Attitude

The seven keys to success: The first one, attitude is what I will be thinking about today. And I have a great video for you to watch along with the concept of attitude as a key to success, not just with horses but with everything in your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M

What do you think of when you think of attitude through the filter of a key to success? I think about first, positive, progressive and natural. Positive to me, means exactly what that video above was about. Looking at the positive things in life, changing our filter through which we see the world, which will change our reality. Cause your reality to be positive by the way you look at your environment. Progressive: I think about progressive in all areas of my life as well...can I eat healthier today, have a better workout, fix problems in my relationships with more understanding and empathy, do something to challenge myself mentally, emotionally and physically, ask more of my horses and dogs...the list goes on. With the concept of being progressive, sometimes it can get overwhelming. I try to get one percent better each day with these things, then it is not a ton, and it is still an improvement. Before you know it, one percent is 100 percent! (It doesn't end there though...) Lastly, what does natural mean to me? Well, it means doing things that line up closest to what the laws of nature say. For me it's treating horses as they treat each other, dogs as they treat each other, and treating other humans as I myself would want to be treated. The attitude of justice is effective...having a natural attitude makes me think about principle number 5. I take a natural attitude in to all areas of my life though, whether it's food I eat, activities I enjoy, or medicine I take.

So with this positive, progressive and natural attitude, it leads to success...every moment of life.

What are your thoughts on how attitude effects your success??

The Power of Preparation

Steve and I were able to take advantage of some warmer weather a few weeks ago and take our 2 yo filly's to Sleepy Hollow for their first trail ride. We loaded them up in the trailer, and headed out. Once we got there, we organized ourselves and unloaded Soleil and Little Ray. We were the only ones there, so we had plenty of space to play. We sent them around to check out the staging area; they were touching trees, checking out picnic tables and trash cans, and being curious about their new environment. After about 10-20 minutes, we saddled up, warmed them up a bit more, and were ready to go. We took off down the trail at a walk, and then picked it up to a trot after a few minutes. From there, we trotted out for at least 20 minutes, playing with our riding, faster trots, slower trots, weaving down the trail, and generally enjoying the communication with our horses, each other and nature. We rode through more than half of the trails, up and down hills, walk, tort, canter, stop and back up transitions, twisty turn trails, through mud, tree branches, by an extremely large culvert, people on foot, shadows and dirt bikes. After about 3 hours, we headed back to the trailer.

And the whole time our horses were calm, connected and responsive.  The were blowing out, there were no spooks, we didn't hold them back, or nudge them forwards. It was an extreme pleasure.

So my point to all of that is: the foundation and preparation our horses have set all 4 of us up for a successful ride that day. All of their preschool education at Atwood in the quality hands of the Horse Developers there truly payed off. We were able to take both horses and continue their education at home, and build on what they had already learned. Through the use of the program, building a relationship and their confidence makes a world of difference. The wonderful thing is, using the seven keys to success, anyone can accomplish these goals with their horses!

Speaking of the seven keys to success....I will be blogging about them next!