I have been a horse enthusiast all my life. But like so many young girls, especially those growing up in the city the passion never goes further than just dreaming. However, I am the parent now with 4 daughters of my own and found that when my youngest daughter, McKenna, finally reached the imaginary height I had in my head that would make her “tall enough for this ride”, we gave in, found a trainer and so began her journey and mine. I found due to her small stature I was the one tacking, mucking and doing most of the grooming. But I loved it. As time went on I absorbed her lessons envisioning one day it would be me riding; not in the show circuit but purely for the joy. Our journey took us to an equine rescue center where we volunteered for 2 years. This exposed me to Equine Massage Therapy where I eventually went to school and received my certification. I volunteered at an equine theraputic riding center for children with disabilities as well as building a small clientele of owners from various disciplines. Along the way we kept hearing about natural horsemanship and investigated what this was. Although I dont subscribe to any one trainers philosophy, as they are all quite similiar, we are currently being instructed at the barn were we lease now with Parelli. This barn is a social one with low drama, which I really enjoy. I found that I enjoyed the company of the mostly female boarders and we often took classes that were offered through the week together. As I got to know them the more I felt the desrire to see if they would be interested in starting a bible study. One theme I have observed in all the various barns I have been in was that horse world is all consuming and often crowded out faith. In an effort to look for a workbook study that would appeal to horse enthusiasts I realized there weren’t any. So, for the past year I have been writing one. It is my hope to use this blog site to see what kind of interest there is on this topic.
Thank you for your comment on my blog, Yours is the first from someone I don’t already know! I feel honored and excited to have inspired your remarks. So, in good turn, I am visitng your blog. I think that faith goes along with any other passion in life. So in a way, our efforts are similar, as you combine faith with horses, and for me it is a vital part of recovery. In any creative endeavor, one needs inspiration which I believe is a manifestation of our faith that we can connect to the world – and I usually say that my divine spark is expressing itself when I really communicate with others. That is why I started my blog. So it seems that our paths have crossed, you on your horse, and me with the Twelve steps as my vehicle. Thank you again for reaching out. Graefully, Ina