In the beginning Duncan and I first met riding across Mongolia. When I say riding across, we rode the length and breadth of Mongolia, 3,600km over 3 months, with the Blue Wolf Totem crew, raising money for the Veloo Foundation and the Children of the Peak Sanctuary Kindergarten. You learn a lot about a place, … The post Dust in My Mouth- Plodding Along on the Gaucho Derby appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

It has been a tense couple of days in Nelipot land. Never good to finish your first operation of the day and then find a few missed calls on your phone, including the yard owner, friend and vet practice office. Poor Cal was very subdued, with his head right down, and didn’t want to move. … The post Does your Horse Need Warm Water in Winter ? appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

And as humans we often have only so much energy. And only so much thought. Since Rocky went over the rainbow, Cal has become my main horse again. I had forgotten how deep and meaningful that relationship with a single horse can be. We two are back to living the caballero legend, like a knight … The post Energy follows Thought appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? If wishes were horses The post appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

There has been a lot of chat this past year about imposter syndrome. It has now become completely acceptable and even laudable for leaders in their field to express their inner voices of doubt and lack of self-worth. Every successful public persona seems to have this missionary zeal to tell us that they too suffered from crippling fear and self-doubt at some stage in their journey. While this is a perennial problem that I am sure all reasonable, non-psychotic humans grapple with, in my experience, much more day to day damage is done by those with non imposter aka expert syndrome. The post The ..read more

Fifty kilometres a day on horseback sounds feasible, doesn’t it? Fifty kilometres s day on horse back sounds achievable, simple, steady. Fifty kilometres a day on horseback is the perfect way to traverse a whole country, especially one of the world’s largest countries. When a distance seems improbable, impossible even, we just break it down, … The post Fifty Kilometres a Day on Horseback appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. Related posts: Albrecht and the agronomist Top Ten Lessons from 2016 Do combination wormers cause abscesses ..read more

I have taken the liberty of copying this article verbatim- because I believe that it should be available to be read by all. Copyright: Erik F Herbermann, 2003 This article presents a general guideline of concepts and observations aimed at exploring the diverse aspects involved in charting our equestrian ideals, the guideposts by which we … The post Herbermann’s treatise on “Equestrian Ideals”- essential reading appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

In 1966 Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech that included the words There is a Chinese curse which says “May you live in interesting times.” Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of … The post May you live in interesting times appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

Equinox is a time of transition, from summer to autumn, from spring to summer, from long days to dark nights, and vice versa. I live in the Northern Hemisphere so for me today it is the autumn Equinox , when we experience a tangible change in the balance of the hours of light which govern … The post The Magic is in the Transition appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more

The furore about Mark Todd and the raised branch has been all over our news feeds this week. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of my opinions of the rights or wrongs of his action in that moment. Have we all been there, done things we are ashamed of, had moments … The post The Social Contract appeared first on Lessons from Nelipot Cottage. No related posts ..read more