July 15th 2023

A new approach

This week we needed to disk the horse field. We recently switched from using four horses to three. Even though it doesn't sound like a big change, taking our veteran Sam out of the mix had a big impact on the team dynamics. So we've been trying to work with the three horseteam on starting together, and getting little Scout to pull her weight in the hitch. We usually put Ivy in the middle, but Jack was slow to start and then she would lean into the load and then back off when he wouldn't step up. It created this little dance where everyone would start and stop independently which was challenging to work through. Instead, we decided to put Jack in the middle in the hopes that the two girls on the outside would get him going. I had a few concerns with this setup, primarily that sometimes he likes to pester his coworkers and I wasn't sure if this would be exacerbated by being squished in the middle. I was really close to saying, "Let's run the hitch like we always do." But instead we decided to just try it and switch everyone back if it made things worse. The thing is, with the usual line up I knew what to expect. Even though it wasn't perfect, and there were plenty of quirks to manage, it was predictable and it felt safe. Shuffling animals around can make a bigger difference than you anticipate, and I simply didn't know how it would play out in the field. Luckily for us it did seem to have a positive impact. I'm reminded of all of the times that I'm frustrated or disappointed with the same issues and yet I'm unwilling to risk trying a new approach. Maybe instead of reaching out to someone I avoid confrontation, sometimes I say what's easy instead of being fully honest, sometimes I come into a conversation more reactive than I'd like to admit. Most of the time I know exactly how each of these are going to play out. But if I want a different outcome then I need to try a different approach, and I don't think that it always needs to be a drastic difference. I could initiate a hard conversation, I could find a way to share my feelings even when it's hard, and sometimes I just need to pause. Next time you notice a pattern that you don't love, maybe try something just a little different and see what it changes.