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November 23, 2018: The Writing Life: The Horsey Life

I don’t, in talking with people, make the connection between my horsey and writing lives. But I do in educating the horses, use writing to problem solve. And I do think that this form of self-reflection is making me a more effective educator.

I (as always) had a plan for today, which was to ride Tyra and have Pete ride Tinni – the older/younger combination (I have discovered) works really well. Then, after, we were going to go for a bicycle ride. The plans, as they often do, did change.

I worked on another FEMA test this morning, then midway through got a phone call from Jo who I met at the animal disaster workshop last week. She was on


Tyra Curling

her way here. So I worked a bit and then went outside. It was sunny but chilly out. When she arrived I gave her the tour and we then had lunch. Our friend Karen then showed up and she and Pete elected to do a hike. Pete took Ryder.

So rather than ride, I decided that Jo would walk Tinni and I would walk Tyra, first around the loop and then on Siggi’s trail. I got both horses out and tossed Raudi and Hrimmi the gasoline containers so that they could do some horsey curling. I then groomed and did Tinni’s and Tyra’s hooves – circling them and in between, circling my own feet and arms. It is amazing what a difference this makes – rather than go hunched over, from horse to horse I instead stand up and stretch out, and in addition to circling, I do other stretches. I feel more limber when I set out (always first walking the horses) and I think that they do too.

Jo didn’t know what to make of this. She was rather in awe of our setting. And she was soon in awe of Tyra, who ran free once I let her off lead on Siggi’s trail. Tyra now knows to stay our of my space, which is what I hoped would happen in doing walking-based trail education. And I noticed that her topline is built up, and she no longer moves with her head held high.

Once we returned home, Jo left because it was getting dark and she didn’t want to drive on Buffalo Mine Road at night.

I then wrote about the homeschooling portion of the day in my homeschooling journal. I noted that I was pleased because I determined after Connie’s visit how I might do things differently. The body awareness work, with the focus on me was on my part, brilliant. And going for a lengthy walk on the road and trail was far more effective than working on walking in the more confined Playground of Higher Learning.

I would not have figured this out if I hadn’t previously written about this in my journal, then thought about this further in (a week ago) writing the dispatch entitled “Hindsight.” Writing then allows me to assess and reassess what I’m doing and what I’m not doing in educating the horses. Now, in hindsight, I should have mentioned this to Connie and Jo for it’s an important component in horsey homeschooling.

Next: 328. 11/24/18: Listless

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