Complete Circles: A girl and her pony

This is one of the first posts from the old domain, still just as true today!

    
   Most often you hear people talk about circles with no beginning and no end, which is true, once they are made.  But to form a circle, you originally have to have started at one point and your circle is complete when you arrive back to that point.  Now, once you have made a circle, yes, it is not easy to define where it began and where it ended and so then, it becomes a continual loop… as the saying goes, with no beginning and no end.

Recently, in our lives, Josie and I have seen the completion of some pretty awesome circles.  And hopefully now, the continuation of some great moments, memories and friendships.  This week, my girl had a pretty great ride (& workout afterwards) on her favorite pony, Mr. Bean.  I shared a picture on Facebook of a sweet moment between the pair, who can both be quite sassy in their own ways, but who have this sort of bond that you just can’t explain.  As some of you may know, I spent MANY, MANY years in the Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) world.  I had a countless number of students that I fell in love with, that I watched grow up and learn and move on to great things.  Teenagers who turned into adults, toddlers who are now in high school, families who will forever be a part of my life.

It was a great world and I loved it.  I still do. I miss it.  Fiercely.

   BUT, I took a step away for a moment to expand my own horizon.  And five years later,

my life has changed in ways I could never have imagined.  One of the greatest of those changes came in the form of a brown eyed, brown haired, squishy baby girl.  She has since turned into a sassy, spunky, loving 5 1/2 year old!

Earlier this year, I made a few calls and found a barn to hopefully begin some hippo-therapy for my little goose.  We made the first visit, her evaluation and she’s been riding away ever since.

    I must admit, she doesn’t always love being ON her pony but she DOES love taking care of her pony  and just hanging out at the barn.  She started riding the sweetest little white fluff of a pony named Bebe. Tolerant of anything and everything.  Bebe is a kind and gentle soul.  She was just what my initially anxious little girl needed.  Bebe was the best start to Josie’s riding experience.  Now Josie rides this spit fire of a little pony, Mr. Bean, and he’s the best thing for my spit fire of a daughter. She pulls him around on the ground, drops his rope, gets in his face and he just follows, stands and tolerates.  Now, if one of his grown up volunteers

were to try to get in his space and pull him around, he may, in a not so polite manner, tell you to leave him alone.  He gets Josie and as much as she thinks she’s bossing him around, I think she gets him, too.  They have this mutual acceptance and they work so well together.  She loves her Bean and if I could read his mind, I’m pretty sure Mr. Bean thinks pretty fondly of Josie, especially when she has carrots.   

     After sharing the photo of Josie and Mr. Bean, I noticed how many of the ‘likes’ came from those people that I had spent so many of my years in EAAT with.  It certainly brought me to a completed circle moment.  After all of those years, seeing the joy on the faces of parents as their child trotted for the first time, held the reins for the first time, said first words, first steps, accomplished better grades in school, completed tasks at home with pleasant attitudes, all of those moments, in OTHER peoples families, that I was blessed to be a part of.  I get that same joy now, with my OWN daughter.  And let me tell you, it has never felt better.  This is probably one of my favorite circles.

I love this girl and her pony and their special bond.