My Best friend

They say it is easy to be critical and tough on those that are closest to us. That rings true in our day to day lives in our human relationships - and it has also proven to be true in my horse relationship.

Once again, the power of simulations has showed me that my energy, even when my body is in a neutral position, is up and full of emotion. I have been so aware of that this entire week and I have been nothing but upset with myself for it. After receiving feedback from a simulation, I had to smile, say "thank you," and let the tears fly. I came to realize that I needed to accept that my energy is high, I need to own my emotions. When I thought that the other day was a big day of emotions and feeling low, today got lower.

Focus stations filled the afternoon and the RBI in me wanted to sit out of the stations and separate myself from Kucha until I could get more emotionally fit. But something in Kucha's eyes and in my heart felt that we should go play. And then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have been nothing but critical, judgmental, and harsh on my best friend. Just because he feels the need to move his feet a bit more than other horses, has a few RB tendencies, doesn't mean that I had the right to judge him for it. In other words, my ego that was so concerned with having a horse that wanted to be with me got a huge smackdown. This afternoon, I smiled at Kucha and I understood him. I understood him when he wanted to move his feet a little instead of standing still to eat. I understood that just because he wasn't arched on the circle didn't mean that he wasn't focused on me. He had an ear on me the entire time and was more than willing to come in when asked. And just because he wanted to move his feet a little didn't mean that I had to amplify his energy and attach my emotions onto it. Just because he can be RBE doesn't mean he needs to be treated as an extreme RBE all the time.

I know this is quite a long post but what it comes down to is that I had the best play session with my best friend this afternoon. Accepting myself and my horse for who we are in the moment allowed me to be an understanding and trusting leader for him. And the expression on that big white face of his said it all. It was as if he had been waiting for me to see him for who he is for so long. He is my greatest teacher and I can't thank him enough for hanging in there with me.