QUICK! Take this short quiz:
1 Do you often hear yourself saying: “My best riding years are behind me,” or “I missed my chance to ride with so-and-so,” or “My life led me away from horses”?
2 When it comes to horses and riding, do you define yourself more by what you aren’t anymore, rather than what you are?
3 When it comes to having horses in your life, are you choosing the path of least resistance?
TSB author Melinda Folse, author of THE SMART WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE HORSES, says that having horses in our lives, and riding well now, later, and everywhere in between, is by all means doable, whatever our circumstances. She says making strides to ensure our lives accommodate our love for horses is about changing the way we think.
Instead of:
“I wish I had been a working student for so-and-so when I had the chance” (and trust me, I’ve recited this one to myself far more than once!)
You think:
“I will audit a clinic with so-and-so next summer.”
Instead of:
“I should have pursued riding when I was young and athletic.”
You think:
“Learning to ride in middle age will be a concussion-free way to tone my body and keep me fit.”
Instead of:
“I should have bought my own horse before I became a father/mother.”
You think:
“It will be so much fun to teach my kids how to help with barn chores.”
Melinda Folse says, “Telling yourself that the time to have enjoyed horses is in your past is so often the ‘path of least resistance’…dare to choose a different trail, and the challenges will be far exceeded by your eventual rewards.”
We all have time for horses, if we clear our mental space with “Instead” Horsemanship. Go ahead and reframe your expectations to include a weekly dose of horse time. I mean, really—is there anything you’d rather be doing instead?
THE SMART WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MIDLIFE HORSES is available from the TSB online bookstore, where shipping in the US is FREE.