God Rest Ye Merry Equestrians

I love Christmas.

As a Christian it is a celebration of the wonderful gift we were given. It has become a celebration of gift giving which can be both a blessing and a curse. Family ask me what I want and I usually fail to give them an answer (though this year I really do want a horse!) I also struggle with what to buy, and I miss the excitement of not knowing what's inside the parcels with my name on, yes, I'm a big kid.

Once the gifts are brought and wrapped, my focus turns to the people I spend the time with. Christmas has always been a time my family gathers together. As a child we got together with my Mum's twin sister and her family, now my brother and his family share Christmas with Mum and me.

For most of my life working as a groom I worked on Christmas day, and I have never regretted that, even though my family had to time Christmas dinner around my yard duties. Horses need care every day and that is what I signed up for. I miss being on the yard, spending time with the horses, dogs and people, even tough it is hard work and the conditions can be pretty miserable.

We are past the winter solstice now so the days are getting longer, but all of you caring for your horses are still dealing with mud, cold, rain and the dark. I know rest is s 4 letter word, but it is important that we get some, both physical and mental, particularly at this time of year. Maybe the amazing food of the Christmas season is designed to help us with rest. Who doesn't need to sleep off Christmas dinner, even without the alcohol many of us enjoy?

Now that the Christmas madness is winding down, I'm looking ahead to 2023. I have lots of plans, both for my own development and the service I offer my clients. There is a lot of training in the pipeline, not least my 1st aid at work re-qualification at the end of January. One thing I am going to do in the next 12 months is keep myself present in the moment as much as I can.

The past is important for all it has taught us, but we must not allow ourselves to dwell there. The future is exciting, but focussing on what is to come stops us enjoying the moment we are in, and that is the most important part of our life. I am going to value the chance to connect with friends, family, clients and their horses, making sure I am giving them 100% of my focus as much as possible.

There will be times when I am making plans, and scheduling work, but when I am with you I hope to be fully present. This is my gift to you all this Christmas.

To those of you dealing with illness and injury🤕🤒, I wish you swift healing, but pray you are able to give yourself all the rest you need.

To those of you missing loved ones👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 I pray you are able to connect in some way over the holiday season.

To all who have lost loved ones, both Human and Animal, I wish you peace🕊️.

The darkness is receding and the sunrise brings new blessings, dreams and challenges to us all.

See you in 2023 😘

Watch this space for new ways to work with me, I'm looking forward to improving Rider - Coach communication during 1 to 1 sessions using my new WHIS radios, and developing video analysis with the help of my PIVO and the PIXEM system.

Any thing you would like to see me offering send me a message and I'll see what I can do.