Relax

I don't know..... I've been thinking too hard again. I'm going to make myself crazy doing that. It has become an issue for me to find a way to relax. If I could just think about what I had to do and keep it objective. Instead I make it into a source of pressure. I'm sure there are people around making big money teaching that skill... but I don't think they live around here.

It's a good thing I have Pip. She may not be a life saver, but she certainly does something for my sanity.

When I go out to the pasture to play, I start by setting up my "props". I have a couple of barrels, a stump, sometimes I take a five gallon bucket with me. And while I am arranging my stuff, Pip is right with me. Sometimes her nose rests on my shoulder or arm. Then we go to our starting place. We begin with what Pat calls the "friendly" game. This consists of lots of rubbing and tossing a rope over her back and pulling it off like a long stroke of a massage. By the third rope toss, my mind has taken up residence in a different place. It is about calm, and consistency.

Yesterday, it was exactly what I needed. It was a respite for my mind.

Pip has been an interesting puzzle. She is now four years old. When I got her, I was told that as a foal she was halter broke and trained to lead. That was the entirety of her skill set. We have played at liberty mostly and there are some things that she seems quite game about. I commented to a friend just yesterday that the two things I was told she could do, are the two things I'm having trouble with. I can get the halter on now, so that's improving... but she still casts a vote to the contrary. That's okay. She has a vote. I have a veto, and the two of us have no deadlines. We're both there for the long haul. Which is a good thing, since she seems to be the official holder of my sanity at this time.

People ask me what I want to do with horses. I have no desire to rope, barrel race, do dressage, eventing .... but I think someday, I'll get on Pip's back, and we'll head west. We'll see how far we go before we decide to stop.

louie