From Moshi

When I was a baby, I used to love to run around the pasture as fast as I could go, then launch myself in the air, kick out behind, land with a thud, then do a sliding stop into my mom’s side. It was great fun. I would play fight with my friends, rearing up and striking at each other with our little hooves as we shook our heads in mock anger. We were preparing for the day we’d have to fight for our own band of mares, but we were also just having fun.

Of course, being a domesticated fellow, I never had to fight for a band of my own. My “family” became Jane, Rhett, and Indy. I have horse friends too, but I’ve never had to compete for company or food. That’s the nice thing about being cared for by human friends.

But that playful colt is still in there. Sometimes, when I’m turned out, I run as fast as I can and launch myself in the air. It’s not as easy as it was when I was a baby, but it’s still fun. It’s exhilarating.

What fun things have you stopped doing? What could you do, today, that would put a smile on your face or rekindle the enthusiasm you had as a youngster?

I heard Jane say once, “we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing…”

I hope you’re going to go to the barn today! Your horse wants to PLAY with you!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

In dog years, I’m a teenager. I’m at the prime of my life. I can run as fast as a car (well, at least a car going down the driveway), I can jump as high as a deer, I can wrestle my friend Geoffrey to the ground in three seconds or less, and I can catch a fast moving ball in mid-air.

I don’t intend to grow up. You know what? I don’t have to! I’ve heard Rhett tell Jane how much he enjoys my child-like enthusiasm in everything we do together. He says I remind him to “play full-out.”

Play isn’t just something for kids. The sense of play is what keeps you going when things get tough. It is the inspiration to keep you from stopping when you’re tired. It’s the difference between quitting and giving everything you’ve got.

It’s easy to change your mental focus from serious to playful… just remind yourself of a time when you had a whole lot of fun doing something you love to do. Remind yourself what that feels like. Own it. Feel it. Let your imagination rekindle that sense of fun and excitement! Then apply it to the thing you’re doing now.

My body may look all grown up, but my enthusiasm for life is very puppy-ish. I don’t intend to ever lose that. And I intend to remind both Rhett and Jane how to maintain that sense of play, no matter how serious the task may be. That’s a very serious job, but I do it with joy and playfulness.

Come on! Grab the ball and let’s go outside! Let’s go PLAY!

Love, Indy

From Indy

I was really hungry this morning. I mean REALLY hungry. I was so hungry I could have eaten a riding boot! But I remembered that I’m not supposed to do that anymore.

I wandered around the house and found Rhett in his office. I asked him for a biscuit, but he didn’t hear me. He was so intent on editing video he didn’t notice that I was at his side asking for something to eat.

Then I went to Jane and asked her for something to eat. She was focused on her computer, working on her next book, and didn’t even notice that I had come into the room. I sat at her feet feeling totally ignored. My feelings got hurt, and I felt very sad. I sighed and whimpered and felt like no one loved me anymore.

Before long, Jane stopped what she was doing, noticed that I was lying there, stood up, and asked me to follow her into the kitchen. She went to the cupboard and got a doggie biscuit and handed it to me with a smile. For a second, I considered refusing to take it, to punish her for being too busy for me. For a moment I thought I wanted her to feel bad, because I was feeling bad. But then I realized how silly that was.

Jane and Rhett both love me, and would never intentionally hurt my feelings. For me not to forgive them would only hurt me. So I decided to accept the gift of the biscuit and the love that came with it.

Forgiving someone helps the “forgive-er” even more than the “forgive-ee”. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to accept negative behavior. It’s simply acknowledging that we’re all doing the best we can at that moment. It is the mature act of letting go of the need to make the other guy wrong.

Who could use a dose of forgiveness in your life? Can you give them that gift? Give forgiveness a try and notice how good you feel.

Love, Indy

From Moshi

It’s hard for me to imagine Jane with another horse. She’s MY person, and I’m pretty possessive of her. I know she’s partnered with lots of horses before I came to her life, but I can’t imagine her with anyone but me.

I noticed Jane was a bit melancholy the other day, and then heard her
say that her former mount, Woody, had passed away. Woody was very old
and ready for his transition, but it was still sad for Jane to realize
he was no longer on this planet.

Jane said she was so grateful that Woody had been cared for by a
wonderful lady during his senior years. She talked about how much Woody
had taught her, and how much fun they had together at shows and clinics
over the years. Jane intentionally focused on the brightness he brought
to her’s and other’s lives, not on the loss of his passing.

When someone dies or moves away there is a natural period of time when we need to grieve. Horses grieve too. It is easy to stay in that place of sadness and let grief become a habit. Sometimes it takes some conscious effort to focus on the happy memories and the joy your friend brought to your life. But doing so will not only help you feel much better, it will help you train your brain to look for the positive in everything.

Allow yourself to feel your feelings. There is nothing wrong with being sad or upset. Just remember that the negative feelings will subside. Just take it one day at a time, and make the decision to put some effort into your happier thoughts.

All will be well….

Love, Moshi

From Moshi

Spring is here! I love this time of year. The grass is so tasty and green. It’s hard to imagine that my friends in the southern hemisphere are just now starting their fall season. The earth sure is an interesting place to live!

I’ve heard it said that all things have a season. Jane told a friend that there was a period or “season” in her young life when all she wanted to do was jump. She thought dressage was boring. She loved the sensation of the wind in her face and the challenge of higher and higher jumps. At the time she had a horse who was entering the “fall season” of his own life, and had to slow down and not jump anymore. That is why Jane started getting serious about dressage. It was for her horse’s sake at first, but then she found new inspiration, and dressage became her passion.

Sometimes, when we are moving through the autumn of our lives, we slow down a bit. We find that we don’t take the same kind of risks, or want the same kind of challenges. This is natural for all living being. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just the perfect cycle of our physical existence.

If you’ve slowed down a little, don’t be mad or sad about it. Just know that these changes are natural. With age truly does come wisdom, so allow yourself to recognize the payoff you’ve received in those years you’ve seen go by. Finding a new passion in the new season of your life is key to remaining happy.

What do you feel passionate about? Do just a little of that, today!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

I had a dream last night. Jane and Rhett talked about how interesting it was, watching my sleeping body try to run. My physical legs twitched and paddled as I chased rabbits in my dream.

Dreams can be scary, or they can be fun. Mine are usually very enjoyable, and almost always include chasing something. In my dream I’m always faster than the rabbit, but I usually wake up just when I’m about to catch it.

There is another kind of dream. It’s the wish or desire that has not yet been fulfilled. That dream may require some attention to bring to physical reality.

Do you have a dream you’ve not yet realized? What would it take for you to put some effort into that dream?

Today, write down your dream and put it somewhere you will see it often. Then take another piece of paper and write down five things you could do right now to get you closer to that dream.

Do at least one of those things TODAY. You’ll be on your way!

Love, Indy

From Moshi

The world sure is an interesting place. There is so much to see and to do. And there can be a lot of things to be afraid of.

I’m afraid of fire, skunks, and anything that pops out of the bushes and startles me. It’s not that I really think I’m about to be hurt, it’s just that I’m hard wired to jump when things move fast. All horses have that instinct, we just can’t help it.

Jane knows that I would never intentionally hurt her. But she also knows that I weigh about ten times more than she does, and when she’s on my back the ground is a long way away. She knows that accidents happen and there is always the possibility that she might come off. For that reason she ALWAYS wears a helmet during our training and hacking sessions, and has even started showing in her helmet instead of her top hat.

Life has it hazards. It’s just part of living. But we can take some of the risk out of those hazards by doing thoughtful little things, like wearing a helmet every time we ride.

Do you wear your helmet every time you get on a horse? Start a trend at YOUR barn!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

I love my friends. We may look like we are fighting sometimes, but it is all in fun and play. We like to roll around the pretend to bite each other, but we are not trying to hurt anyone, we’re just having a good time.

I have a new friend at the barn! His name is Geoffrey. He’s so much fun to be with! I tease him because he has curly hair. I actually like his curly hair, but he’s fun to tease because he pretends to get mad and attacks me. We run and chase each other and then act like we are biting each other’s necks. But we’re really not. We’re just pretending.

I’m going back to Vermont soon, and won’t be back in Florida until next fall. I’m going to miss Geoffrey. But missing friends is part of life, and I know there will be new friends in Vermont to play with.

But I’m still a little sad.

Jane told me that it’s okay to be sad. She said if we try to suppress our feelings too much, they get stronger. She told me to relax and feel my feelings, and let them shift by accepting and not fighting them. By letting my negative feelings pass THROUGH me instead of trying to push them away, I can release and transform them much more effectively.

I feel much better now. I told Geoffrey I will be back in a few months, and to remember me!

Do you remember any old friends you’d like to reconnect with? Pick up the phone! They’ll be happy to hear from you!

Love, Indy

From Moshi

So much time is spent doing things we don’t want to do, that we sometimes lose sight of why we do those things. But for those of us who work for a living, those activities are the price we have to pay to be able to do the things that fill our souls.

If you are irritated that you had to go to work today, just think about the payoff you receive by doing what you are doing. Does your job provide you with money so you can have a home? Does it give you enough income to buy food? Does it allow you to afford owning your own horse? IS THAT ENOUGH?

I once heard someone say that people who choose to be homeless have traded comfort for freedom. If you really examine that statement, you can see the logic to it.

Would you be willing to give up your home, your comfort, your horse(s), for freedom from having to earn a living? Most of us would not.

So, thank your employer today! Be grateful for your job and your income! Look at what you receive for your efforts! It’s a wonderful thing!

My job is carrying Jane and learning new skills. My job is to do as she asks, just a couple hours a day. The rest of the time is my own. I am grateful for this job, because she pays me with food, shelter, and loving care. It is a fair exchange, and I am grateful.

When you get off work, meet me at the barn and tell me about your day!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

My passion is fetching. It is in my DNA. I can’t help it. I LOVE to chase things! The farther Jane and Rhett can throw sticks and balls, the happier I am.

My job is to protect the house, and to keep Jane and Rhett company. My job is to love them as much as they love me. It is the best job on the planet.

It’s even better than Moshi’s job because I get to live in the house!

I could be upset that I don’t have the freedom to roam the countryside by myself, but I’m not. I look at the bright side of things. I get plenty to eat, lots of love, and a purpose in life. That’s enough to keep me happy.

What makes you happy? Do you give yourself time to do what fills your heart? Do you stop and smell the flowers? Make sure you are making time for yourself. Only then will your life have balance.

Let’s go play fetch!

Love, Indy

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