Spring happenings

Had my first ride on Simon today in several months.  Yahoo!  Half an hour of brisk walking, trying to maintain that nice steady 1-2-3-4 rhythm.  Good for both of us.  Couple that with the return of the songbirds, and the fact that it is raining and melting the snow, and I’m feeling pretty good about things.  

Fun Day!

Just had a most fun ride on Burnished Monarch!  Now I’m off to UVM’s Healthy Horse Day, where yours truly will be giving a talk on the Center for Equestrian Growth and Awareness’ programs.  Check it out!

Great sheepherding lesson with Beck today!  Some good outruns, getting the hang of wearing, much more focused on the sheep and less focused on me (which is a good thing, in this case.)  Now he is contentedly napping while I type.  

The horse trailer is all cleaned out and ready for spring.  Too bad spring isn’t ready for us.

The wonders of life-coaching

I was recently asked to give a talk at the University of Vermont on Equine Massage, to a group of pre-vet students. I was flattered, but one of my first thoughts was, “Oh no!  How am I going to get through this?  I hate public speaking!”

See how we can sabotage ourselves?  This was a golden opportunity, gift-wrapped and handed to me on a silver platter, and all I could see were the possible pitfalls.  How did I get through it, and even more, turn it around to be a really positive experience? CEGA, of course!

There are lots of different coping skills we can use in such a situation.  Here’s what I did.  I made a list of all the positive things that could result from this clinic, such as increased business, greater recognition, the chance to share something I really love, and working on an area in which I’d like to improve—public speaking.  Some of these benefits I came up with on my own, some of them were pointed out to me by friends with whom I shared my anxieties, but really, what helped me most was “channeling” Barb Torian, professional life coach and one of the founders of CEGA.  I could hear her, helping me to turn my thoughts around and take control of the situation before it was able to take control of me.  Allowing myself to step back and look at it from a different perspective enabled me to focus on the positive aspects of the UVM talk.  I’m not saying that my days of feeling anxious about public speaking are over, but what if they ARE?  What if I just allow myself to imagine that I really like public speaking, having the chance to talk to a roomful of people about work that I truly love?  Suddenly, that adrenaline rush I’m feeling is excitement, not nerves. Wow!  Thanks, Barb!

Haven’t had a chance to work with Barb yet?  Do yourself a HUGE favor and give her a call, send her an email, and get started!  Your possibilities are endless!

Heading to UVM

I’ve been invited to teach a class at UVM today, on Equine Massage.  So excited!

I have been feeding my horses free-choice second cut hay from lovely, sweet-smelling round bales this winter.  One of the nice things I’ve noticed from this is that when I kiss them on their furry noses, they smell like summer—that gorgeous smell of green grass and fresh air.  Aaaaahhh.....