Home > Trip > Dispatches > Daily Dispatches 2013 > Daily Dispatch #130

May 10, 2013: Life of Alys

I have a love/hate relationship with ideas days. I love them because they alert me to the fact of what’s possible. But I hate them because I realize that I won’t be able to act upon all the options. However, writing is what enables me to pull things together. If I didn’t sit down and puzzle things out, I would be like an untethered boat out in the middle of the ocean. Call my story Life of Alys.

I recently read Life of Pi. One of the things that makes this book so good is that it is metaphorical. In the end, the writer explicitly makes clear what the tiger, hyena, zebra, and orangutan



all represent. Another thing that makes this book so good is that it works on another level. It in some ways Life of Pi is a metaphor for my own life. I am constantly adrift.

Yesterday’s working with Dick was what must have brought about this particular ideas day. And as well, I watched a holistic horse video. Maybe too, it has to do with the fact that I woke up to sunshine. I don’t have as near as many idea days in the dead of winter. Must be the vitamin D.

Anyhow, I began thinking that I might do as I see clinicians do, and start to work with people and their horses. Horse people have money, so why not?

I have not yet determined how I might do this. Dick’s coming back over today - - I’m going to take on the role of a coach and further prepare him for the trail trials. My list of what we’re going to do is at the end of this dispatch.

This past week my proposal for Trafalagar Press was rejected, I was told because my audience was too narrow in scope. I hate to say it, but Rebecca Didier is right. So I’m going to rewrite my proposal, broadening my audience. I’m going to instead propose to write a resource guide for trail users, one in which they might better connect with their horses both mentally and physically. I will draw upon the work of others who think similarly. This will center around horse and human body work. It seems to me that most clinicians focus on one or the other. What gives me pause is that I still have a great deal to learn.

My writing about this first seems like the best way to go, because it will make me a more focused researcher. Now this seems quite plausible to me. This morning, as I was mulling over this idea, I focused on the clinic portion of my big plan. However, I was stymied. This I knew was a bad sign. However, my writing a proposal will provide me with much-needed research boundaries.

It’s taken me a few hours to write yesterday’s and today’s dispatches. This was a good thing because it made me feel like I could see the distant shore.

List of things to do with Dick:
--Sit down and go over day’s plan. (Sitting down is good – focuses you.) Stress that all we should do today, he should do tomorrow.
--Do some simple body work with Dick
--Do some simple body work with Karmen
--Walk the home trail trials course. Talk, with Dick about how he will deal with the various obstacles.
--Have Dick do the course bareback.
--Have Dick do the course under saddle, with the bit-less bridle.
--Sit down and do a final assessment.

Next: 131: 1/11/13: Trail Trial Travails