A Barn Family

Where the learning is serious but fun is just fun.

Our barn family has welcomed a couple new members in the last year and as with previous new teammates, they have become an integral part of our group. This barn family of ours, like other like-minded groups of folks, form a family that consists of friends with shared interests and visions for the future.

We have also had a couple of friends move on to new relationships and that is okay too. Departure is inevitable for those who find that time opens a different vision for them. Without doubt, they were once also an important part of this team and we benefitted from that.

Many of our team members recently filled out a sheet of 20 questions. This will be used for our “Who Am I” game, where we will try to guess who everyone is from all the responses. The questions were fairly generalized inquiries about each person’s horsey life… who has ridden ponies, gone fox hunting, etc. Naturally, we scheduled a potluck party so we can eat and socialize while we listen to the results and make our guesses about our friends! What things shall we discover?

It pleases me that our team values learning. Our members are elated (not intimidated) when they find that their friends may be more experienced at something.  All understand that more knowledge will follow if more experiences are shared.  This shared knowledge and appreciation becomes apparent during the times we ride together in our group lessons or just in open rides as friends. More discovery into each other’s horse life leads to more questions, more watching, and more discussion. Visions for the future become more clear and more possible for all.

I wish for all horses that they may have a human barn family like ours. As with all families, we have varied interests and sometimes head in ten different directions. However, the lovely thing within our team is that openness and inclusion is both encouraged and our normal way of moving through life. We all benefit when we have a team that supports and works with each member’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

In a sport that has been said to take “two or three lifetimes to learn,” but is also fraught with those who try to discount further learning by waving about the shiny objects they consider an end goal (ribbons, a flying change, a fancy horse), we are a lucky bunch to band together in an effort to put as much learning into this one great lifetime we have!

Hallelujah for the barn family that learns to ride and watches team mates with pride…even those in silly hats!