Teaming Up

Good Day, dear listeners.

Good Day, ahhhh, that reminds me of my peeps in Australia. Hi, animals and animal lovers on the other side of the world. You're in my mind and heart today.

In this episode, I am back with a brand-new story from last week's animal communication sessions.

I got to give you the background so we can dive into that conversation's fun part.

So, the horse I spoke with is eight years old and belongs to a family. The daughter rode him for several years and is now off to do other things. As with so many horses, this horse lives in NE spring, summer fall and goes to Florida for the winter.

When in NE, a young rider leases the horse. He is also ridden by professionals. Three professionals in total. The trainer. And also one pro-rider in New England and one when he is in Florida.

Since I always like to change the animal's name to protect the innocent, haha, I asked him what he would like to be called, and he said, Steamer, in short, Steam. The reason is that he can be a steamroller. He loves to work and steamroll over jumps.

He says right now, make sure to say over jumps, not plow through.

Funny he should say this right now. You will see in a minute why he made this point.

Steam's person had scheduled the call to see if Steam was OK with the aforementioned arrangements.

I didn't know all the above when I started to tune in to Steam. The first thing Steam showed me and told me was that he loved to work outside. Preferably in a field with jumps, natural jumps like logs. He said, "I like a large venue, not a small one."

Steam also mentioned that he needed to get his butt farther under himself. He needed to collect more. For listeners who don't interact with horses, one of the big goals in riding horses is that the horse rounds their back toward the rider for a healthy carriage. That happens when the rider encourages the horse to bring the hind end under himself. You could imagine it as a tuck. If the horse is strung out, his spine can't balance himself or the rider. Especially not when jumping over a 2.6-foot obstacle.

As Steam explained he needed to be more collected, he showed me his young rider. She was slim and light, he said. He then explained that his former rider, the daughter, had ridden him differently. Her body and energy were different. Steam showed me she had a steel core from the seat up the spine into the head. It looked like her spine was metal but super flexible. It was solid, but able to go with the flow. Her legs and arms were equally strong and flexible. Then he showed me that when they rode, the daughter's legs were solidly wrapped around his barrel, which we call the belly, and the arms and hands were guides to the right and left of his neck.

The daughter was guiding his body into collection.

Now Steam's person asked why Steam resisted jumping at a recent indoor show.

He immediately showed me that the arena was too small and the jumps too high and too close together for him to maneuver it successfully with the young girl.

That's odd, the woman said, because it's only 2.3 feet high, which is usually not an issue for him.

Steam responded by saying, "I don't want to lose her."

I went, wait, who, when?

The young rider. He was afraid he might lose her or himself over one of those jumps in the indoor. And I could feel it suddenly. The difference between the daughter riding him, her energy and her body reaching down and around Steam. She wrapped her legs around him, steering him toward the jump and taking off, versus the young rider he reached up to energetically to stay connected with her and keep both of them in balance.

Interesting.

Since my human client wanted to understand if Steam was happy, I asked him if he missed the daughter riding him. He said, "Oh, she is off doing other things. That's OK. Now I get to teach someone how to ride a powerful horse like me."

Next, Steam took me back to the jumping arena, where he had refused to ride with the young girl. He said, "I want to make the rider look good. That is part of my job. And I can't do that in that environment with tight turns and little time to gather myself up between jumps."

Ahhh, that was good to know. He liked being the teacher.

At that point, I wondered if he also had other riders who would maintain his training and balance, and indeed, that's when I learned from his person that there was a trainer and two pro riders, one here in NE and one in Florida. Professional riders ride horses for a living. They ride them at competitions and are usually tutored by the trainer.

His person also mentioned that he had a little fit at a recent outdoor show while ridden by the pro. Steam immediately replied, "Yes, she was getting too serious." He showed me that he was sometimes a goofball. And that he sometimes had to let off some steam. He liked to move. So if his rider got too serious about, for example, collecting him, he would get cheeky and throw his weight around a bit. He continued, "She challenges me, and I like that."

And as he said that, I realized that she was helping him become a better, more balanced, more competitive horse and that he also cared for her. When she got too serious and held her breath too much in her chest, he helped her by changing the energy with shenanigans.

I asked Steam if that could be handled differently, and he said, "Sure When I get antsy, say to me, oh, you got extra energy? Well, then, let's play. And then redirect me into a fun workout like a big figure eight where I can stretch my legs but need to pay attention."

The cool part here is that he is also asking the pro to change her energy. Instead of getting more serious or concerned with his shenanigans, she can take him up on his offer with playfulness. "Oh, you got energy? Let's play." Not work harder, but play!

Further into the conversation, Steam explained that he didn't mind going to Florida. It's a fun place to play, he said. And he also was happy to come back next Spring to have the young girl ride him again. He said, "She will have ridden other horses by then," he said. He was curious about what they will have taught her.

Steam also mentioned that at one point in his life, he hoped to have someone to partner with him for good.

He explained to his person that Steam expected he'd eventually be with one rider, his person.

The woman explained that she hoped that for him too. She was not looking to let go of him but would be happy if and when the right person came.

Suddenly, Steam took me once again back into the jumping arena. This time, he said, "I want a good reputation."

He explained, "Now you understand why I don't want to jump if it is unsafe for me or the rider. If I steamroll through a jump because I am not collected or lose my balance and injure myself, I will either have a bad reputation or be injured, thus more vulnerable and less desirable. I want to look and be my best. Want to attract my person with a good reputation."

Now my client spoke up again, wondering if she was holding Steam back. Should she find the person he was looking for?

He said, "Oh, no worries, some horses start later and have a long career, and others start early and have a short career, a.k.a. too much too soon. I am doing great. I am learning, and I am teaching. And my person will find me when the time is right."

At the end of our session, I asked Steam if he had any messages for the people who work with him.

He told the young girl, "I like teaching you, and I know you will be a better equestrian because of me."

Steam told the pro rider that he was happy she had taken the role, similar to the daughter. Guiding and challenging him to he could become his best.

And then he mentioned the trainer, who had not been riding him lately, but, as Steam put it, 'holds the vision for me and my career.' He showed me how the trainer was the big umbrella above them all, holding a vision for the horse and riders he was striving to meet.

Then he said, "Just like my trainer holds a vision for me, I hold the vision for my young rider so she can strive to become her highest and best!"

Sigh …. Exhale …

After I hung up the phone, I sat there stunned for a moment.

First off, it is still mindblowing to me what an in-depth conversation we can have when we sit down and chat with an animal.

Secondly, what a guy!

A total team player.

He teamed up with the daughter for years.

Now he teaches the young girl and adapts his skills and abilities to meet her needs.

Then, though generally a super 'good boy' who never takes a wrong step, he pulls some shenanigans when he feels he and the pro need to blow off some steam and come up with a redirect.

And then, he strives for the vision the trainer holds for him and his career to find the person he can team up with and spend the rest of his life with.

Can you even?

What a horse.

What a delight to chat with him and get to know him.

And what great messages for all the people in his life.

Here is my takeaway.

Sometimes we need to be guided, and sometimes we need to be the guide.

When someone supports us and our vision, we easily strive for our highest and best.

And, when we hold the vision for someone else, we also feel good about ourselves.

Exhale … alright, sweet listeners. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.

Until next time, goodbye and bis bald.