Leave the junk outside the barn

Close your eyes and think about this. You've just had a beautiful day, the sun is warm, breeze cool and gentle, everything is quiet.

You feel at peace and relaxed.

You come in your home for dinner and there are a bunch of loud banshees running around, loud voices, banging, crashing, and intrusive, negative energy that seems to permeate everywhere.

You realize you cannot speak. You cannot shout "Be quiet!" or "Go away!" This happens day after day.

Did you feel yourself getting heavy? Tired? Kind of depressed? Just stressed in general?

When people come in after work, after dropping of their children to events, driving through heavy traffic, etc. They walk into the barn with tension, anxiety, depression, a bit of mania.

The spiderweb of emotions. Emotions are energy. Just like an insect caught in a sticky spider web, your horse is caught and tangled in the energy all around them. It impacts them in either small or large ways. Short term or long. It impacts them as it does us.

Before stepping out of your car. Do this exercise. Take a deep breath in. Hold it. Squeeze every muscle in your body from your toes to your forehead.

Count to 5.

Exhale.

Repeat.

Inhale.

Flex and squeeze all your muscles. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Exhale.

Repeat for a total count to 5. Now most people tend to stop around 3 when they get tired or out of breath. Please don't. The key is to continue past that point to the 5th round.

Now, how do you feel? Tired? Calmer? Quieter? More relaxed? Has your mind stopped racing? Now go in and visit your horse. Take your riding lesson. Whatever you came there to do. You will find that you will enjoy the quiet time with your horse/lesson horse more. You will focus better. Be a more relaxed rider. I have used this exercise for people who suffer with anxiety (usually related to a fear of riding or recovering after a fall from riding). But it works beautifully for people who live more 'in their heads'.

Leave the junk outside the barn. Your horse will love you for it. :)