Responsibility: Is There Anything that You Need Me To Do?

 Now I am the oldest son, of the oldest son, of the oldest son, of an only son. That lineup carries several things with it. First of all, I expect people to get out of my way when I come walking through.  Secondly, it carries with it a great deal of a sense of responsibility. The fact that there are a world of people out there that I need to be looking out for is not some huge burden to carry. It is simply a recognition of that which is.

 Lydia believes that we seek out in horses that which we are.  Lydia said that Holland is one of my favorite horses because he just shuts up and gets the job done. I think that she has a solid point.  There are certain traits in people that are paramount to me--integrity, altruism, responsibility and dependability.  I find those traits in several of my riders who have been around a while.

I am not slighting any of them when I say that I have found all of those things in Tam.  What you read below is from a note that she just sent me.



"Last year, a homeschool link came up on my mom’s computer. It was about a place in Smithfield, stating that there were Colonial Spanish mustangs, along with a homeschool program. It seemed like a really nice place to visit, and it would be the first time we saw horses in a long time. Moving 800 miles to a different state was full of stress, long nights, and uncertainty, so my mom figured that being around horses would help.

The farm looked nothing like I had imagined. No painted white fence, no golf course grass, and no stables. Instead, there was the unfinished log fencing on the new land, diverse grass, and pastures. It was simple, and laid back. So were the people I met.

Week after week, we worked on the hugelkultur, made cinches or Stone Age tools, worked on the new land, or worked with horses. The homeschool program gave me a lot of important information that came in handy while riding. About 2 months later, we started the actual riding part, then joined the music program. It was interesting to learn about instruments that I had never seen before, and learning about the Carter family.

It’s been about a year, and I’ve learned so much about natural horsemanship, history, psychology, science, history, and music. I play instruments that I never thought I could play. I ride horses that I used to not know about.

 
                                                     And the farm is now a second home"