April 30: A Month of Learning and Fun

Tomorrow is my last day at Happy Horse Haven with personalized instruction from Linda. It has been quite an extraordinary learning adventure. I feel so lucky to, 1st, be accepted as a long-term (month) student by Linda, and 2nd, to be healthy enough to thrive during the month of intensive riding and daily care of Toby. I feel I am riding stronger than when I came, and with more agility and balance. Toby has also benefitted from a month of daily riding and attention, and he is also stronger, more agile and balanced. 

While we arrived with a good connection to one another, the relationship has deepened. One thing I learned over 70 years of horses in my life is that building the relationship both off and on the horse is a never-ending process. Sort of the same with all relationships really, including human-to-human. 

Linda is a brilliant teacher … knows how to diagnose the horse and/or rider problems/barriers; how to get me to improve incrementally and when to push me a bit out of my comfort zone to accelerate my learning.  And, she is able to do this with grace, humor, professionalism and niceness. There is a positive energy at Happy Horse Haven, with Linda as the leader of a skilled and friendly team. Thank you, Courtney, Michelle and Sharon for all your support!

The environment is one of harmony and support with the shared mission of developing a program that facilitates happy horses. It truly is a place where Happy Horses and Happy Lives are both the end goal and the means for getting there. 

This experience will provide me with a wealth of constructive food for thought, the basis for a continuing progressive plan, and just wonderful memories of a golden month. 

However, I am looking forward to sleeping in the day after I get home. Although I may have to negotiate that with Roxie Dog and Joe Spouse, who have been good sports while I ventured off for a month of horse adventuring.

Now, onward for one more day of riding and then packing up for departure on April 2nd.