Promises to my horse in 2025
Here are some things I want to do better with my horse in 2025.
As the year comes to a close, the days leading up to the holidays tend to get increasingly more stressful. There's always so much to do before you take those few deserved days off! This pre-end-of-the-year stress has been a bit rough this year and it showed in my work with my horse. I found myself thinking things like »If I skip the ride but take her for a run instead, I can squeeze more trot work in and be done in 30 minutes«. Obviously, this kind of thinking is not great in the long run so I decided to have a good think about what I want to do differently with my horse in 2025.
My horse is my friend, not my project. Often, I catch myself thinking about working with my horse in terms of which muscle groups I need to work, how much hill work is appropriate today and when was the last time we ventured out of our comfort zone. I think about this even before I come out to the track and connect to my horse. I often forget to include her in the process. In 2025 I want to keep reminding myself that she is a friend with whom I get to spend time with, not a project I need to work on. So, I want to make sure to not make any plans until I've felt her vibe of the day and until I get out of my head enough so I can feel what is right each day.
I want my horse to feel empowered. Being the control freak I am, it's easy to get lost in doing things that are good for my horse and being a bit too strict about it. I recently read a really interesting book on applied equine psychology* that mentioned the fact that the feeling of having choice is empowering and greatly ads to mental well-being of horses. This year, I want to find more ways of allowing my horse to have more choice in her life. When out on walks, I will try to let her pick whether to go right or left every now and then. When brushing her, I will be observant to see which parts she likes to have brushed more, and then spend time there. When doing bodywork with her, I will let her choose the spot where she wants to stand. These are a few things that come to mind, but I promise to make an effort to find more situations where she can (safely, of course) exercise her will.
I will slow down when I'm with my horse. I tend to see the training we do as more valuable than the time surrounding the training. If I only have an hour, I want to minimize the time I spend brushing her and maximise the time I spend exercising her. This is for her own good, after all. I am sure I am not the only one guilty of this. This creates distance between us and makes our time together feel biased towards the stuff I want to do and away from stuff she wants to do. So, in the new year I want to remind myself over and over that the things surrounding the training are just as important for her (and mine) well-being as the training itself. I want to be fully present with her and enjoy the privilege that is interacting with a horse.
I want to keep the list of promises short, because I would rather make sure I make fewer promises and actually stick to them than make a huge list and forget half of them by February. I hope the new year finds you in a calm, stress-free state of mind, and I hope that you continue to be the best horse person you can be. I want to thank you for being on this journey with me. I want to make another promise, this one to you, the reader. I promise I will continue learning and sharing what I learn with you in a way that you find useful and practical. If you have any topics, you would like me to write more about, or any ideas for how I can improve this weekly newsletter, I would love to hear from you. I wish you all the best in 2025.
*Applied Equine Psychology: The Art and Science of Helping Horses, 2024, by Sharon Smith, Felicity George, Marie-Louise Holms PhD