The first two years I had Chant I didn’t ride much. I had recently moved and didn’t know many riders, and felt it wasn’t safe to ride a green/inexperienced Horse alone, so we only rode about 40 times in those two years. The third year I moved back to my familiar community, and we rode a lot. Chant is naturally confident and brave and this last year she had a lot of opportunities to sort things out and gain knowledge. And I still considered her a green Horse. As I rode, I was hyper vigilant about other riders and situations that ‘might’ happen and was always looking ahead. I diligently embraced the idea that Chant is green. And it was true. I made it true.
But I have been pondering, when does a Horse stop being a green or inexperienced Horse? Who decides? The Horse, the Human, the other riders, the instructor? Time? Miles? Behavior? Awareness? A test?
After having almost 3 months off for double knee replacements I was ready to ride again. Those 3 months off had felt like eternity and I was not interested in being timid, playing small, starting all over or maintaining the status of riding a green Horse. I wanted to make up for lost time.
On the first trail ride, Chant was distracted by some of her friends and upturned tree roots, but I was not threatened by her wondering attention span. I had decided that she was no longer a green Horse, and that she knew more than enough to keep us safe and take us to the next level of our riding.
This shift in my perspective has opened a new way of being with her. It has opened ways for her to show up. It has allowed us to be ‘better together.’ With the leap of accepting a broader vision of Horse and Rider we can claim our place as a sensible team. With this expanded identity also comes responsibility.
A responsibility to show up despite the kind of day we are having, responsibility to show proof of what we have learned so far, and the responsibility of celebrating what we have accomplished and who we have become together.
Its easy to measure ‘how far we have come’, it seems a greater challenge to acknowledge and applaud the journey we have taken this far, because natural tendency is to demand more. It is of great importance that we honor the changes made, the sacrifices made of will and fear, and the negotiations that have found common ground for us both.
This is a work of art together, jointly we decide if we are creating beauty or if we are creating angst. It endorses our commitment to the Quest of Horse and Human as Spiritual allies. If we look carefully, we can see the strengths and weakness in the other and the progress made in each other. If we look very closely, we can see the possibility of accomplishment in our near destiny.