Finding beauty in the ordinary

I recently saw this beautiful close-up picture of a magnolia blossom - taken by Jeanne Schlesinger. Jeanne just has this way of capturing the beauty in seemingly ordinary things we see but don't really see. Check out her facebook page - www.facebook.com/JeanneBlairSchlesinger for some truly stunning pictures.

Admiring this image, it reminded me how often we gloss over those small, seemingly insignificant things with our horses. The softness of their breath on our skin, the feel of their just brushed coat under your fingers, the gentle look in their eyes. One of my favorite moments is when my own horse Chase puts his head on my shoulder and gentle breathes against me. 

We tend to get busy, have schedules, notice things when we get hit over the head by a 2x4. I know I have been there done that myself. Our horses communicate beautifully in a very subtle manner. A glance, a half step, a softening or hardening of their eye, leaning a bit more on the right rein, having difficulty of picking up their left hind, not greeting you quite as enthusiastically as usual. Most "problem solving solutions" focus on the training aspect, and by no means do I want to diminish the importance of this. But often times our horse is not having a training issue. I find most of the time we have not been listening.  

What if we could find a way to tune into those beautiful ordinary moments? What if we could hear our horses more clearly? What if by hearing them we can address those situations with a clearer understanding? 

If you are ready to start a new chapter in your partnership, post a comment or connect with me via email.