Hi Stacy,
Watching you, on the black mare, without bridle or saddle brought tears to my eyes and goose bumps to my skin. That probably is not the first time you have heard that, however, for me , to say it was inspiring would be something of an understatement. It was motivational!!!
The photo I have attached was taken by my husband earlier this evening. This is my QH mare, Just Gimme Diamonds, aka "Ice" and she is as smooth as her name suggests.
What makes this particular ride so significant for me is the fact that 2 short years ago if anyone had asked me to do this, at a lope, I would have made an excuse as my heart pounded in my chest. I did not have that kind of faith in myself or in my horse. I had created boundaries for myself.
I met you at Equine Affaire, in Ohio, earlier this year and your genuine nature was refreshing and made what I had seen you do more "doable" for me, in my mind and in my heart, cause you are a 'regular" woman who just happens to have a very special gift with horses. I began to think that maybe there did not need to be boundaries. You said something this year that I have not forgotten as you talked about horses and how they will "tell us" if we listen whether or not we should remove the bridle. We just need to listen to them cause they will not lie. I began to think about trust in myself and in my horse.
I began dropping the reins with Ice earlier this year, at a trot, as she responds very well to my leg cues. Like most things in riding and training I had the hang up, not my horse.
As I sit here and ponder what I have accomplished the one aspect of it all that resonates for me is not so much that I let go of the reins and rode, at a lope, without them but rather that I finally let go of my boundaries and trusted myself and my horse. That's it!!!
This is only the beginning and I needed you to know that you played a part in this and I will be forever grateful and I hope that I can be as motivational to my students as you have been for me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely
Kim R
Clarence Creek, Ontario, Canada
Yeah! My web guy saved me!
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