Embracing Change

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Yes, I seriously just wrote that.

For those of you who have been following this page for a while or know me in real life, you’ve likely recognized that this is NOT my typical philosophy. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I get very comfortable in situations, and am beyond reluctant to do anything different, because if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

I take riding lessons twice a week, and for the past few months, I’ve mostly been riding a lovely been-there-done-that blue-ribbon winning turned bombproof lesson horse. She has re-instilled a sense of confidence in me that months ago, I could have only dreamed of. However, I’ve always felt like there was *something* missing from our rides, and have never been able to put my finger on it. Until now.

Friday afternoon, I arrived to the barn and found myself lessoning on not one, not two, but three new lesson horses! You see, my trainer had decided to try me on a number of different mounts all in the same hour, to help me figure out what qualities I personally like in a riding horse.

At first, I was quite skeptical and honest-to-God almost had a massive panic attack upon the first pony’s back. However, as each short ride progressed, I found myself loosening up, as the worst, unknown part was over.

To my (and everyone else’s) surprise, my favorite ride of the day was the least likely culprit; a pony whom I had some pre-ride prejudice against, simply due to multiple prior instances of impolite ground manners. Overall, the lesson was one of my favorites to-date, as I typically second-guess every move I make, but simply just let myself enjoy the ride. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, right?

Flash forward to yesterday’s lesson. I was placed on yet another new-to-me pony but this time, there was an instant connection. Everything I liked about my favorite mount from the previous day existed in this gray gelding and more.

The ride was, dare I say it, easily one of my best ever. That’s not to say I won’t ever go back to my usual been-there-done-that mare. But this particular pony has an extra sparkle, the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing all these months…

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨.

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With H.O.P.E.

Diana Bezdedeanu