May 20th 2023

 I’ve definitely been pushed this week. I think you all know by now that I love my work and these horses. When they have a good day, reach a new goal, or put their heart into their work, I’m on top of the world. When they have a bad day I definitely take my work home with me. Scout was supposed to cultivate on Wednesday. This was a job that I knew she could do, she’d cultivated the week before and done fairly well. This week she totally blew it. There are a few possible factors on my mind, and just like us, the horses have good days and bad days. This day was pretty miserable. We wound up changing gears and doing something simple and totally different before heading back to the barn. I was really frustrated and pretty disappointed. I had expected this to be a success. I work really hard to be mindful, and strike a balance between challenging myself and the horses, but also continually setting us up for success. So I went home racking my brain on what I was going to do the next morning. I felt like I had done my best and it just wasn’t good enough. So I changed directions. I did something different. Thursday morning I put Scout on the harrow with her trusty partner Sam. Today I stuck her on the harrow again to let her get warmed up. When I was certain she was quiet and tired we went back to the more detailed work of cultivating we’d left on Wednesday. Today she worked like an old pro, even better than she had the week before. If you’re like me and you find yourself measuring your worth against something not completely within your control, take a step back. Regroup. Don’t be afraid to change directions. Even if the path is a little crooked or takes longer, trust your instincts. We all have off days, but there are a lot of good ones on the horizon.