We Get By With a Little Help from Our Friends--No Matter WHO They Are

Here in the herd at Hold Your Horses Farm, we help each other. When Shade needs his back scratched, I'm there for him. When Ginger is being bothered by a human who wants to hug her, Preacher comes over and chases them away. I often end up chasing that dog that thinks he can herd us. We manage pretty well.

But every now and then we need the help of our human friends. That was true this past month. Every day, one of our humans comes and gives us grain. It is a nice change from the grass in the pasture, and we always come quickly. Each of us has our own feeding bowl, and we each know exactly where to go.

This past month I got my food, but had to move over to steal grain from Preacher. You see, there was something in my food bowl. It was blue and shiny and had a long tail. I stuck my nose in initially, then backed off quickly. My human, Linda Pucci, noticed, and came to check out why I wouldn't eat out of my own bowl. She saw it and pronounced it a "skink," whatever that it. She picked it up and put it on the ground. It scurried away and I was glad. It gave me the creeps and I wanted to stomp it.

The next day was Ginger's turn to need help. After sticking her nose into her food dish, she backed off quickly and squealed. Linda came to see, and found a couple of black things in the dish. She said they were "crickets" and scooped them out after several tries.

Even though they are not officially part of our herd, it is useful to have humans to help us. Having someone help, whether it is a horse or human is important. We're all interconnected and having someone to depend on makes life easier and safer.

Sometimes I don't think humans understand this. They try to do things alone, or don't reach out for help when they need it. I guess they don't know that things don't work very well when you are the only one to depend on. Being part of a herd is important. I think humans need to remember that THEY are also part of a herd. We all are.

We can help each other. We can all reach out to humans, horses or even dogs that are in need of some help. We can ALL ask for help when we need it. It doesn't mean we're weak. We all need our friends to get by.

It doesn't matter WHO the friends are. Believe me, I'll help you any time I can. Just don't ask me to do anything with those yucky skinks. If that's the problem, we'll ask Linda.

Neighs and Whinnies,

Goomba

P.S. If you want your life to be easier, contact our human, Linda Pucci, Ph.D. She can help you with all sorts of human problems. In fact, she's really good at helping people find solutions to their problems quickly. Call her at (865) 983-7544 to find out how...

Do Something When You Are Uncomfortable

When horses are uncomfortable, we change our situation. When it is hot, we go into the shade. That keeps the sun off our backs, and the flies are fewer. I'm always surprised by how long humans stay in uncomfortable situations, when they could so easily change their situation. When you are uncomfortable--DO something about it!

Neighs and Whinnies,

Preacher

9 year old Tennessee Walker
From the Herd at Hold Your Horses Farm

Graze in Your Own Pasture

Horses are herd animals, but we aren’t always together. Each of us likes to go off by ourselves from time to time. We like to keep an eye on each other, so we are usually within sight of one another. Hold Your Horses Farm isn’t a very big place–only about 7 acres–so that isn’t very hard to do.

We do have some hills that can block our view of each other, but as long as we can hear or see each other, we don’t mind being separate. In fact, sometimes it is essential to get away from Goomba and his antics. (He’s just as big a clown with the horses as he is with the humans).

You will often find me off by myself, sometimes grazing in a completely different pasture than the other three horses. They like to stick together more than I do. I like to know where they are, but I like to choose my own grazing spot most of the time. I know what sort of grass I like best, and where it is best for me. I feel most comfortable and satisfied when I’m where I want to be, rather than where others want to be.

I think it is important that people also graze in their own pasture; that they find the place that is best for them. Just as horses don’t always follow each other around everywhere, people don’t need to either. I think people need to figure out what part of their field is most comfortable, most nourishing, and a place where they can thrive and grow. They don’t have to stay in a herd and do everything the way others do it.

Like horses do, humans can connect with each other when they need or want to, and keep an eye on each other. They can be social just like we are. But they can also pick the best pasture to work in.

Our human, Linda Pucci did that when she moved her office to the farm several years ago. Other humans stayed in town and had offices there. But she wanted to graze in a different pasture. I think that is working for her, since I see people coming and going to her office most days. Other times I peek in the window and see her on that telephone thing--talking to other humans, I think.

If you stay with the herd ALL the time, you won’t have a chance to really find the pasture that is best for you. No one else can find it for you–not even a smart horse like me. Since each horse (and human) are different, what is best for one, may not be best for everyone else.

My advice to you this month is to keep an eye on your herd, but choose your own pasture to graze in. You are the one who has to decide what is best for you and your life. I do.

Neighs and Whinnies,

Shade

P.S. If you want help figuring out where your pasture is, you can talk to my human, Linda Pucci about that. She helps people figure out what to do to be happier, more successful and live with greater ease.

P.P.S. She also has a program to help people discover their life purpose–she says it is “7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity.” I don’t really know what that means, but it seems to get people excited.

© 2009 Linda Pucci, Ph.D.