As a tween I attended a riding camp and during the first morning I watched a horse rear up and the boy fell off hitting the ground hard. Eyes wide, I froze in fear and decided horses were unsafe. To stay safe my coping mechanism was to spend lots of time in the infirmary not feeling well. Years later I got on a horse in my 20’s for a trail ride up north and I was still terrified but managed to complete the ride even though the horse jumped a small ravine as I held on for dear life.
Thankfully it didn’t stop me from letting my daughters have their own horse experiences. That’s how this opportunity for my growth appeared. Things just lined up perfectly to get me back in the saddle. From the laid back vibe of the farm to the people that work there, to the amazing horses and ponies I got to spend a little time with and enjoy their personalities at the end of the day when picking my daughter up from their camp program. Somehow I found myself asking about me going for a ride. I didn’t plan this, however, I was ready to create a new experience with horses and everything seemed to line up just so.
Before heading to the barn, I looked after myself by tapping on my emotions and the things that came up for me to worry about: feeling a little scared, the size of a horse, what if I get stepped on, what if the horse gets spooked, the smells of the barn, what if I fall off.
Both the super patient and thoughtful barn manager and my younger daughter showed me how to get my beautiful horse, Arizona who is an Appaloosa, ready. At first I did feel some nervousness and I used my tapping to calm my body and energy down and kept going along. As I got her ready I also tapped while having my other hand on the horse and had silent conversations with her, letting her know what my intentions were. To have a good, easy going experience that I could grow from, and I thanked her for helping and being a part of this.
In the paddock I was standing beside Arizona holding onto her when I felt nervous again as she moved around a bit. So, I hung on and tapped to calm myself again. Then my instructor took me step by step on how to get on and hold the reins, and all of a sudden I was sitting up high on a horse again. And I felt ok. I wanted to get to walking. I learned some of the basics again and I was really happy to be on Arizona walking around outside with the sun shining, surrounded by nature.
I couldn’t stop smiling so, off we went for a trail ride while my instructor led my horse. That felt just right to me. Getting back to the paddock if even tried some faster walking and some short stints of trotting because I felt like it! Woohoo! I was so happy for myself that I had created some new freedom in my life!
The experience of grooming Arizona after the ride felt different to me as I thanked her for her kindness and gentleness. I felt much closer to her and there was an ease in me along with deep gratitude to her for playing a very special part in my life.
Is there an experience that you would like to have in your life but have been putting off? Would you like to give yourself the gift of moving through and fulfilling something? Not sure where to start? Let’s connect!
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Until Next Time,
Nicole