From Moshi

Jane says I’m too serious, and need to play more. She told me I should relax and enjoy life. I used to think she was crazy. I have lots of work to do, and I didn’t think I should waste time playing around. Dressage is serious business ya’ know, and I have to be PERFECT. But Jane taught me that dressage should be FUN first, and serious second.

I’ve heard Jane tell visitors that I’m very wise, like a Socrates with four legs. There is an old record that says Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected. So, I thought, perhaps I should learn to dance, too! Jane loved that idea. She cranked up the music and off we went!

To really dance well, you have to let go of the habit of looking at yourself through other people’s eyes. You have to stop that feedback loop. You have to risk looking silly. To dance you have to take a bit of the athlete in you and mix it with the artist in you. Unrestricted movement, without too much thinking, is the key. Shake, rattle, and roll, and you have a dance!

Do you like to dance? When was the last time you really let go and let your body move to the rhythm of the music? I suggest you try that today. Find a quiet room, close the door if you’re shy, and turn up the tunes. Release your mind as you release your body to move with the beat. Let go. Feel the freedom of movement. Close your eyes and really feel it.

There is nothing better for relieving stress than a good, powerful, free flowing dance. Give it a try! You can do it! Even if you’ve convinced yourself that you’re not a good dancer, you can still dance! Everyone can. You just have to be willing. You might surprise yourself, how good you really are!

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

Love, Moshi

From Indy

I’m a song and dance man. I howl in B-flat. I love to tap dance on the tile in the front hall, though I do my best dancing in front of the cupboard where the dog biscuits are stored. My best singing is done late at night when the coyotes stop by our place. We have a nice quartet performance at least once a week. Occasionally we’re even on key!

Jane isn’t fond of my nighttime serenade. For some reason she and Rhett like to sleep at night, all night long. They don’t doze off and on the way I do. I try to keep quiet, but sometimes I just can’t help myself and I have to join in the song of the wild! Rhett’s getting Jane earplugs for their anniversary.

The other day at the barn, Jane put on a tutu and danced for me. I was laughing so hard I was howling! I didn’t realize she could be that silly. But it sure looked like she was having fun. I joined in and we danced all the way down the driveway. It was hilarious! All the horses stopped what they were doing and stared. She was a big hit!

When was the last time you did something silly? Was it fun? Did the people around you laugh? How did you feel afterward? Maybe today would be a good day to let yourself go a little and have some fun! See if you can make someone laugh! It will feel good to both of you.

A sense of humor is asprin for the aches and pains of living. Have you had your dose today?

Love, Indy

From Moshi

I see blue sky, green grass, and yellow flowers. I can’t see red apples as my eyes perceive the color red as deep gray. I’ve been told that it’s because horses have a different eye structure from humans and can only see things in blues, yellows, and greens. My eyes don’t have the cones to produce the colors red, purple, or orange.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? I guarantee that you don’t see the same thing I do. You also don’t see the same thing your mother, your partner/spouse, or your dog sees.

Perception is a tricky thing. We can only relate to our own perception, so we naturally assume everyone sees things the way we do. But as we mature and become wiser, we recognize that this is so far from the truth! Everyone’s perceptions are colored by their previous experiences, their culture, their brain function, and their unique senses. We all see things differently.

The next time you’re in a conflict with a person, or even your horse, remember… how they view the situation is very different from how you see it. Just recognizing that will help you take a step back from the emotions at hand and give you a chance to respond in a different way.

Someone once said, we don’t see things as they are, we see them as WE are.

How could seeing something through someone else’s eyes help your situation? Give it a try! You might be surprised at how powerful recognizing this fact can be.

Then stop what you’re doing and take a carrot to your horse. He’s hoping you will! He may see it as yellowish gray, but it still tastes yummy.

Love, Moshi

From Indy

Jones. Indiana Jones. Also known as Double-K-Nine. KK9! I’m a secret agent dog. Oops! I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Don’t say anything! It will be our secret. I guess I’ll have to deputize you as a Double H so you’ll be obligated to keep quiet.

Do you prefer yours shaken or stirred? I take mine diced with a touch of gravy.

I’m on a mission. Somewhere in this house is my stuffed lobster toy. It’s my favorite toy. And it’s missing. I don’t know who took it, but I’m going to find out! Evil scum! It’s a conspiracy! When I find out who stole Mr. Lobby, I’m going to… well.. I can’t tell you what I’m going to do to them. You might try to stop me. GRRRRRRRRR

Have you ever lost something, accused someone of taking it, and then found it later? Boy. that’s embarrassing. Apologizing just never seems to be quite enough. That’s happened to me so many times, I decided to hunt for Mr. Lobby myself, before I start pointing fingers…’er claws.

The cat says she knows where Mr. Lobby is. She won’t tell me. She thinks it’s funny that I can’t find him. I can see her smirking though the window. She thinks it’s funny. GRRRRRRR I want to bite her tail! Darn her!

Maybe I should take her a mouse, and see if I can buy the information from her. Do you think that will work? I’m going to give it a try. Honey catches more flies than vinegar, so perhaps I can “nice” her into telling me where my lobster toy is hiding.

Check back next week and I’ll let you know if it worked.

This is secret agent KK9, signing off. And remember, this is just between you and me! SHHHHHHH

Love, Indy

From Moshi

Black and white. Yes and no. Up and down. Sickness and health. Positive and negative….

We live in a world of contrast. It’s the duality of Nature that makes up our physical world. Without that contrast, we wouldn’t be able to perceive. It’s in knowing dark that we can recognize light. It’s in being able to experience silence that we can hear noise. The comparisons go on and on.

As infants, people are trained to show a preference for one thing over another. Most well adjusted (note that you have to be “adjusted”) children develop a preference for positive feedback over negative. For “yes” over “no”. For health over sickness. For “happy” over “sad.” Humans are trained from birth to compare and prefer.

What if nothing you experienced was actually “wrong” or “right,” but just an experience? How different would your world be if you didn’t judge what happened in your life, but, rather, just observed your physical and emotional perceptions of whatever showed up?

In many Spiritual philosophies, it’s the pain from living with the judgement of what occurs that is recognized as the most difficult part of being human. Release that judgement, and enlightenment is possible.

As a horse, I’m already enlightened. I don’t carry judgement about what happens. Oh, I may have an unhappy memory of the fellow who poked me in the hip to get me on that airplane in Amsterdam, but I don’t JUDGE it. It is what it is. It was what it was. That was then, this is now.

How would your life be different if you accepted “what is…“? Could you try that on, just for a day? Give it a try! Or not. The choice is yours. And that is the one constant… your choice of what you think about is always YOURS.

Your horse is hoping you choose to bring him a carrot when you go to the barn today. He says that is the “right” choice!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

I have the most beautiful buff colored coat. It’s soft and sleek in the summer, when I’m done shedding. Jane and Rhett like to brush me, making my silky hair shine. I love to be brushed. It’s one of the loving things they do for me that helps me to know they love me.

Do you have people in your life whom you love? I’ll bet you do. How do you show that love to them? Do you brush their hair? Do you make them dinner? Do you rub their tired feet when they get home? Do you give them a hug when they are down in the dumps?

Showing that you care is not hard at all. But it does take an awareness of how the other person is feeling. This is call empathy. And, it takes a true desire to make that person feel better. Those small, simple actions can mean the difference between a good marriage and a divorce. That’s how powerful they are! It’s the little day to day things that speak volumes to your friend or mate.

Every day I show Jane and Rhett how much I love them by staying close, wagging my tail, bringing them my tennis ball, and brushing up against them with a big smile on my face. I even took them dinner one night, but they made it very clear that they didn’t care for road kill rabbit. So, I gave it to the barn cat instead. Now she knows I care about her too, and she started bringing me dead mice to eat. Ick!!! I know she cares, but… Mice? ICK!!

Please don’t tell her that I don’t eat them. I just bury them in the yard where she won’t find them. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. She means well.

How do you show your family you love them? Do you give them mice for dinner? I hope not!

Love, Indy

From Moshi

Words have power. They have energy. They create a state of being in our minds. Horses don’t use words, but we understand the energy behind what you say.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I say, the wounds from a stick or stone will probably heal, but the damage caused by the negative words we hear may sting for life.

Never underestimate how your words affect those around you, as well as how they reflect back and affect YOU. If your self-talk is negative, your experience is going to be negative. If you speak positively, your experience will reflect the same. If you bark and growl at your horse without careful thought to the attitude you’re projecting, your horse is going to feel insecure and you’re going to maintain a negative vibration. If you’re snapping at the people around you, the energy you’re projecting can be just as damaging as a pointed stick jabbing into someone’s heart.

Have you ever asked yourself, is it better to be right, or is it better to be kind? It’s a very pertinent question. Sometimes you have to stand your ground and be firm in what you consider “right.” Sometimes being right is just not that important. Choosing which applies in each situation is one of the things you have to decide on your own. Observing the results of your choices, right or wrong, is where wisdom is born.

Your horse’s interaction with you is a terrific reflection of your choices. Horses are congruent, honest, and in the moment. They’re a terrific mirror of your state of being. If you take the time to observe, and you’re open to the message, you can learn a lot from your equine friend.

Love, Moshi

From Indy

The big gray barn cat got in my face today. She told me I was a brat. She swatted at my nose and scratched me bloody! I can’t believe she did that! I was just trying to get her to run so I could chase her, like I do the bunnies. But no.. she said she is much too mature for my silly games.

Silly games! My games aren’t silly! I’m very serious about my games. That really hurt my feelings! I thought about biting that darn cat’s tail right off, but I knew I’d be in trouble if I did. So I walked away.

Moshi told me to let it go and not worry about what that cat thinks. She’s a negative thinker who likes to push other’s buttons, and is never going to be any different. It’s MY choice how I react to her. I have the choice about whether I let her words ruin my day, or whether I’m going to move on to something more productive.

Okay…. as much as I’d like to pay her back for hurting my feelings, I’m going to move on. Moshi and I are going to go find bunnies in the grass for me to chase! I’m glad he’s my friend. He helps me refrain from reacting out of my immediate emotions. When I stop and take a breath before I react, I can make better decisions on how to respond.

If you tend to react before you really think, you may want to learn to take a few breaths before you jump. A moment to reflect may totally change what you do in a situation. It might save you from having to fix the damage your initial response may have caused. Counting to ten may sound like a cliche’, but it really does work.

Moshi did a great job distracting me from my anger at the cat. Had I actually chased her and bit off her tail, I’d probably be banished from the barn for life. That would make me incredibly sad. So now, I just give her a wide berth. I don’t need her approval, and I don’t need to upset myself by hanging around with a stinkin’ thinker.

Are there any stinkin’ thinkers at your barn? Let ‘em go. Don’t get involved. They do nothing but drag you down, and might even get you in trouble some day. Find the positive, uplifting people and hang out with them! Better yet, be one of those people!

Attitudes are very contagious. What are you spreading around?

Love, Indy

From Moshi

Winning. What does that feel like to you? For me, I’ve “won” when I feel that flow through my body and everything comes together. I find it easy to feel flow when I’m cantering. I have a “winning” canter. It’s my favorite gait. When Jane was first teaching me tempi changes, I lost that sense of flow until I had the muscle memory of changing leads whenever she asked. Once I got that muscle memory, the changes became easy and flow returned. I felt like I’d “won.”

Winning doesn’t have to be about blue ribbons. If you’ve been away from riding for a while, you may feel like you’ve won if you simply get out to the barn and get on your horse for ten minutes. Walking around may be as far as you want to go today. If you’re a serious competitor, you may have that sense of a win by perfecting that challenging movement. If you’re a teacher, you may feel like you’ve “won” when your student ends the lesson with a smile.

There are many ways to find that sense of a Win. The key is simply to look for it. And when you do, remind yourself to pay attention to how it feels. Then you can consciously create it again and again. It’s being in that positive space that creates even more success.

What could you do today that would make you feel like a success? I’m going to perform perfect pirouettes today, both directions. That gives me a terrific successful feeling!

Love, Moshi

From Indy

I had the most delicious breakfast today. It was a mixture of dog food and real meat. Yummm! It was so tasty! It was a great way to start the day.

From there I went outside and chased a few bunnies. Then I came back in to sleep away the rest of the hot part of the day. After it cooled down, Rhett and I played catch. It was so much fun!

I have the perfect life. Plenty to eat, people to love and who love me, and a healthy young body.

There are people in the world who don’t have enough. They may be hungry in body or maybe in spirit. They may be rich with stuff but poor in real friendships. They may have just lost everything in a fire or tornado. Or they may be buried in things but very alone in their hearts.

Do you have time to help someone? It doesn’t have to cost you money. Maybe you know someone who is lonely. Maybe you could take a casserole to an elderly neighbor. Perhaps you could donate some old clothes or furniture to a shelter. Consider helping a horse rescue nearby who could use a few hours of your time.

Giving back is one of the ways we build self esteem and character. It’s good for your heart and good for your spirit. It’s also a great way to teach your kids to care about others.

What could you do today to help someone else? Give it a try! You may be helping yourself as well.

I’m going to take some of Moshi’s carrots out for the hungry bunnies. Don’t tell Moshi! It’ll be our little secret.

Love, Indy

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