The Mentors

I've been blessed with many wonderful teachers over the years. Some are still with me, others have moved on, but they all have taught me how to be a better human. Horses have an incredible way of exposing to your just who you really are in that moment. String a few of those moments together and you might just start to get a glimpse at the bigger picture. I never imagined myself teaching horsemanship, but I know of no better way to honor my teachers than taking up the torch myself.

Zans Soni Dee - "Soni"

My current four-legged mentor. Like most of the horses I work with, Soni came with a bit of an unknown past. He was bought by a student to be her trail horse and while she loved him immensely, he proved to be far more sensitive and in need of confidence than she was able to offer. She approached me one day and told me the only way she'd let him go is if I took him. 

That was several years ago. At nearly 17 years old, he's what most would consider to be "past their prime", but we're just getting started. Soni is an excellent example of the phrase "so they are started, so they go" - whatever kind of start he got, it wasn't great and time has worked to solidify poor posture and a mental defensiveness that means each ride is like working delicately with a hand chisel, gently chipping away at the old to create the new. He tends to pack a lot of worry but has slowly learned over time how to let that go and replace it with a soft body and quiet mind. I have little doubt this gelding will be teaching me for years to come.

Churro & Picaro

These two nuggets came into my life completely unintentionally, and apparently one does not know one needs donkeys until one acquires multiple of them. I cannot imagine my daily routine without them, and despite the fact that we require exactly nothing from them other than to be adorable and burn hay, they are both nestled firmly in my heart. We do have adventures (if you're never had an adventure with a donkey, you haven't really had an adventure) and occasionally take forays into the woods and on hiking trails. Beyond that, they make wonderful alarm clocks.

Stella

What can you say about a little red mare. In my case, a lot. I am relatively sure I wouldn't have been forced to find "a better way" were it not for this horse. There are times I wish desperately that I had known then what I know now so I could have been of more help to her, and yet I recognize that things unfolded as they did for a reason. Stella was a sassy, spirited filly I bought as a long yearling with the hopes that I could start her properly and avoid the woes of fixing yet another poorly educated, older horse. But when you don't know what you don't know, you inevitably create problems you don't recognize until you hit the dirt after they buck you off. I started Stella during one of the most emotionally tumultuous times in my life and instead of instilling confidence and clarity, I had nothing to offer her but fear and uncertainty. On top of that, she packed multiple chronic lameness issues that only got worse with age until her condition became a Gordian Knot, one that could only be solved by letting it go. I put her down at age 9. It was the hardest decision I ever made for an animal, but her body was failing her and I could not fix it. These physical ailments would have occurred no matter what I had done (and I did a lot) but what she taught me through all those years of backtracking, trying to fix my mistakes and manage insurmountable odds are lessons I will never forget.

Krohn of My Own - "Ernie"

My first horse, the inconspicuous bay gelding that started it all. Ernie is long gone, laid to rest on a perfect summer day in 2011, but I have every reason to be thankful for the seeds he planted. Anyone who gardens knows that when you start something from seed, it can be really hard to judge the end result from the sprout. They all look like little green nubbins. You know you're going to get somewhere eventually and thus much of growing anything is just faith that it'll happen at all. Such was the way this horse started me on my horsemanship journey. Affectionately nicknamed "Pops" for his overtly grouchy but secretly sweet demeanor, Ernie and I didn't cross paths until he was 19. Looking back, there's no doubt that his irritability was largely the result of chronic physical issues resulting from posture that had largely been shaped by his immense emotional discomfort the vast majority of his life. He'd been persistently misunderstood - an unfortunately common occurrence for many horses - and while I certainly can't say I got it all right, I offered him the best I knew how. He graciously packed me around for many years doing a little of everything and excelling at nothing in particular, but when your job is just to take care of a young girl, excelling at anything is just a bonus.