It was Spring of 2020 and all the jackpots and rodeos were on pause while a needy world waited. Some waited longer, and more desperately than others. Most seemed to wait in a self-reflective state to gain a clear vision for their life ahead. I feel like I did both. I sat in our little ranch cabin wondering why the way I once did business with horses was no longer ‘cutting the mustard’ and felt like an old song from last season. People weren’t responding to content the same way online, and with two little kids at home, it made it harder to give clinics and lessons. I spent many hours in that cabin wondering why, after all the work I’d done, and details I was trying to perfect, was not gaining any traction. It felt like a fruitless endeavor no matter how I tried to slice it.
Meanwhile, our church down the road was gaining a lot of traction. Phone calls right and left to the office from people in need during this 'waiting' season. The requests for food and supplies during lockdown was uncanny, and soon our church started dispatching members to help the community. We volunteered our cabin space to become a community food pantry. One thing led to another and the horse trailer that once was making trips back and forth to the arena, was now being loaded up with supplies from our church’s food bank.
We’d get a call from church about a family in need, load up the truck and go make a delivery run. The cabin that was once void of food for thought, now had plenty of both.
We’d pull up to a house, unload a ton of groceries, bring them inside and simply sit down and listen. Everyone had a different story, and different requests - but they all had a fundamental need to be heard and fed.
When we first arrived, faces were grim but by the time we left people had food, hope and a smile. Every time I left a house I couldn’t help but think, 'that was easy.’ Not the whole loading up heavy boxes of food, making long treks or coordinating the time part, but the actual helping people part. Many times it wasn't only families in homes who were out of work, there were numerous homeless and displaced people who needed food too.I had spend the last 5 years in frustration of feeling like no matter what I did to help, went unreceived. And in this season, all it took to satisfy people was some prayer and a sandwich. It was really that simple.
This obviously reflected in my business. I was done trying to have everything done perfectly and shared only to have it be plagiarized and unappreciated. It seems dramatic to say, but sometimes things start to disappoint you after the seeds you planted years ago seem to be dead in the soil. We all have a hunger to be heard and helped. Likewise, we all have the ability help and hear what others need. Part of me felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe everything didn’t need to be as prim, proper and pretentious as everyone was making it out to be. Maybe I could start to approach things with more patience and simplicity to have an even better payoff and more effective reach.
I started my business in 2010 and when I first began, I really wanted to be everything to everyone. The trend in business at that time was to be just that. And it worked; for a bit anyway. I was able to teach people about horsemanship (both foundational and sport specific), trim hooves and be everyone’s ‘go-to’ equine-body worker, as well as a coach and consultant for all things horse-related. It was the dream, but the way I was offering this wasn’t very sustainable. In many ways I felt like a show pony with people always waiting to decide if the effort I put out was worthy enough of their attention. I wanted to get back to the way it felt when I taught... people talked. I wanted things to feel more like meeting around a table of conversation, not me performing on a stage. It was the a never-ending competition of "who has the best tips this week?!" and I did not want to play the game anymore.
In navigating through this age of filters and followers, stallion nominations and stacked pedigrees I’ve decided to give my best efforts in offering my services as a voice of simplicity and reason for what the human and horse really need. To invest in the future you must honor the foundation, and I’m here to help you find it. It’ll take ground-work galore, and some humbling heart-work but the progress made on this path is something no one can take from you, and you will be able to take with you everywhere you go. So pack a lunch, here’s to growing an appetite for transformation and knowing the best way to go is to simply, start.
Go to part two here. https://www.pbjbarrelhorsefoundation.com/post/what-a-sandwich-taught-me-about-training-horses-and-helping-people-part-2
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