pull. (One massage later and 2 weeks of box rest and she recovered just fine).
My horror, absence and geographical distance meant I could do nothing except worry for several hours until I could regain some control of my thoughts at all the 'what could have happened' scenarios. Given that the hedge also travels the length of a busy road, I had to be very grateful that she hadn't jumped in that direction.
Where had this sudden desire to jump come from? Why now? Why when I am away? Why? Why? Why? (You can hear the pity me party setting in...and no end of Belgium Waffles could conquer it)!
It didn't help that only 4 days earlier the vet had put an elastic band around the Sarcoid under her sternum and I was under strict instructions for her not to stretch, roll, and do any big movement that could result in the band 'pinging off'. Jumping 7 foot wide hedges definitely wasn't on the list of things to do!
So what does it all mean? My instincts know she is bored. One of her field mates is pregnant and the other is 10 years older than Grace so whilst they are a close knit herd, maybe life isn't as much fun as Grace would like! To my human eye it seems like pretty good life if you are a horse, but then I'm not a horse and Grace seems keen to remind me of that!
What are my conclusions?
1. Listen to your instincts and if you sense boredom for your horse in their work routine, it probably is real!
2 Horses may need to have fun! Maybe that means variety, maybe mental stimulation, maybe trips out, adventure - possibly all of the above!
3. We are deeply connected with our horses. The truth is that for the last 2 weeks I too have been incredibly grumpy due to boredom in my work. My brain isn't being challenged, and each day has felt like a repeat of the day before - like the scene from Ground Hog day!
4. Pity party's ('why me, why when I'm away') serve absolutely no purpose at all! They simply don't help.
5. Celebrating and being grateful for the fact she wasn't badly hurt, lost or worse is an important coping strategy.
6. Let go and accept! Shit happens, but when it happens and you are away, and can physically do nothing, there is only one option left to you; to let go and accept things will be ok.
January will start with a new plan of action and activities for Grace and I only hope it will please her and keep her in her field. God forbid she finds ME boring and puts in another obvious complaint!
