THE LIFE IN A DAY OF KERRIN: THE HORSEY SIDE

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO MY BLOG!


This is the place where I record my current learning experiences with horses. I’m personally aiming to become an excellent horsewoman, but the nature of horses is that they are truly catalysts for personal development. So, while half of my musings will be from a point of observation and communication with horses, this only reflects the way that I am personally developing. Because of this, it is my hope that you can relate to my blog on whatever level you wish. If you are a fellow horseman-in-training: good to meet you, it's wonderful to be on the same journey! But at the same time, if you are a complete stranger to me or to horses, you are just as welcome. Hopefully this blog will bring you some amusement; even if it is just laughing at how mad we horse people can be!


In this blog, you can find pages about my life so far, mentors, and of course, horses and my adventures with them.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory..."

Thursday, October 21, 2010

LIVE-IN-THE-MOMENT


Chill time with my sister, Julie Anne


Me on Blaine, Julie Anne on Tim



My new pony, Bertie!


Strumming guitars with my youngest sister, Kate


I spend some of my time trying to understand horses. I do this by spending time with like-minded people, and studying and reading from and about masters in the horse world, but most of all... by observing the horse!

The amusing thing is that the more I understand about horse behaviour, and their heirachy and needs, the more I seem to understand human interactions. Our world has come so far away from a Natural way of being, that we sometimes forget about our natural instincts and behaviour. We like to have full control of the world, but sometimes control results in going against the natural thread. By spending some time with animals, or in a natural environment (*cough* country walks? *cough*) I'm reminded of what life could and should be like... less planned... less stressful... quieter, stiller... with more capacity to enjoy, and less capacity to analyse... yup.

What I find AMAZING is that the same God that created the sea and storms and powerful creatures, created worms, flowers, and still days. The God that created the wind, also created the still. The God that created trees to shed their leaves each year, also sustains the tiniest of shoots in the spring. These things seem like such opposites, yet (in nature), there always is a balance between compassion and passion.

NOW. We're not exactly capable of physically being in two places at once, but our minds ALWAYS seem to be in more than one place. I think that we have tremendous capacity to think, to feel, to experience, but we limit these experiences by time-lines, and multi-tasking. Studying at the Parelli University, I became particularly aware of how 'in the moment' horses are. Horses live and feel through each moment of the day (and as Pat Parelli says... there are 3 moments in a second!) at the start of a new day, they're not planning their evening. BUT they are thinking about their immediate needs.... Are they safe? Are they comfortable? Do they have food? Is their play drive satisfied? And, as soon as one need has been met, a whole new set of needs may present themselves. I guess this is why some people find horses really unpredictable... it seems that as soon as the owner has 'figured the horse out,' the horse's strategy and needs change. A Horse's ability to live in each moment, makes it so much more capable of experiencing each moment, but also capable of letting go of each moment. One of the qualities of horses is that they forgive. I've become aware of how much I DON'T live in the moment. So... right now might be a wonderful wonderful experience, but I've also got to make sure that I'm prepared for tomorrow, yes? Well, to an extent, but we've gotta learn to live in the NOW. I currently don't have a major timeline in my life. I mean, I seek adventure constantly, and I like to find the purpose and reason behind doing thing. But, rather than trying to full my life with timelines and schedules, I'm learning to live moment by moment - even if those moments are shaped by a schedule!

This week has been fantastic. I've enjoyed playing with my horse, Blaine, and I've been putting some structure in our play sessions. During the 4 week fast track, we focused on one savvy per a week (online (groundwork) freestyle (riding) Liberty (groundwork w/out a halter) and Finesse (collected riding))  I'm trying to continue this at home, and have a particular focus for each week. Last week was Online, and this week: Freestyle. Blaine has become pretty strong and fit, which is great as we can practice some pretty exciting things, but I'm also re-establishing myself as his leader and gaining more of his respect. 

I decided to buy Bertie, the New Forest pony I spoke of last week. Bertie is 5 years old, with a great foundation, but he's ready to go and get more experience of life (including being ridden!) His owner didn't have time to give him this, so she decided to sell him. I've bought him as a 'project pony' for me to gain more experience. I'll probably sell or loan him once he's gained more confidence, especially if I find myself heading out to America again. 

My non-horse life is wonderful, too. I'm strumming away at my guitar, and I am already getting better. I discovered last week that I've got a maths exam in 3 weeks time... needless to say I've been revising madly! I'm also getting involved with the student groups in my church, and have met some lovely people at various socials. The Job-hunt continues! I may have a job looking after horses for someone in my village, and aside from this, I'm hoping to find a part-time job in town. 

Love & Blessings till next time! ¬Kerrin








 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Dreams and a purpose filled life.

We all start out with dreams.

We all hear about dreams. We see them in movies. We read about them in books. We see them written across many little girls faces. We all want to live the fairytale life with the 'happily ever after' slogan.

And then... for many... 'reality' hits. Difficulties get in the way. People hurt them. The world tries to box them, and their dreams fade away.

For me, life has been quite the opposite. I have parents who always have, and continue to, encourage me to pursue dreams and aspirations, rather than rules and regulations. I experience life outside of the box, and I always ask 'why?'

I think that life has a purpose to it, and each individual has a unique purpose. BUT too often, we confuse purpose and dreams as 'life the easy way.' When work is thrown at us, we take a step backwards and think 'hang on a minute... this isn't my dream!' I was priveleged to have attended one day of the Hillsong Conference in London. I had a wonderful day with friends, and Hillsong was absolutely amazing! I felt challenged to be less critical, and more loving (read a blog about the teaching here), especially when the speaker quoted Satchell Paige:

'Work like you don't need the money,
dance like no one is looking,
and love like you've never been hurt'

So here I am, trying to write a CV. I'm more interested in learning about the format, origin and meaning of a CV than actually writing the thing. I mean seriously... how do you put so much life onto one page?! (the answer is: make yourself a cup of tea, write a blog, and pretend that you're not procrastinating!)

The most exciting thing that happened this week (other than having a phone call with a good friend, attending hillsong, watching good movies, meeting friends for a catch up at a pub, chillaxing, kayaking etc) is that we brought Blaine back home yesterday! Its wonderful to be together after 6 months apart! I rode him bareback around the fields this morning, and I forgot how good my own horse feels :) When I started this blog, I intended to write about how Blaine has been a horse through which all my dreams have been fulfilled. But, it seems as if this post took on a life of its own....

OH, I also ended up looking at a project pony this week. I'm deciding whether I want 2 horses over the winter, but I'll tell you more next week!

I guess its time I stopped procrastinating! Speak to you all next week!


At home with the herd

Blaine and me

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Home. Pondering.

I know that I temporarily fell out of the bloggers world, but for those of you that were wondering, I can assure you that I haven't fallen off the face of this earth! My flight home was great, it had some stresses (such as my delayed flight from Denver causing me to miss my connecting flight to the UK!) but all in all, it was ok. The important thing is that I got home. Safe, happy, and tired!

Home-life is wonderful. I always forget how intense my family is. Longfields is totally a learning environment. It happens so naturally here. I can't help but feel excited at things like there being a bookshelf on every wall space!

I'm enjoying some downtime to think about my life (and where it is heading) and get reorganized. Having spent the past 6 months travelling, adjusting to the 'normal life' can seem a bit mundane and unexciting... y'know... getting a job, settling into a routine.. blah. I'm just giving myself time to process all the phenomenal experiences I've had in the 6 months! I really am a priveleged person... the knowledge, people, experiences and opportunities I've had could be what some get in a whole lifetime! Soo... I've got to make some decisions BUT my cup is far from empty, and a 'quieter season' where I do settle into a usual routine and job might be what I need!

Anyhow, here's a blog post that I wrote for Parelli Central