Horse Shows: Pondering the “Why”

Horse Shows: Pondering the “Why”

November 14, 2024Posted inAdult Amateur Rider, Dreamalot Farm, dressage, dressage pony, encouragment, horse farm, horse shows, horses, journey, lessons, life lessons, Pony
Sometimes, I get ready for a horse show and am stressed just riding at Training Level in dressage. And I think, 'Why in the world do we even do this…?' I can enjoy the training journey with my pony without this extra component of being judged. I can get feedback without riding in front of everyone else and without having someone at the venue asking, “Who is riding this adorable pony that you’re leading?” and me saying, “It’s me…” and them saying, “Oh isn’t that so nice….”
Welcome, Sir Corazon!

Welcome, Sir Corazon!

September 2, 2024Posted inAdult Amateur Rider, Dreamalot Farm, dressage, dressage horse, encouragement, farm, hobby farm, horse farm, Horse training, horses, journey, life lessons, new horse, Oldenburg Horse, personal growth, Sir Corazon, warmblood horse
The day I met a tall-drink-of-water chestnut gelding in Aiken, I wasn’t sure what to think. He was much more impressive in person to me than his video had shown, and he was incredibly friendly. But he also did some super interesting things under tack that I admit I wasn’t sure what I thought about them. For one, he was long and narrow, which rode differently than most horses I’ve had. (Now I absolutely LOVE this. It's much easier for my shorter legs!) He also had some quirks that I was a bit perplexed by. He was super mouthy, crooked in his body, and almost too keen to please, which bordered on anxiety. The Seller’s Agent, Pippa Moon I can’t recommend her more highly), said he didn’t test ride well—that he was much more a one-person type of horse, so I had to consider that, too. But I liked him. And that meant a lot to me that my heart was tugging in his direction.
Letting Go Versus Giving Up

Letting Go Versus Giving Up

July 29, 2024Posted inAdult Amateur Rider, Dreamalot Farm, dressage, dressage horse, farm, hobby farm, horse farm, horses, journey, lessons, letting go, life lessons, Mare, Natural Horsemanship,, Oldenburg Horse, personal growth, Selling horse8 Comments
The heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes what it wants is a story that it already decided needs to happen, so much so that it’s assumptive, leaving one not even aware of the made-up story. This way of living with my heart set me up for a huge learning curve last year with my mare Dahlia and our relationship. And it trickled down to my whole world with horses as it forced me to think about what I truly want...
A Milestone with Cole: Our 20-Year Story (So Far)

A Milestone with Cole: Our 20-Year Story (So Far)

January 16, 2024Posted inAQHA, Best Friend, Dreamalot Farm, family, farm, horse farm, Horse training, horses, journey, Natural Horsemanship,, personal growth, Quarter Horse, retired horse, Senior Horse, teachers
I’ve just hit a milestone with my horse Cole that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time: at the end of 2023 we marked 20 years together. And it’s significant to me personally because it’s exactly what I wanted when I bought him as three-year-old. I wanted a horse that I could have for the rest of his life. A horse that would be my horse and maybe my future child’s first horse as well--way down the road, of course, at the time that I found him. I wanted another horse in my life but more importantly a partner. And he’s certainly been that and more. He’s been my closest friend in a lot of ways, seeing me through some huge growth and change in 20 years. He became a trusted constant in my life and a friend who is family.
The Path to a Pup Named Raylan

The Path to a Pup Named Raylan

August 6, 2023Posted inAustralian Shepherd, dog, Dreamalot Farm, encouragment, farm, Grief, life lessons, puppy, Raylan Givens8 Comments
Our family really likes the dynamic of having three dogs. It feels like the house is right when there is a pack on the farm, and so when the time was right we thought of how to go about adding a new dog to our lives. Never once as a replacement, because you just can’t do that, as many of us well know. But as a new normal. One thing that was of utmost importance was that this was our 3-year-old son’s first time adding a dog to his life.
The Dog With My Name

The Dog With My Name

April 28, 2023Posted ina note from the past, dog, dog business, encouragement, encouragment, family, grandpa, lessons, life lessons, small business, small business owner
I wrote this first as a social media post in March of 2018, and then it was published shortly after in our local newspaper. A friend had read it and said we should submit it for a features section, so that was a fun place to have it shared. Now 5 years later the framed article hangs in the office of my dog-centric business. I wrote this post a little more than a month before my husband and I opened our dog boutique and grooming business together. I was excited, but as many small business owners experience at the start, I was anxious and a bit worried, hoping that it would be successful. We had invested a lot of ourselves into this venture, and it meant a lot to us. On May 3rd we will celebrate 5 years of being open. It's been a wonderful and blessed 5 years and we are so grateful for all that we have learned and experienced. As we look forward to the future with that gratitude and hopeful anticipation, I can't help but share this little nudge of encouragement that I received right before we opened. I don't think there was any coincidence to it...
Maximus: Shortly After He Left

Maximus: Shortly After He Left

December 15, 2022Posted indressage, dressage horse, farm, goodbye, hobby farm, horse farm, horses, letting go, life lessons, personal growth, retired horse, teachers, tribute4 Comments
I’m at the month mark now and I’m honestly a bit surprised at how resounding the grief feels. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it would be hard, but I thought knowing that we had saved him from suffering would be at the forefront and my rational brain could hold onto that and make it through the hardest chunks. But again, the hardest chunks have nothing to do with rational thought. I miss his presence, his soft eyes, and his gigantic head insisting that I scratch it. I miss the night checks and belly scratches, and the slow way he did everything.