Tag: gratitude

Cita’s Blog

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

This would be Cita saying

“Thanks for allowing me to spend my life with Stef, Papa Terry and Mama Vicki! I love it here, I love Indy especially, and the dogs, and my big grassy field, and going for walks in the hills, and playing in the water jump and in the river, and splashing Espada (….she HATES getting wet🙂 . I Really like it when Stef brushes me with the super soft brush and
sprays Conditioner in my mane and tail so that I look as pretty as IV(….well, I AM actually WAY prettier then that cheap floozy with her wavy mane….and she’s such a pale washed out Palomino, too!) and I even like standing tied like the grown up horses do….but I am sooooo good at just standing quietly while Stef puts that heavy saddle on my back and I even kinda like that, because I think maybe I get to spend more time with her. Especially since she actually got on the saddle on my back and I was SO Proud and Indy was so surprised! and I just can’t WAIT to get going and doing cool things that all the other horses seem to get to do with Stef…..So Thanks Vicki and Terry! I LOVE my life and my human….and I am pretty sure she loves me, too….:) “

Cita is apparently quit chatty tonight, and has suddenly learnt the unusual Equine Talent of typing, which I can take no credit for……..but she has made a heck of a mess out of my keyboard typing with her big ole hooves…..

The Muse

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

There are moments in our lives that are monumental.

Moments when we realize the true meaning of Magic and the miracle of this thing we so casually call life…………

Moments when all we can do is stand in wonder and let ourselves be overcome with emotion….

Moments of pure joy, bliss and peace…..

Moments that become memories eternal and unforgettable, every color, every smell, every word said, every feeling………….

There are moments in our lives we wish would go on forever and ever and ever….

But they don’t.


Which is why now is called the “present”. It is a Gift.

Scratch that favorite itchy spot just a liiiittle longer on your horse……….. That them out for a special walk, just eating that delectable spring grass………… Sit in the field with them allowing them to thoroughly check you out and really be with them…………. Go someplace new and exciting to walk your dog. Buy them that WAY to expensive treat…….Take your Dad a bunch of flowers and a bow of chocolates………..Fix that drippy tap your Mom has been frustrated with for so long, and then sit on her deck in the sun and share a glass of wine with her…….never hurt to bring her flowers either……. Call your Uncle living in Texas………..MAKE time to spend with friends….ok,ok….:) ALLOW yourself time to spend with friends,……and be a friend to yourself……..

Love them deeply, and when it is time……

Let them go.………

This blog is dedicated to Jeanette and Percy.
Thank you for a million treasured moments……….

Dedication…

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

” Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
St. Francis of Assisi

For so long in my life, I had always felt a much stronger connection to animals then humans. I felt safe with them, free and understood. Humans were much more challenging to relate to, and to be honest, I felt very little desire to even try to have a deeper connection and relationship with them. ” I am an animal person” was firmly my belief. So for me it was easy to quit everything on the Island, and move up to a Ranch in the middle of nowhere really and live only with the animals….happily training away on my own.

Imagine.

Imagine my surprise when I discover the joy of sharing with other humans the wonders of their horse. When I see the love they have for them, their determination to learn, grow and challenge themselves to get it better for their horses. When I share the heart ache of fear, indecision, self-doubt and lack of confidence (in themselves, their horses and in their horses) When folks make the supreme effort to just “show-up” in life, with their horses and up here, 100’s of miles from home and offer up the dedication and sometimes fragile belief in their choice to continue with their horse and a horse dream. I became humbled, and surrounded with a depth of feeling that really allowed me to accept the inevitable truth…….I am a ‘people person’ AND an ‘animal person’ and really, they are the exact same thing, linked by an unfathomable desire to grow, love and face the very things that can scare the $#@*& out of us and be able to receive the immense gift that that will bring. Imagine……. I want to share with you an e-mail that Angela sent a couple days ago, because it really sums up the courage and desire never to give up on a dream and the rich rewards that are just awaitin’ us to find them. Angela and Ace have been together for 9 years, and I first met Ace as a pale, cheeky weanling in Metchosin. Angela had high hopes and skills enough to set the stage for a great partnership, but as life would have it, Life happened. Marriage, kids, homes and all the rest put Ace on the back burner…never given up on, yet still barely started and then……

An all to frequent story with often a much sadder ending of a dream forgotten.

But Ace ( cheeky, clever devil that he is) apparently took matters into his own hands ,er, hooves and fixed a deal with the Universe and set a chain of events into process that led to his coming to me for 3 months and Angela for a week….. he has been home since fall and well, it has still be a journey of finding time for self and the inevitable green horse dilemmas, but Angela and Ace are well over the ‘hump’ and on their way…. Enjoy…:) And Thanks for permission to share this great story Ang!

So Mr.Ace and I went for a ride. It has been well over a month and I told him each day “on Sunday, it is our day” Sunday came and he was ready, snuggly and following me like a puppy. Funny how they know. We tacked up (saddling… arggh) took the bit like a carrot and we were off. I kept him between my legs, and 15 mins in we came across some hikers I knew. He stood, square and still for 15 mins while we talked only gently nosing a kid once for attention. We had our picture taken a few times, he was oohed and ahhhed over and on we went. What a gentleman. I heard some motors, that were not being “normal so off we go to investigate… a couple of quads trying to get under a fallen tree. PERFECT! lets go see the scary stuff! We wove in between the running quads, struggling helmeted guys and wiggling tree to go and step over the low end of the tree , oh -one spook- you are fine, on he goes past the other running quad and up the trail (suckers!). The they caught up (I had no intention on going up this trail but since they “let me go first” instead of standing there staring at them I carried on. They then came up behind and passed me on the narrow trail. Not even an ear flick as they rode by close enough to touch. Awesome! Okay they are gone lets go find more! Found a couple of LOUD dirt bikes tearing down the trail, Monte ( the dog)was ahead to slow them down (safety crew!) and before they could shut it down I walked by the first, then by the second shut off one (why is he shut off, not sure!… it’s okay I am here. Walk on) After passing he fired it up and opened the throttle BLAH…BLAH! Whatever 😉 Nice ride, center of trail, puddles easy… ahhhh this is the life. A couple of dart up the hill (on the way HOME, with me having to pick up the reins -oh yah reins?!) When we got back we even did a trot up the top driveway relaxed and nice. My fears addressed: trotting and encountering bikes. He is such a trooper and so connected. I have made it an appointment each Sunday we go out, anything else is a bonus. Rain or shine, we beat the rain this time, but I had my oilskin done up like a bedroll on the back of my saddle just in case 😉 a good ride after a month + off?! Willing and soft?! I imagine summer when nights are light and we can get out more how great he will be 🙂 It is my solace, my stress relief when all seems hopeless, my meditation…….

For all of you who have had the courage and faith to never quit yourselves or your horses. Those who have been assailed by nay sayers and negative self talk tapes and done it anyway. Those who just kept trying, found another way, gave it their best shot when everything else said to find another passion or horse or be ‘sensible’! For all those that have passed through my life and enriched it it with your presence and strength……..Thank you.

As Buck Brannaman would say…………’And you know who you are!’*)







Why is it ?

Posted on by Stefanie in Uncategorized

Why is it that the smallest things are so often the biggest things?

Like the other day with Carson. He spends his day in a (albeit large) paddock or with me, and never really gets to do his crazy leap, buck, fart and gallop madly aboutthat he is famous for. So after we had tacked and gone to the ring, I changed my mind (generally accepted behavior for a girl, after all) and stripped his work clothes off and let him have a good play. Our ring up here is surrounded on all sides by the fields with horses in them, and I was expecting him to go bonkers. Well. He DID run and Piaffe, and prance and visit with everyone quite quickly and then……….he trotted over and put his head on my chest, ignoring all his horsey buddies to be with…..me.
I was wonder struck for a couple reasons. Firstly there was NO bucking, no spirally, twisting, cavorting, just straight running and prancing. And secondly, his desire to be with me was deeply touching. This is a guy who tends towards ‘explosive’ behavior and it just wasn’t there. Very, very interesting….My sense is maybe he is like a kid after school who no longer acts out by spray painting the neighborhood, but just plays hockey with his buddies, and then heads home for dinner on time. Small little thing, but the underlying change in attitude feels huge.

Like when you realize that your horse may not be swishing his tail because he’s being rude, but because maybe YOU are being rude………

Like when regularly worked horses come to be haltered from in the field……

Like when horses sidle on over to you on their own when you get on the mounting block?

Why is it that our horses are such a direct reflexion of us?

Like when we are strugging so hard to figure them out, and why, oh why are they doing something, and how oh how can we change it? Stop, feel and look at what we are doing. Like me and Indy, say are like an old married couple ( sorry to those that are….:) that have spent all that time together and for various reasons are real easy to trigger into less then shall we say optimal behavior. And now that I am trying a different approach in our relationship, and he STILL HAS THE NERVE TO ACT THE SAME WAY!!!!!!!! and I get all triggered back, and and and….oh….geez! What am I feeling…. resentment? ( he should know this by now) what is he feeling ….resentment!(I so DO know this, can we move on now?)hmmmm
What am I feeling?……confusion? ( oh what am I going to do if this doesn’t work, rats I forgot to get dinner out of the freezer, I thought the farrier would be here by now, I wonder if I should go back to the snaffle, oh, there goes Lynne…oh! she’s coming in here…oh dang) What is he feeling? Confusion!( Oh this move again, Hey! there’s Mango!, I think I heard Cita calling, I wonder if she remembered to pick up more hay, hey, who put that pole on the ground under that tree three fields over…)
What are you feeling? Bliss… what is he feeling? Bliss…you are both in the same place at the same time…which is now. hmmmmmm

Like when we can’t get them top pick up that darn right lead for anything and we have a sore back and go to the Chiropractor and he tells us ” Boy, are your hips ever locked up right now!’ ahhhhh

Why is it that whatever we believe to be true is?

Like when we think we are on a true path for ourselves, and feel inner guidance and strength and everything flows smoothly that day, from horses to banking to even smiling through a flat tire…?

Like when we are assailed by self doubt, evil internal tapes full of trapdoor thoughts and we allow others opinions about ourselves matter more then our own do we have terrible timing, rotten feel and inevitably the cheque bounces?( like we are having a terrible time, feel rotten and are emotionally bankrupt)? hmmmm

Why IS it that the littlest things mean the most???????

Like frogs in spring?, Like eating four pounds of hair a day as they drop the winter woolies? Like knowing dear friends feel what you are going through and are just there, having faith, trying to just allow? Like the gentle nuzzle from a horse that has never reached out before? Like just riding like my horse and I are one and allowing it to happen instead of trying to make that shoulder lift up? Like seeing a dog lick a scared, new horse’s nose? Like finding five bucks in the truck and spending it on a super yummy White Spot Milk shake….and sharing with the dogs? Like sitting down for a few minutes with the horses as they chomp away on dinner, the sounds of the gentle mastication of all that hay, slowly turning into tomorrows poo….and they gaze at you out of the sides of their eyes, wondering about you, too?

For those of you that may be wondering about the dull lack of photos….there is apparently a ‘Glitch’ in the system somewhere, but……that would be a small thing as well:)