God Jumps
by Lauren Davis Baker

God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it's because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn't be able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it's because God wants to jump.

Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it's His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it's up to us to see them off gracefully.

O.K., perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a Kleenex is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful.

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle-or a computer-a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we've made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you-you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I'd carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are people-which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday-but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in "drive."

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences...if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse "does all the work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our oversaturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it's not just about horses-it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.

Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion.

In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place. And so we pray: '' Dear God, After You've enjoyed a bit of jumping, please give our fine horses the best of care. And, if it's not too much, might we have at least one more good gallop when we meet again?
Amen''

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What the Heck is Feng Shui, How Do You Pronounce It, and Most Importantly, Does It Really Work?

Although it’s been prevalently used throughout China and much of Asia for centuries, Feng Shui (pronounced “fung-schway“) is finally catching on in the Western hemisphere. But what is it? Put simply, Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of arranging furniture and designing the home to facilitate fortune and prosperity, and to diminish misfortune.

Perhaps the most interesting fact about Feng Shui is that it works, whether you believe it or not. This mysterious method is always in force, regardless of your personal belief and independent of the power of suggestion.

Which means, if you don’t know anything about Feng Shui, it could be working against you and your horses.

In fact, the Feng Shui “rules“ are so consistent that a trained Feng Shui consultant (typically hired at about $300 an hour) can walk into your home and pinpoint which areas of your life are causing you struggle. It’s creepy, really.

More importantly, such a trained person can show you exact remedies to rectify whatever ails you – be it your bank account, your love life, your career, your health, etc. What’s really fascinating is how quickly those upsetting circumstances can reverse themselves—as if touched by a miracle—once the appropriate Feng Shui principles are applied.

Now Jane Li has brought the art of Feng Shui to the stable. To learn more about Feng Shui and what it can do for you and your horses give her a call at: 425-822-4786 Harmonic Dimensions and look for her newest article in the Equine Wellness Magazine

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Visit MistyMate.com and beat the summer heat!  Horses and people Love IT too! Cool the air up to 30 degrees with a mister fan

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That Bubble of Space by Dolores Arste

 When you are out watching DVD's and horse people are moving horses around what do you think? Are you thinking "get out of my space"? If so, perhaps you are missing the nuances of space management.

A person with confidence and body presence and timing must certainly be a good horsewoman. Do you feel like you are spending more time blocking or reinforcing the horse's energy as it is directed or mis-directed at you?

Some trainers will advocate that "the better the horseman is, the bigger the bubble he projects around himself".

Perhaps it would be better to state that a better horsemwoman will have more control and awareness of the edges of her space bubble. And, automaticaly sense the edges and strength of the horse's bubble.

The more control over your bubble you have the better the understanding of energy control you will have. You can project a big bubble or a small one. You can drive or draw... or both at the same time. And, at the same time you will constantly be aware of the horse's own bubble and how it adjusts to you or even to others.

With some horses, a big bubble is definitely helpful... those horses that are pushy or biting... also those horses that are dull to the human or perhaps even horses that are shut down. With other horses, you'll want a very small bubble that is not intimidating in any way.

Buck Brannagan used the term "presence". When asked about projecting energy, he says  "I can make you want to snuggle up next to me, or want to leave the room... without moving a muscle or ever changing my expression"

When you have that "presence" or that "energy" really harnessed, and can truly learn how to use it and control it you can accomplish quite a bit with the horse, and be very subtle about it. You have to look really deep inside yourself... focus and be your authentic self on the inside when you approach the horse. The troubles of the day are gone. There is only you and the horse in that very finite momentary slice of time.

This journey can be very deep... or very shallow. It's an individual journey. We can look at it terms of tricks and behaviors done instantly on cue or we can look at it in terms of dance partners with ebb and flow. These doors are fully open now, just listen to the horse and let him guide you. _________________________________________________________________________________________