An experienced horse person might read about my first successful crack at a course and scoff. If I was bothered by that, it might serve to minimise the sheer joy I can still tap into when I think about it. Luckily: not bothered. In the same way, there's a lot of chat on socials about …
There’s Always a First Time
Ah, Saturday. I have missed many a lesson, by choice and due to injury, and now, due to global pandemic. #StayHome and read about my very first horseback riding lesson. It's the very first thing I ever wrote about my experience, well before Many Brave Fools was even a glimmer in my eye. It's also …
‘The Power To Change Our Own Lives’
How in the world did I survive One Day At A Time In Al-Anon? Insert craughing emoji here. The page for today talks about acceptance, insofar it does not mean accepting a 'degrading situation' but rather accepting what the facts of the situation are, and making decisions according to the facts. Hahahahaha, facts: facts could …
Seriously, Though: ODAT
As we call it in the rooms. Oof. Not gonna lie, this little blue book still gives me the shudders. I bought it, resisting, and read it, unwilling. But after buying it and becoming willing, that's when the changes — the courage to change — started taking effect. Copyright prevents me from publishing a photo …
One Day At A Time
All the folks who need meetings and can't get them have really been on my mind, due to social distancing and the current health climate. I've always been a fan of the twelve-step slogans and found them to be my way in to grasping the principles of the programme. Here's an excerpt from Many Brave …
The Great Outdoors, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cross Country
I hated horseback riding outside from the start. As I recount in Many Brave Fools, the fear started when I went on a ride out without ever having taken a lesson. The horse took off on me (the horse lightly cantered over a puddle and I went flying); my coccyx took the brunt; it would …
Continue reading "The Great Outdoors, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cross Country"
Dressage: Just Like Life
We had a riding club dressage competition (unlike the last time, it was not one day event-style, so there was no jumping) and once again, I learned more than the test. I felt confident that I knew what I was doing, as regards having memorised the thing; I was not 100% convinced that the final …
Responding Versus Reacting
What happened was: we were down in the lower arena, and the going was great after a rainy winter and myriad puddles, doing a short course of low fences to work on sustaining our rhythm and finessing our lines in. The car park is directly adjacent to the arena hosts horseboxes. I had William, who …
ICYMI: How Horse Riding Helps Addiction Treatment & Recovery via addictionblog.org
I was honoured to contribute to the great work that Addiction Blog are doing in providing touchstones and resources to everyone contending with all manner of addictive behaviours. Here's a link to the article, which has had many eyeballs rest upon it! *** Many Brave Fools: A Story of Addiction, Dysfunction, Codependency… and Horses is …
An Excerpt from Many Brave Fools
I talk a lot about the brain in MBF (as I like to call it), as well as the body. For me, horseback riding has been a union of the two, which came as a surprise because I hadn't been aware how separate they were, for me. The paradox is that I have become united …
MANY BRAVE FOOLS 