I spent Saturday at the Equine Industry Summit hosted by the Vermont horse Council. (Thanks for coming with me Mom!)
There was a lot of great discussion about the Vermont equine industry and it made me want to touch on something that I feel is a huge problem in the horse world, not talked about enough and is very important to me.
This is mental health. There is always a push to be the skinniest you can be, ride the nicest horses, have the most expensive tack, win all the shows and go, go, go.
I am not embarrassed to admit that I really struggled this winter and early spring, and I was at my lowest point with my mental health.
The sun was not shining, the bills were piling up, and I felt very defeated.
I am always very hard on myself and hold myself and my business to an extremely high standard. I have spent the recent weeks refocusing on just enjoying the horses again, and spending each day on what the horse needs and nothing more. I removed the urgency to hit the first shows of the season, and meet training goals that were unrealistic given the circumstances and that I was setting purely on comparison of people in other positions than I.
I have always put an emphasis on having healthy, happy and confident horses, and I feel like having a more relaxed and positive mindset has really enabled this to its fullest.
I have really put in the work on myself and I am happy to say that I am feeling much better and I am excited to get back into the groove with the warmer weather.
If you are struggling as an equestrian, I hear you, I see you, I am you, and I support you. Remember why you started doing this in the first place… It wasn’t to be the best, it wasn’t to win all the ribbons, it wasn’t to have the most expensive tack or the most expensive horses, it was because you loved the horse and you loved the sport.
The community as a whole needs to focus on supporting each other and not competing against each other. We are such a small community, we can a
Proud LaddyDaddy post ♥️
Getting the go button in this horse has been our biggest challenge, but he is getting so quick and soft off the leg, realizing how much more comfortable it is to not be a giraffe, and going around so beautifully for Katie and I! We have a ways to go but the progress is huge. Good boy Lad 👑
2023 is a major year of learning and I’ve participated in a couple of great clinics already.
In February, Gus and I had a private lesson with Karin Persson, an upper level dressage rider from Sweden.
In March, I participated in a super fun intro to reining horse clinic. It does a rider so much gold to look into all disciplines, and ride all different types of horses!
April will be a month of conditioning, and we are back out for some super fun events in May and all the way through the summer!
Facebook is picky about uploading photos/videos to posts, so check out albums for more shots.
I have limited availability for lessons at Crosswinds Stables in Milton, and openings for 1 offsite training horse, and/or offsite lessons. Reach out for rates and times 😊
When the last round of turn out with 30 horses is Buford- we ride out 😂 Big B has been doing great and completely settled into the spoiled life. We hope everyone enjoys this gorgeous fall day!