It has been seriously cold here in New England.
This is a challenge for anyone who works around farms and/or large animals in the winter. Having basic needs met for the animals when the temperatures plunge below zero is a serious factor. I am incredibly grateful to have staff that will withstand these temperatures and care for our equine companions. It is no easy feat. The amount of clothes necessary makes laundry piles high, and daunting. Thankfully, I rest easy knowing I have a compassionate and dedicated staff to care for the horses... the very horses who do so much for us.
Despite the cold, Farming For Resilience has forged on. We have introduced a three week high school program to the roster. For me this is a very different group to serve. Adolesent males (who make up most of this group) do not often take riding lessons in the United States (side note : in Europe horseback riding is a predominatly male sport). However, the pull between humans and horses is age old, and it is easy to witness courage, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion play out as the species mix. Our society is begging for these elements to be taught. Courage, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion... In our school systems, in our politics, in our families, in our communities, in our judicial system...everywhere, we could use this knowledge... all brought to us very clearly through the Jesse Lewis Choose Love organization. Farming For Resilience has integrated these Choose Love components as a guide. A guide to help build resilience skills. We guide the message, the horses deliver it, and it becomes a pattern. Sometimes the words humans say, or the deeds we do, can not create the same connection that the sensation of running your hands through a horse's thick winter coat can, or feeling the soft touch of their mouth as they grasp a carrot... or the contentment gained by the rhythmic movement of riding through a field on a horse. There is power, strength and skills to be gained through horses. This is the reason horses stay in our lives so strongly. They give healing, hope and health. To anyone who is willing and open to the idea that a four legged can teach a two legged... more than most would like to admit. Stay bundled, despite the laundry load. All my best, Christina