Nurturing Passion
Relationship Based Horsemanship
I’ve been asked on occasion, “Where does your passion come from for horses?”
Let me start by reviewing what Alysa Liu recently said in an interview regarding her return to figure skating. She left the sport because she no longer liked it. The joy was gone.
She retired from her sport. She went to a concert. She hung out with friends. She went skiing.
While skiing, she felt the burn in her muscles that happens when you ski from the top of a run to the bottom. She felt the thrill of the wind against her skin and the inspiration experienced by the challenge the mountain slope provided. She realized then she missed the feeling of taking her body to its limits, then pushing through that to find a level she didn’t think she had.
She came back to figure skating because of the inspiration, challenge, and artistic expression it gives her, not to please anyone or to gain accolades. She came back to do what had brought her joy.
Joy and passion are intertwined like threads in a tapestry.
It’s necessary to acknowledge and accept joy when it comes, because many of the things I have to do that involve the focus of my passion aren’t fun. It’s important to believe I deserve to be joyful, that as a gift from God, no one and no circumstance can take it away. It’s sad to know that too many people go through life feeling as though they don’t deserve joy.
My ultimate joy comes from the relationship that develops with our horses. The kind of relationship that weathers for ups and downs, disappointment and success. The relationship that creates trust and willingness.
My passion grows with each joyful moment. It also grows with every effort, especially those that push my physical, mental, or emotional limits. I think this is because the effort grows my skills, confidence, understanding, and competence.
Passion is more powerful when it’s shared. I’m very fortunate that Steve and I share this passion for horses. His focus has been on the spectacular color patterns in purebred Arabians, especially the combination of W19 and W34 (W19/34). For decades, he didn’t know what he had, but with genetic testing, now everyone does. The original W19 purebred Arabian was FANTASIA VU Steve bought as a weanling in 1990. He started breeding her 4 years later.
His biggest joy is seeing his efforts come to life with every foal born on the farm.
My passion revolves around training young horses, readying them for a partnership with humans. Understanding their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses is a never-ending challenge that brings me closer to a more fundamental comprehension of their individual natures and capabilities.
If you have questions for me about any of my posts, please feel free to contact me at isabellefarmer@gmail.com or click here: HAAP Farm Facebook page.
For more information about the amazing horses that have been and are being bred on the HAAP Farm, click here: HAAP farm web page.
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What beautiful horses. What you said about joy hit home. I experience rushing, tumbling, overwhelming currents of joy myself, especially when I'm with horses. I want that for everyone.