Learning To Ride and Walk With Purpose

The lessons from the top of a horse have been more than ‘switch your diagonal’ or ‘add more leg’. Those queues are to help refine the technique of riding, but as I am learning to ride, I am also learning about myself.

Being pragmatic by nature, there was one queue, in particular, that resonated with me well beyond my lesson.  During my normal Wednesday evening lesson, Theo and I were warming up, but we were really moseying. Just sort of lumbering around the arena, looking around and not thinking about much. I then heard, ‘walk with purpose’. Hmmm... that was new. I began to dial it in, focusing on moving quicker, paying attention to my hand and leg placement. As a result, Theo was a tad more assertive in his movement, and we were covering more ground. That was an ‘a-ha’ moment for me. I thought that single queue was not only about riding, it was about life….‘Walk with purpose’.

So, how was I going to walk with purpose through life? The day job kicked in a bit and I developed the 4 C’s (everything at work has a spiffy name). Commitment, Consistency, Confidence, Community.

Commitment: Being present, focusing on things that bring me joy and makes me a better human.

Consistency: To remain committed I must remain consistent in my choices of how I spend time, my training and learning, my desire to improve- Consistency builds habits.

Confidence: Remaining committed and consistent I will build confidence. In the workplace, that may be speaking up when no one else will, or saying the uncomfortable truths. I will trust my knowledge, my learning and my abilities.

Community: Surround myself with people who share my passions, who can teach me and help me grow. People who will value my contributions, my presence. People who will lean on each other for support and celebrate each other’s successes.

Doing a gut check on these 4 things helps me remain focused on what is a priority for me and let everything else fall to the side. I realized I was not only ‘moseying’ in my warm-up with Theo but also through the day. I wasn’t attacking the day, I was simply getting through. Living is about being in the game. Getting in the arena and doing the work. Sweating. Correcting. Falling and trying again. All of it.

Recently, at church, we heard the message of the struggle being the gift. The learning is in the struggle; and the reward is there as well. I also look back on that lesson and noticed that my actions directly affected Theo’s actions. I focused on my riding, and Theo responded by walking with some pep in his step. This reminds me that my actions are contagious. People will react to my behavior, my actions, my words. I need to be mindful of the ‘queues’ I’m sending because people, like Theo, will respond accordingly. Another lesson with Theo where he forced me to look inward and reminded me to not just mosey through the day, but to walk with purpose.

Kimberlee & Theo

Kimberlee Delany

Life begins after 50, or when you decide to learn about horses! With a passion for animals and a quest for learning, it’s not surprising I began lessons after I turned 50.

With a BS in Psychology, I spent my career in technology, starting at the help desk and landing as a technical business advisor; doing all the techie steps that are needed in-between to cross that bridge.

Continuous improvement is the name of the game.

While growing in my career, I also started a fitness journey. Over the past twenty years, I have explored a variety of sports, from triathlons to Olympic weightlifting. I have competed in local events up and down the East Coast and, most recently, the Texas State Weightlifting Championship.

It all leads to this!

When you are around horses, you notice something, something within you is awakened. It doesn’t matter how old you are, there is something to uncover. In a quest for knowledge, and the sheer experience of discovering the mystery of ‘why I feel so at peace with horses’, I became certified in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL). Now, with a desire to share this amazing journey on how horses heal, I began journaling my experiences with horses and how they teach us about life.

This article is from the June issue of Equine Business Magazine