Are moments of brilliance enough?

This horse has definitely been sent to challenge me! The last few weeks have been full of some quite drastic thoughts about Jack and this week, it all came to a head. It is Horse of the Year Show week (we are not there), my aunt shared a video of Pie and I on a brilliant day (it feels like a lifetime ago) and Jack is off work again (foot abscess). I have always tried to be honest and open about our journey and I have never hidden the fact that I am competitive: If I am going to do something, I want to do it well and I am not doing well with Jack.

I know that ‘doing well’ is subjective and it may surprise some people when I say this. Particularly when I share photos like this:

I absolutely appreciate how lucky I am to have such a horse and also appreciate we have had moments of brilliance – but for me, that is not enough.

I always remember Monty Roberts’ wise words

A good horseman can get a horse to do almost anything. A great horseman can get a horse to want to do it.

That is what I strive for:

I strive for a true, consistent partnership that gets out there and

is a contender. Whilst also advocating for non-violent training methods.

I am not achieving that right now.

Jack is arguably the best horse I have ever had: well bred, trainable brain and ridiculously handsome. I have to face up to the fact that he is a bit of a worrier and needs a lot of nurturing but he is also naturally quite lazy. (We joke sometimes that when you are that handsome, it is unfortunate that you are expected to work too.) I am also tiny and he is massive.

Which makes me question – is he the right horse for me? Yes, this question has been asked.

Physician, heal thyself.

I am a coach and an advocate. I love:

to support people on their journeys
to help people see their own potential when maybe they can’t
to help people gain clarity on their goals and where they are heading
to get people to dig deep, understand their true motivations and exceed their expectations

Why am I not doing that for myself?

What advice would I be giving someone I coach – let’s set a measurable goal, dig deep and bootcamp the situation and see where you are at a set date.

Maybe he isn’t the right horse for me but I am going to give it my all for the next 6 months and then make an informed decision of what the next step is. Let the bootcamp commence: Jack gets another week to heal, chill and look handsome (jammy!), but I can start with me now….

And as ever, I will share the journey and I know I am not on this journey alone.