On Going Process Epilogue

There are a few things remaining to be said...

For one, when Shannon brought Journey home, I was told the mare acted up.  She forgot all her wonderful training, and assumed things would get "back to normal" once she was home.  She was pushy, charging into Shannon's space, and only interested in calling to her friends. Shannon schooled her until she remembered her manners.

This is important, because it lends insight into what happened in May when I sent Journey away to Big Fork to be trained. I can see now, that the trainer, Daisy, did a good job with Journey- and that Journey, undoubtedly behaved while she was there. But when she returned home, Journey resorted back to being lead mare of not only my tiny herd, but of me, as well.  And I didn't have a clue!  While Daisy told me I was the problem, she didn't explain how or why. Nor did she give me any steps in remedying the issue.  Which makes Shannon's efforts all the more brilliant!

Shannon told me over and over that Journey knew her lessons well- that she'd been well trained from her very beginnings. Shannon said she never did anything wrong, and that she was an incredible mare. What Shannon realized was that, while the mare was perfect, her owner was far from it.  She had the insight to work with ME- to show ME how to earn Journey's respect which was the golden ticket.

I still have goals to achieve.  I STILL have to brace myself- screw up my courage to work with the two mares- Journey and Wynter (Sweet, ole Dakota Skye is retired, and doesn't have to fiddle with all this longeing stuff).  Each time I get better, but there is SO much room for improvement.  I also, have yet to ride out completely alone.  Shannon assures me Journey is not the problem there. She is rock solid, and will take my lead.  I am working on relaxing and my next big goal is going on a trail ride by myself.

I am still puzzled where all this anxiety has come from. As a young girl, I was inseparable from my beloved Morgan/Arabian gelding, Brandywine. He was my best friend in the world. I would get off the bus, throw my books on the table, yell hi to my Mom, and slip off to the barn. Brandy and I went EVERYWHERE together- just the two of us (I hated riding with people... you had to worry about what and where they wanted to do and go).  Notice in the pic above that I'm barefoot. Often, I was bareback, too. 

This is what I'm working on getting back to. That complete confidence in my horse and myself. It's slow going, but I'm on the right track. I hope Shannon continues to push me. It's only because of her that I've gotten this far.

And one last thing...

Remember me saying how difficult it was to fit Journey with a saddle?  I bought a barrel racing saddle- no go. A big slick fork, that I loved, but Journey HATED!  Daisy, the trainer, told me I HAD to have an Aussie saddle, so I bought that (I HATED it, Chelsey LOVED it- but no matter- it didn't fit Journey).  FINALLY, we found the perfect saddle for Journey.  Sharp eyes will notice that it's Brandy's saddle.

Did that send chills down your spine? Are you the least bit... superstitious? or open minded to "unseen forces"?  For me... it was a sign.  A sign that Journey is THE horse that will bring me full circle.  Whether it's Brandy himself come back to me... or just that I have his blessing. This is a goal I believe I will achieve.