Yesterday one of my favorite clients that I met was a gentleman who brought in a guinea pig. Come to think of it, I saw two guinea pigs yesterday (RIP sweet Squeekers). The little pig has a bleeding tumor on the belly, and the only option for treatment is surgery. While we contemplated the pro’s and con’s of surgery, he mentioned that he knew we had some BLM mustangs.

Dang it, I forgot to invite him to my Kentucky Derby Party happening in just over 2 weeks, Saturday May 2nd at the Wild Game. I sure hope to see you there, mark your calendar now!

He then shared that he had done some work with them around wild horses and had helped with some gathers. We excitedly shared our enthusiasm for the uniqueness of the mustang horse. And it reminded me somehow of when I first became a veterinarian, and the difficult time I often had connecting with people. My whole life I was one of those people who connected with and understood animals better than people, which is obviously why I became a veterinarian.

However, all animals come with a person in an animal hospital. Which just means, my first few years out of school was often a struggle to communicate with people. My own life long practice of lack of self confidence, coupled with just general awkwardness and insecurity, made it very hard for people to have confidence in me. This used to anger and frustrate me! I spent so many years literally suffering to get through school and acquire this education, yet, here you look at me with doubt and uncertainty that my diagnosis is correct.

I often feel like that with horse training today. It took me several years of practice as a vet, and then, luckily, public speaking training, which finally helped me gain my confidence, and my voice. And what I really learned is that it’s not about how much you know, but how much you care. They taught us that in school, but I didn’t understand then, it meant also to care for the person. Not just the animal. Putting yourself in their shoes. Having true empathy and understanding for them, as much as the animal. When I learned that, everything changed. Suddenly, even if I didn’t have all the answers (which sometimes you just don’t), people still believed in, and more importantly, liked me, which gave me the freedom to try even harder to find out of the box solutions for their animals' impossible problems. Together, with my knowledge, we became a team for good. I wish this was taught in vet school to the students early on.

And I wish I could have more courage some days to connect people to rethink how they handle, and train, their animals. At the end of the day, it’s not about training, it’s about connection. And I just want them to have that connection they don’t even know exists, and I want the animal to stop having to experience borderline abusive tactics because they are socially acceptable and people just don’t know better. So perhaps the answer is to try to help people understand horses and their behavior in the first place. And also to understand themselves, why they are attracted to horses and animals, what it says about them. Because obviously I know and understand them, because it’s you, it’s me, it’s us!

Today I am grateful for waking up feeling full of positive energy. I am grateful for the trust people place in me. I am grateful for my career, and my knowledge. I am grateful for my team that helps me. And I am grateful for my degree in Horse Racing Management, which helped me get a foot in the door to the world of horses in the way of racing. And I am grateful that experience helped me to get the opportunity to spend a month in the Middle East at the Dubai Equine Hospital. I am very grateful and lucky for many great experiences in my life. May all those people be safe and out of harm's way.

What about you? What are you REALLY grateful for? How confident are you that you are showing up the best you can, for the animals in your life. Could you do better? Could there be something more you do, understanding that, by investing in yourself, you are then more full of energy to give to them? People that love animals tend to be big givers. But they also have to learn how to invest in themselves, and that it is ok to do just that. So today, you Animal Loving Angel, I hope you will invest in yourself. And if you won’t do it for you, then do it for them. They need us. They need us to show up the best we can for them, which is the least we can do for them, after all they do for us, am I right?

​Have a wonderful day everybody!

​​​​​​Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq