Full disclosure - I saw @Brenda Rigney posting a version of this and thought it would be a fun thing to try here 😊 How it works … Post 2 things that are true about your experiences with horses and thing that’s a big fat lie 😊 Try to guess each other’s. I’ll go first in the comments 😊

Sometime in the late Middle Ages, humans did something extraordinary. We took the movement of the sun, the turning of the seasons, and the rhythm of our own bodies and we built a cage around it all. Minutes. Hours. Deadlines. Quarters. Financial years. Five-year plans. Then, without really noticing, we stepped inside that cage and locked the door. Now we rush. We schedule .We measure productivity. We panic about being ‘late.’ We talk about ‘spending’ time, ‘wasting’ time, ‘running out of time’ or ‘making time as if it’s a physical commodity stored in a vault somewhere. However, when we step into nature we can see something entirely different happening. The trees are not in a hurry. The tide is not anxious. Winter does not apologise for moving more slowly than summer. Nature moves in cycles, not schedules. Horses and other animals are part of that living system and move with those cycles too. They can certainly learn routines, but without human interventions, they simply respond to light, seasons, subtle shifts in energy, pressure and release, and what is happening now, internally and externally. An animal is never late, never early and never pressed for time. There’s a saying: ‘If you have ten minutes to do something with a horse, it will take an hour. If you have an hour, it will take ten minutes.’ That's because when we enter their space carrying the pressure of our clock-cage, they feel it immediately. The tightness. The urgency. The invisible incessant ticking. And often, things don’t go as you had planned! It's not because they are being deliberately difficult but because they have no concept of our self-made cage and the limitations it imposes. They are living inside the rhythm of life. There is something profoundly regulating about being fully present beside a horse, playing with a dog, petting a cat, or sitting in nature. Time stops chasing us and we stop chasing it. Maybe one of the best lessons animals and nature offer us is that we may need to use the clock, but we do not have to live inside it and let it rule our lives.

Is there one yard job that you know you’re exceptionally good at? Even if you do all the jobs below every day, choose the one where you really shine 😊 The one where you stand back with a satisfied smile to admire your handiwork 😊 The one nobody else can do to your standard? What are you Queen or King of around the yard? Don’t be shy 😊

Quick check-in 😊 If your current energy level was a horse, which one would it be? There are no wrong answers. Energy naturally ebbs and flows. Where are you today? And more importantly… what might help you move one step closer to the energy you you’d like to have?

Every now and then there's an article in the press or a segment on TV that opens the floodgates of people asking about our Therapeutic Horse-riding services. While we are delighted that the word is spreading about the amazing and multiple ways that being with horses can benefit children and adults with a range of physical, intellectual, mental heath and other challenges, we have a duty of care to be honest about possible outcomes. Parents regularly find us as a last resort, desperate for something to hold their child's interest, and we are upfront about the fact that we may not be able to provide the solution they're seeking. We created this Managing Expectations piece that we now include in the early stages of correspondence with a prospective new client. It has helped us to establish clear boundaries and prevent parents and children thinking that horses are an instant cure-all! You are welcome to copy and edit it to suit your own needs. We've learned a LOT since 2014 - most of the hard way - and we're always happy to share so don't be shy about asking. 🙂 MANAGING EXPECTATIONS Please, do not expect instant results when you bring your child to Horses Connect! There has been a lot of media coverage recently about how horses can help people, especially children on the autistic spectrum. It’s really important to know that there is science behind the effects of being in the presence of horses. It’s not magic. It’s not instant. And it’s not for everyone. Just like football, swimming or any other activity, horse-riding will not be a good fit for every child. We see little miracles - that are actually huge milestones - on a daily basis. A first word, eye contact, or initiating an activity – but these little miracles usually happen after weeks, months or even years of consistent work. So don’t be disappointed if your child doesn’t want to get up on the pony, or is more interested in playing with the sand! We have years of experience, and will do our best to encourage your child to ride, but it may not happen!