I had such a lovely day with one of the horses I take care of that I felt was worth sharing. I was listening to some of Zoë’s podcast episodes and it got me feeling more confident. I often worry about being judged at the yard, especially by people who seem to “have it all together” I’m a very sensitive person so it’s hard to shut the world out and focus. but today I held my head up high and just did my thing. Huyen (the mare I worked with today) seemed to pick up on the positive energy and looked super happy and calm. She’s a very tense and alert horse and I’ve been a bit afraid to do things with her by myself so today was such a big step forward 💗 The warmer weather definitely helped too! 😙

✨ We recently spoke about Podcast Episode 32: Nobody is watching you and I thought it might be helpful to share how I actually apply that in real life these days. Especially at the stables. Barns can be wonderful places and they can also be emotionally charged ones. I’ve had periods in my life where certain people made my time with horses and my students feel incredibly heavy, even unbearable at times. 👉 I didn’t overcome that by changing them. 💪 I overcame it by changing me. I worked on: - my mental and physical fitness - learning to breathe properly - not overthinking - choosing who enters my circle carefully - setting boundaries and keeping them - not negotiating my value - showing up as my higher self, not my reactive self And I have a small ritual. There’s a quiet little place at the stables, slightly out of sight (see video & picture). Before I begin, I stand there for 1–5 minutes. I focus on: - my breathing - my posture - my plan for the day When I walk away, my head and chest are up. That’s intentional. If I see someone who used to raise the hairs on my neck, I tell myself: “Let them.” Then I count backwards — 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and move on. No reaction. No story. No giving away my energy. Because my time with my horses and my students is ours. Not theirs. And I decided to refuse to let anyone rent space in my nervous system without permission anymore. Curious: Do you have any rituals that help you protect your space and energy at the barn or maybe at work or in public spaces ? 🐴✨🫶