It is now May of 2020. It has been a long time since I’ve written a blog post. My inbox is filled daily with newsletters that never get read. There never seems to be enough time in the day to manage life’s chores… such as grocery shopping, exercising, cooking, and house cleaning, much less more creative pursuits. Even with the pandemic restrictions and stay-at-home protocols, time is still oddly crunched into an ever tighter space. Do you have this problem too? I don’t even have animals to feed any longer and I’m only riding once a week! Has there been a strange cosmic tweak to the dimension known as “time”?

Take this year itself, for example. What a blur the past five months have been. We are collectively emerging from what has likely been the strangest time in our personal existence, no matter what year you were born. My wish for all of the readers of this newsletter is that you have been able to stay well and healthy, and maintain your horses in a positive manner.

Undoubtedly, the stress you have been under has been registered by your horses and other pets, as they have a way of tapping into a bigger collective consciousness of all beings. Many of you may be experiencing issues at your barns as we did in the days that followed the shock of the events that occurred in the United States on September 11th, 2001. Our local veterinarian had never seen so many colic cases in a short period of time, and we lost a very nice horse of our own. The tension among everyone was palpable

This is a time to be patient, and be as kind  as possible to everyone. If you have not been able to visit your horse/s, hopefully that will change soon, as everyone adapts to the “new normal.”

Here at home in British Columbia, I know of people looking for a new trail horse, and having trouble finding one because all the good horses seem to be selling quickly! Presumably that is good news… as it means there are riders looking forward to hitting the trail—perfect “social distancing” activity, right?—and that there is still support in the equine economy to acquire and maintain new equine partners.

Speaking of partners, we have a few new collaborations within The Compassionate Equestrian Network, and I’m also looking for some feedback from readers, professionals, and friends regarding the future of our digital presence. Do we even keep the newsletter going? The website? Or move strictly to social media and even live broadcasts on those platforms?

Part of this “new normal” is a stronger move to cyberspace, which is still somewhat foreign territory to many. Not only that, but if you are a busy trainer and/or someone who spends much of your day outdoors and constantly in motion, how in the world do you incorporate even more phone or computer time? Horses and students need their caregivers and teachers to be fully engaged and present. Conversion to a more technocratic society is going make for some interesting, yet challenging alterations as to how we proceed. I’d love to hear how you are managing now, and planning for the future.

Meanwhile…

I am a guest speaker at the HERD Virtual Summit in July – follow news on their website and be sure to sign up or check in for future information: The HERD Institute

Have a look at the Concordia Equestrians website, and consider signing up for their newsletter if the information resonates with you. I write about a chapter of the book each month. Concordia Equestrians

Wherever you are in the world, be safe, stay calm, think happy thoughts, and do the best you can with the situation we have been handed. One thing we know for certain is that time does not stop. There’s tomorrow, next year, and the next decade. Let’s try for a really bright, healthy future for our planet, and all sentient beings.

 

Susan