Being Still with Chloe

Jon with Fanny(behind Lulu) Lulu and Chloe
Jon with Fanny (behind Lulu) Lulu and Chloe

Let’s just stop I thought, lets just be still.   Chloe and I got to that point in riding when she just wanted to go back to the barn.  I could feel the struggle beginning,  my mind went through a pattern of thoughts that’s become familiar.

First I get discouraged and just want to give up, then I think I need help, then I get angry.  This time when I felt myself starting to get angry,  I did something different.   We just stopped.  Chloe stood still with me on her back and we stayed that way until I felt calm again.  It didn’t take long, maybe a minute or so.   I felt myself sink into my seat then looked in the direction I wanted to go, turned my body and gave Chloe the slightest tap with my heels.  And off we went, with no trouble at all.

But how do I stay in that place of calm and clear direction, when I always feel like there’s so much to think about,  so much to remember.  I guess the answer is, I don’t stay there.  I just try to remember to keep coming back to it.  Like when meditating and the thoughts come in, and I let them go and bring myself back to my breath.   And maybe over time and a lot of practice,  I’ll be able to stay there longer and longer.

7 thoughts on “Being Still with Chloe

  1. Wow, Maria, this was so powerful. Thank you for sharing. Lots of turmoil in the world and it seems everywhere you turn there is a rushing to this or that or the other. I will now try to just stop and be still and find that center of peace – perhaps that will bring me back to the path….thank you for sharing.

  2. Try singing. pick a happy song and sing it. I sing “I got spurs that jingle jangle jingle” when I get nervous or upset while riding. 🙂

  3. a nice approach Maria and I am sure Chloe appreciates the calm as much as you do. I also sing when I ride, The Gyspy Rover is a favorite, a nice beat for a calm pace. I also sing when I groom, I have some favorite Zulu songs and it cues my animals as to the fact that I am grooming for awhile and not just having a quick visit. I think of these little things that we do in our own way to communicate, like the way you settled into your seat and took time to breathe, helps make our relationship with our animals that much more special, like we belong to a secret club with our own code talk. shalom.

  4. You’ve definitely GOT this, Maria. I’m so pleased to be included in your journey of discovery with Chloe. And… I’m IMPRESSED with the way you intuit a solution. NICE!

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