As I reflect on many valuable lessons, I am reminded that horses are just one of my many teachers in my life. While I am fortunate to have many spiritual human teachers and mentors, lately I have been thinking about how horses teach me about love. Do they really teach me how to love myself; to love others; to love life? When I was a little girl all I wanted to do was ride my horses and be with them.  My first memory is still so clear — I was dressed in snug jean overalls with my hair in a loose braid when my father took my 3 year-old hand and walked with me to the neighbor’s pasture.  It was a sunny Sunday, and I was so excited to finally see this “thing” called a horse! Dad firmly held my hand as I gently poked a huge carrot through the fence for the orange (chestnut) horse with eyes like big black marbles. In that moment, my best description is to say I was absolutely “love-struck” — I felt a distinct sense of inner peace, my heart-opened and without consciously knowing it, in those moments  I invited horses to be one of my teachers about life. To this day I am grateful for such a clear, vivid memory. Many of my childhood memories have faded with time, but this memory remains etched in my heart.

“    When the student is ready the teacher appears..”   After many months of searching for my horse, we found each other.  I was reminded that I cannot make anything happen;I can only allow something I want to come towards me. Like some things in life, it is not so easy to practice this, and at times I lose my patience. Yesterday was confirmation that all people, horses, love, and lessons appear as teachers when the student is ready. I felt I was ready and what appeared? A stunning grey gelding with a salt and pepper mane name Conway

The Golden Thread in the Canvas of Life….   Prior to exploring my inner life, I honestly thought that things just happened because they happen. I was not aware that my thoughts were participating in creating my reality and whatever I was giving energy too was growing

Saturday I drove north to  Ostenfeld, a charming small town one hour north of Hamburg. In the horse world, the northern region of Germany is known as the Holstein region. This area has produced some of the world’s most famous sport horses and the home to the well respected Holsteiner Verband. I  to sent my horses to Stahl Aabo in 2009 and it was the best decision I ever made. My horses are incredibly happy which in turn makes me happy! Madame Butterfly, Cybil, and Cool-Aide have fields full of lush grass, plenty of area to explore, and lots of friends! Angel and Snowflake are the family dogs that provide constant entertainment and are a great source of laughter!           When I was living in the states I was not always able to see them in person, only in photos. Now that I am only one hour away it is nice to watch them grow and evolve into adults.

        Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying your day wherever this blog finds you. Today I had the chance to visit annual Hamburg Derby just outside the city center. The field was full of super stars form all over the world including Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Richard Spooner, and Nick Skelton. The grass derby field was immaculate with freshly painted jumps, beautiful flowers, and trees that created a very “European” ambiance. Horse shows in Germany have a certain feel to them, one that is inviting and casual yet always organized

Hello everyone, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! A weekend away from the horses allowed me to discover my new favorite European city…HAMBURG!  The food Hamburg offers is absolutely amazing with so many choices I could eat at a different restaurant every night for a year! The people of Hamburg are friendly, warm, and extremely patient when it comes to someone learning a new language like ME! Hamburg has so many sites to see, this weekend I chose The Harbor Birthday Celebration and the Storage City. Hamburg’s Harbor is the largest in Europe and is the main exit and entry hub for all the trading goods. The old Speicherstadt which literally means  ”storage city” is an incredible city quarter of Hamburg. It used to be the inventory space for items traded like rugs, carpet, textiles, and tea.