What to do when happily ever after… isn’t.

by Horse Rookie

A healthy horse and rider partnership is a thing of beauty. Mutual respect, trust, and affection abound. Each partner brings complementary skills to the arena and feels safe and valued. 

On the flip side, few things are harder to watch (or experience) than someone trying to “make it work” with the wrong horse. Frustration, hurt feelings, and anxiety abound. Each partner senses something is “off” and is unable to meet the needs of the other in a productive way.

Life isn’t like Equine Tinder — we can’t simply “swipe left” and move onto the next candidate. 

You may own or lease the horse in question, or you may be limited to a certain lesson horse. Maybe it’s the only horse you could afford, or perhaps it was perfect for you… five years ago. 

If you’re stuck in the wrong (equine) relationship, you can make things better for you and your horse. (After all, chances are your horse has also wondered “Do I have the wrong person?”)

What Kinda Wrong

No two riders or horses are the same, and there are countless factors that might be contributing to your woes.

I’m reminded of the Chris Cagle song What Kinda Gone. It’s important to identify “what kinda wrong we’re talkin’ ‘bout’ here” before deciding what to do next. 

Read more: I Have the Wrong Horse: Now What?

Childhood as it Should Be

by Lindsey Rains

The apartment is quiet. All around me I see spare water glasses, cereal bowls, hair ties, and half-completed coloring pages. I’m tired, but I feel full. This week has been different than most weeks because our life was pleasantly interrupted by two eleven-year-old Peruvian girls.

Full of sparkle, hugs and insight, the girls filled our lives with laughter and sweet company.

I work at a non-profit that finds sponsors for children who are orphaned or living in terribly adverse situations. Every year, upwards of twenty children from various countries around the world are chosen to come to the United States. They perform in a choir that raises awareness and sponsorship for other children in similar situations.

For several weeks out of every year, my husband and I host some of these visiting children at our home.

Of course, I’m always chomping at the bit to take any willing child to the barn. Most have never even been around horses, much less sat on one. This time was no different. My husband and I picked up the girls and headed straight to the barn. They were tired from a long day of practicing for their performance, but the kids insisted they weren’t too tired for horses!

When we arrived at the barn, Chip was in his sleepy post-dinner stupor. But he meandered out of his stall to enjoy all the pets and cookies the excited girls bestowed upon him.

Read more: Gratitude & Horses: Healing the Cracked Places