The Lessons Never End

Eli broke her wrist a while back, it still hasn’t healed right and she’s having surgery on it this Thursday, but that doesn’t stop her from going to the barn everyday and taking care of her horses. She’s gotten really good at sweeping with one hand.  And it doesn’t stop her from being a great teacher either.  Maybe I could have found someone else to teach me about horses and how to ride, but the way Eli does it is just right for me.

Eil’s kind and encouraging and tells me the things I forget again and again without losing patience.  And she laughs a lot.  When Chloe and I do something really good, she cheers for us, I mean she really seems like she’s as excited about it as I am.  And when we do something not so good, she lets me know in a way that never makes me feel bad about myself.  Thinking about it, I’m not quite sure how she does it, but  we always seem to wind up laughing about it.

I think part of it is that Eli really loves what she does.  And she has a passion for horses that goes back to her childhood.  Without encouragement from anyone she got her first horse when she was fourteen.  She worked before school and after school at a stable to be able to keep it.  She’s never had just one teacher, but has taken what worked for her from a bunch of different instructors and workshops and her own experiences and brings them to her students and horses.  She never loses site of the fact that every person and every horse is different and what works for one may not work for another.

Today Eli tried to fit Chloe with a saddle that I could have.   She has a bunch of extra ones at the barn and we found two that may work.  I think I’ll probably be taking Chloe home sometime in the next couple of weeks.  I’m ready for it and I think Chloe is too.

Today when I left the barn, Chloe was munching on some hay in a stable.  I stuck my head in the small window  to say goodbye and she actually stopped eating and came over to me.  She looked at me for a moment then went back to the hay.  Eli and I both squealed in delight.  Did you see that I said, she came to say goodbye, didn’t she.  With a big smile Eli agreed that she had.

When I got home Eli texted me a slew of photos of Chloe and me that she had taken.  what a super afternoon! she wrote Such nice communications today!   (See what I mean about Eli)

Later this week I’m going to go to the barn to groom, saddle and ride Chloe by myself, to see what I can do.  I know I’ll be asking Eli to come to Bedlam Farm once Chloe is home for more lessons. When I first thought of getting a horse I told myself that I wouldn’t get one till I knew all there was to know about riding and taking care of a horse.  Now I know the lessons never end.