tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post8358987340142390188..comments2024-01-06T02:00:05.220-07:00Comments on SprinklerBandits: Horses are my Therapy, A Follow UpSprinklerBandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-91128129417022887642019-06-01T08:59:02.313-06:002019-06-01T08:59:02.313-06:00Horses bring a fascinating element to our lives if...Horses bring a fascinating element to our lives if we let them.SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-90010132682597064312019-06-01T08:58:01.197-06:002019-06-01T08:58:01.197-06:00<3<3SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-77235137493266214222019-06-01T08:57:13.930-06:002019-06-01T08:57:13.930-06:00Yes. The incongruence was the problem for me. I...Yes. The incongruence was the problem for me. I'll have to check out that book.SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-60438330054314688572019-06-01T08:56:39.658-06:002019-06-01T08:56:39.658-06:00I definitely debated posting it for a long time.I definitely debated posting it for a long time.SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-65985514517640276812019-06-01T08:56:05.373-06:002019-06-01T08:56:05.373-06:00That sounds like a healthy, balanced place to be. ...That sounds like a healthy, balanced place to be. :)SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-26271948948386353352019-06-01T08:55:42.263-06:002019-06-01T08:55:42.263-06:00Thank you. :)Thank you. :)SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-23551908522295363892019-06-01T08:55:31.871-06:002019-06-01T08:55:31.871-06:00Well let's not get ahead of ourselves, haha.Well let's not get ahead of ourselves, haha.SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-74804490781578009112019-05-01T06:22:10.116-06:002019-05-01T06:22:10.116-06:00Amazing post...so true and yet so complicated... ...Amazing post...so true and yet so complicated... I find if I'm not in the best state of mind to ride, I do chores. Shovelling, raking, sweeping, etc seem to help me more. Although, when I do ride, I tend to be able to block out everything that is troubling me and focus on what I'm doing.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07940386405998853917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-31837788170703928812019-04-30T09:05:17.891-06:002019-04-30T09:05:17.891-06:00Very well put. Life is a process of learning abou...Very well put. Life is a process of learning about being in it & it's complicated & hard. It's taken me 40 years before someone finally showed me that what I feel is VALID & I have a right to stand up for that feeling.<br /><br />One of the hardest things about working with horses is that they require us to both be present AND to leave all our shit at the door. Otherwise we just make our baggage into their baggage. It's good for me, but also very hard for me (and just about every other human). And as we've learned, it's also very important that when we can't do that, we walk away. eventer79https://www.blogger.com/profile/03160817772061132147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-23941421434393008822019-04-28T22:21:41.087-06:002019-04-28T22:21:41.087-06:00I've read your blog for years and always loved...I've read your blog for years and always loved it. This, though, is pure fucking genius. Thank you. Heather Mackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04484582574633666499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-62229435973837508012019-04-26T14:17:42.189-06:002019-04-26T14:17:42.189-06:00Awesome post!
I think, though, one way in that w...Awesome post! <br /><br />I think, though, one way in that which horses CAN legit be therapy is that as part of interacting well with them- ie, being in the moment, focusing on positive interaction and with your brain in the right space for it to be a good interaction- is that it forces you to carve time out of your life to DO those things- to shut the other stuff out of your head and just be present DOING something. And that is a net positive, whether the thing you are setting things aside to focus on is horses, or gym time, or yoga, or whatever. Caithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13224688543168725516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-46572057722784072462019-04-25T19:11:36.593-06:002019-04-25T19:11:36.593-06:00Bravo. So well said. Bravo. So well said. Julia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00851149018485312698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-24384041277901146302019-04-25T17:15:45.765-06:002019-04-25T17:15:45.765-06:00This post gave me chills. I've never thought a...This post gave me chills. I've never thought about it from this perspective but it's so true! I'd always feel guilty for bringing my sh*t to the horse paddock and it took me a long time to learn that sometimes it was best to just stay away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-10448900012528336862019-04-25T13:59:58.842-06:002019-04-25T13:59:58.842-06:00Horses are my therapy in that they center me. They...Horses are my therapy in that they center me. They live in the moment, and so I must do the same. But at the same time if I'm pissed off I won't ride. That just isn't fair. Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11609268980526224486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-25518533544672772802019-04-25T13:22:55.747-06:002019-04-25T13:22:55.747-06:00Ugh YES. Making anything other than a trained prof...Ugh YES. Making anything other than a trained professional your defacto "therapist" is just asking for trouble. Horses don't owe us mental health. If anything, we owe it to them to come from a place of mental calm as much as possible.<br /><br />I do think it is a very dangerous sentiment for anyone that is suffering from a mental health issue. If you are unwell - go see a doctor. (your horse isn't going to heal you mentally anymore than it's going to heal your broken arm)Emily - May As Wellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12404536866220283931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-1970389923910767962019-04-25T09:51:24.325-06:002019-04-25T09:51:24.325-06:00Yeah you said it. Preach!Yeah you said it. Preach!Mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485570296592298816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-9455182015149022992019-04-25T09:34:42.065-06:002019-04-25T09:34:42.065-06:00This x100! There are definitely times where I skip...This x100! There are definitely times where I skip the barn because I'm not in the right frame of mind. It's not fair to expect my horse to perform when I'm not performing myself. Tracy - The Printable Ponyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00990038444473790555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-32764669860574671102019-04-25T08:34:45.253-06:002019-04-25T08:34:45.253-06:00LOVED this post (read for a long time, first time ...LOVED this post (read for a long time, first time commenting). Have you read the Tao of Equus? It was a book I kept going back to as a damaged grieving teenager and young adult. I would add to your comments..."Every time I'm with her, I am able to breathe in and breathe out and be part of that moment." And this doesn't mean pretending I'm NOT sad or angry or frustrated or overjoyed. Because horses can spot emotional incongruence from twenty-seven miles away and I think it drives them nuts (maybe because they are evolved to spot things acting one way but meaning another?). But just standing there with a horse and feeling what I feel without any action being needed as a result of that feeling is healing and doesn't ask anything of the horse they aren't happy to give. And sometimes the bitchiest mare in the herd will walk up and put her smooshy nose in your hair and that is magical.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05774148455021934696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-73842180227931311702019-04-25T00:54:35.573-06:002019-04-25T00:54:35.573-06:00"Horses are my therapy" can certainly ap..."Horses are my therapy" can certainly apply in a few different ways. We can either 1) bring all our baggage TO them or 2) leave that shit at the door when we step out of the car at the barn. I choose option 2. They are my escape from all that is going on in my world. It is MY time to disconnect and be in the moment with them. Much more enjoyable there.Miss Izzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14682464728604374933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-53371672803188638732019-04-24T17:45:49.644-06:002019-04-24T17:45:49.644-06:00I love this post. The honesty, the truth and the g...I love this post. The honesty, the truth and the guts. Thank you. <br />“It's still our responsibility to be better than that.” Yes. TeresaAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05311118900077951863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-56896729949748556282019-04-24T16:31:35.980-06:002019-04-24T16:31:35.980-06:00This is without a doubt one of your best posts eve...This is without a doubt one of your best posts ever <3Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04292565760924146966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-80626666093550286232019-04-24T16:16:53.884-06:002019-04-24T16:16:53.884-06:00I totally understand what you mean and why using t...I totally understand what you mean and why using the horses -in that way- is absolutely unfair to them. Concur, fully. Also, I can guess as to the home life. My spouse was raised similarly. I am protecting my kids from such an environment. Hugs to you for dealing with that and coming out the other side, despite it.<br /><br />For me, horses are therapy in that if I'm with them, I'm calmer, less anxious about the stress in my life. It's time I can take to care for them without thinking of all the other crud. So in that sense, horses are my therapy. I don't dump my emotions on them, I just use my time with them to allow myself to release that and just exist. I'd like to think that's healthier. I recognize that not everyone would approach it in a similar manner, however. Amy Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03177528984549810273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-44282688766567675662019-04-24T14:10:05.310-06:002019-04-24T14:10:05.310-06:00<3<3Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05438372155463437107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-22731440461011171632019-04-24T12:58:27.054-06:002019-04-24T12:58:27.054-06:00"If I can't meet my horse in a calm, unde..."If I can't meet my horse in a calm, understanding frame of mind and be in that moment with them, I need to not be there."<br /><br />Truth.<br /><br />And this post (imho) is the best thing you've ever written.❤️ Calm, Forward, Straighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360276614916635500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-647406862592675556.post-24785981382783604732019-04-24T11:43:03.643-06:002019-04-24T11:43:03.643-06:00Love this.
Glad to see you blogging again.Love this.<br />Glad to see you blogging again.Cathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15652933884652697666noreply@blogger.com