Month: March 2020

Professing love is no use. Produce love! I believe that not loving is dangerous to your health. Love is as important as good diet and exercise. My love for Zum only gets stronger each day!

I once heard that people who love deeply have substances in their saliva and bloodstream that fight infection and viruses. A rise in immunity is triggered by loving. I am grateful for the loving people in my life. And I am grateful for all the love that I share with my horses.

Zum can be nervous, hyper and insecure on the trails at first. It is hard for him to relax. He needs room and exercise to burn off all his energy. I make a conscious effort to be calm and patient. Other horse people get angry with their horses. When I ride with them, they encourage me to force Zum to do things also. But I know from experience that a hyper horse that cannot relax is only made worse by punishing his mouth by pulling on him. This aggravates the horse and he only feels more worry or panic. My colt needs understanding and reassurance, not punishment.

There is so much gloom in the world right now. The human species is so sick and sad right now with the Corona virus. It makes me feel so helpless. All I can do is thank the Divine for the animals, the water and the plants on Mother Earth. Zum is so happy when he is eating his alfalfa in the sunshine. I am grateful for small joys like this.

I decided that if I want to ride Zum on rocky terrain, I need to put horseshoes on him. I found a ferrier who is willing to work with a young horse who has never had horseshoes put on before. The ferrier is gentle and patient. Zum protested in the beginning, rearing up and refusing to cooperate. But with my emotional support and the ferrier’s persistence, Zum has new shoes!

Zum is four years old today! This is a milestone! I am so proud of all the hard work we have done together and all the love we have shared together. Zum and I are absolutely committed and devoted to each other. This is the definition of true love.

Zum is still a very young horse. I get nervous thinking about riding him alone in the desert. But what prompts me to take him out of his corral is knowing that Zum is very inquisitive and curious about life. He is an adventurer. Giving Zum what he needs is my way of proving my love for him.

On March 13, 2020, a huge flash flood filled up my back yard until it was a pond. Before I could think, the dirty, muddy water from my back yard seeped under my sliding glass doors of my bedroom and living room, flooding my house. All my carpets and wood floors are destroyed. A few days later, the Coronavirus scare closed down both the clubhouses in Scottsdale where I teach yoga and dance so I lost my jobs and I am out of work. For how long, no one knows. It could be months. My fattest and most healthy rabbit suddenly died as well. I believe it was from the shock of the flash flood. So I had to bury my sweet bunny rabbit. This last week, the rain has caused power outrages so I often have no electricity. The wind bursts are so intense that my neighbor’s fence blew down a couple days ago. The trials and tribulations seem unbearable and unending. I don’t feel like I have the courage to cope. Then I get on my Zum and he is perfect on the trail! I have given him all the love he needs. Now he is my blessing!

The big question I have now is whether or not I should put horseshoes on Zum. The lady at the feed store tells me that if Zum has good feet, keep him without shoes. My ferrier doesn’t want to put shoes on Zum as Zum won’t let anyone but me lift his feet up. I have been trimming Zum’s hooves for over a year now. But Zum wouldn’t let me pick up his front left hoof long enough to give it a good trim. I told myself that if I can teach Zum to pick up this front left hoof and if he finally has no problem letting me give it a good trim, maybe I should leave him without shoes. Yesterday Zum let me finally put this left hoof in a cradle and give it the trim it needed. This simple action took many repetitions and lots of patience but it is done!

Success is not final: failure is not fatal. It takes courage to keep going. Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. Taking care of my ranch and my three horses by myself is a lot of hard manual work. I often feel more like a ranch hand than a woman. It takes a lot of courage to believe, to dream, to love, to let go of the past, to stand up and speak, to create new dreams and to live my dreams. Riding Zum on the trails in the desert and mountains is my biggest dream. I will have the faith and courage to continue with this dream no matter what happens.