Posted by Mona

My favorite horse buddy friend and I were trying to figure out why it is sometimes just so hard to get out with our horses. It really makes no sense why we can’t just get ourselves out to do something we love but it’s what happens all the time. I love horse but when I discovered a few years back when I finally owned horses that it’s not alway easy to get my butt out to work with them I was confused and irritated with myself.

Why on earth would I not leap at every chance I got to work with my horses? I still don’t have the answer to this question but when I discovered I wasn’t the only one who had this problem I was a little re leaved. My friend and I have been dealing with this ridiculous mind trip and we tried to find a way to get us out of it. So one day when we were at a horse parade and all pumped up about horses we came up with the 30 minute a day challenge .

The challenge was meant to help us make getting out with our horses a daily thing. We are to spend at least 30 minutes a day (weekends optional) doing something with our horses. This can not include our regular horse chores like cleaning stalls and feeding. But it can include grooming, lunging, walking, riding, or just hanging out with our horses. The benefits are two fold, we get to feel like productive horse owners and our horses get the attention they deserve.

To keep each other going my friend and I decided we should send an email journal to each other. The journal is what I think keeps both of us going. We both don’t want to discourage or disappoint so we keep going. The reason why we came up with 30 minutes is because we figured it’s enough time to squeeze in if we had a limited amount of time but not to much time to think it is impossible to keep up with. What happens most of the limit with our 30 minute challenge is that we spend way more time than that but our mind tells us we only have to spend that much time so it’s easier to get our butts out the door.

It really has more to do with getting ourselves out the door than anything. Once we are up their with our horses then working with them is easy. We have been at this challenge for a few months now and it’s becoming so much easier. Talking myself into going out with the horses is much easier and the benefits of working with them is more than I expected.

I mostly work with my 13 year old mare and she is such a different horse now. She loves to get out with me. I have been riding a lot more bareback which has been helping my seat and I think it has also helped her relationship with my other horse. My mare is one of those horse that doesn’t like other horses and for a time barely liked people. But the other night we caught my gelding nibbling on my mare’s withers. Usually he can’t get within feet of her so this was quite a site for us. I really do think that she has softened up to my gelding because I have been working with her more.

The 30 minute a day challenge and horse journal has been great for me and my friend. I am thinking about including a group on the new Horse Approved community called the 30 Min. Challenge for other people who need to be challenged to work with their horses.