I thought I would write about how this blog got started. I’ve been sharing my thoughts here for 9 years now. It started out as a place for me to share my big horse journey.
I was having such a hard time with my big horse at the time. My horsemanship journey was full of ups and downs and lots of heart ache, mixed in with awesome days that kept me trying. BUT everything I was reading online was about bright shining horsemanship, lots of positive, happy stuff which is great too but I was always wondering… was I the only one that was having so much trouble?
I started my blog as a kind of diary. But I thought maybe, just maybe, there were others out there having a hard time and wondering if they were alone. It turns out there were LOTS of people having a hard time! My blog allowed me to form a lovely little group of people to share my horsemanship journey with. There were bumps along the way but mostly those people were super supportive and kind.
I shared my good days and my bad days. Just putting it all out there.
When I had my last horse accident and decided that riding wasn’t for me, and I brought the minis back into my life, this blog continued on. Still full of the ups and downs, though many less downs as I found the ponies to be so much fun!
When I re-started Sky in the cart I shared about it here.
When Bonnie started having her health issues I shared about them here.
As I have tried and changed feed programs I have shared that here.
Then I started sharing more about my harness journey, what I was buying, why I liked it.
I shared my cart journey and my excitement when I got my Hyperbike.
I shared when things weren’t really working well, not fitting or not appropriate for the job at hand. That triggered another group of people who started following me… People passionate about doing what’s best for their horses and ponies. They are passionate about trying new things and staying flexible.
BUT I also inadvertently drew in some negative people. People who do not like me questioning things. People who don’t agree with me and aren’t shy about calling me out. That’s totally fine with me, I don’t care if people don’t agree, but I don’t like when they try to make me feel like a bad person because I am doing something differently.
I say it all the time here… there is more than one way to get the job done. Just because I do it my way does not make your way wrong, but neither does it make MY way wrong.
I’m just so tired of being people’s punching bag. Since when am I responsible for stroking other people’s ego? And why is the fact that I am doing things my way so threatening the way they are doing things? And since when have I EVER claimed to be an expert at anything? I share what I am doing. I share what is working. I share what is NOT working. I always say this is my opinion and please please please, always do what you think is best for your horse/pony/donkey. If people call and ask me my opinion I will share it. If people call and want to order a part for their harness and don’t ask my opinion then I don’t share it.
If you want to use wrap straps on your Hyperbike then use wraps straps. I really don’t care. If you ask me my opinion I will say:
Please do your best to balance the bike before adding the wrap straps. Don’t use the straps in place of working on the balance. There is a way to get the shafts NOT to bounce. Once that is accomplished if the wrap straps make you feel safer and more stable then by all means use them! But using them to stop the bouncing will only transfer the bounce to the pony’s tummy. This can cause sores aka girth galls. Then I will start hearing about how people’s harnesses are causing girth galls.
I’m going to continue to share here. I am open to kind, constructive comments. I will no longer tolerate aggressive emails, messages or comments on my Facebook page. I have never allowed them here as there is little to learn from those types of things. I’m just going to shut that down from now on. I’m too busy to deal with drama of this type. And I spend too many hours worrying about what a horrible person I am. All the while watching how well my harness and bike are working together. While watching how happy Zorro is when he is working. Why would I waste my time worrying about what people think who live so far away, have never met me in person, and are bent on being mean? I’m so so done.
So if you want to read my blog and try a few of the things I am doing please do!! And feel free to shoot me an email with any questions you may have. I am always happy to help, if I can. If I can’t, I have access to many very knowledgeable people who are also happy to help and I can ask them.
If you read my blog and it makes you feel angry or threatened just know that has NEVER been my intention. But do feel free to simply move on.
