By Ariana Strozzi Mazzucchi 2/2022

AN OPTIMISTIC VIEW ON ‘SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST’, INSTINCT AND INTUTION

I had an optimistic thought yesterday in the midst of warding off feelings of sadness. I thought, “Mother Nature is giving us bits and pieces of what’s to come. She is giving us a chance to adapt and change to our now everchanging environment. Some of us wont make it, some of us will adapt. The opportunity now is to adapt, ask not ‘when will this stop?’ or ‘why is this happening?’, but rather, ‘how can I adapt to this?’

This is a time like no other here on our Pacific Coast. Our redwood forests have burned before. Nature bounces back in an amazing display of creative re-generation. Throughout time and history, there are many species that adapt to extremes and survive tough times as nature wields her power. Why do you think we have such a fascination with dinosaurs? Some of the more specialized species have a harder time adapting to significant changes in...

California fires, Eerie Skies,  9/11/2020 

Stillness. Quiet. Unusual Quiet. It’s dark outside. A pumpkin orange darkness. It shouldn't be dark at 10 am here on our California Coastline in Sonoma County. But it is. Part of me thinks I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and should go back to sleep. The other part of me thinks it must be evening and time for a glass of wine. And yet another part of me wanted to call my children and tell them I love them just in case I never get to see them again.

            While the fires are not at our feet right now, the heavy smoke and toxic air have come close to earth now after a record heat wave. Friday we had over 105 in the shade and 115 in Petaluma (unheard of). The rose blooms, flowered and dried on the stem within hours.

In spite of the heat, Saturday we were able to do our first Upick. We staggered guests for a private experience and it went off wonderfully....

Stella has passed on

It is hard to imagine that summer is over, fall is barreling in and schools re-open or not with looming uncertainty. The horses here began to lose their summer coats early July, so hoping for an early, wet winter here for our smoky skies and burnt landscapes. I had hoped to have some epiphany or optimistic message to share. Alas, I am sad to share that my dear mare, Stella, passed away. She was 28 years old, and was one of my first 4 foundation mares who imagined and brought forward the EGE that we know today. She worked with thousands of people and raised my children into adulthood. Fortunately, her passing was quiet and simple. She found a beautiful fir grove, laid down and fell asleep (or passed peacefully). I hadn’t expected this for she did not show any signs of discomfort or ailment. She had given her last lessons to 3 youths here just days before.

Stella was well known for her solid, quiet demeanor. A true nurturer, independent yet connected. My...

It’s a time of feeling

I was talking to my husband, Casey, the other day and we both agreed that it’s been hard to feel joy that lasts more than a few minutes with the heaviness of these challenging times. We agreed that we feel the pain in the world now and feel helpless to stop it. By acknowleding it in a conversation, we were able to move onto more positive feelings for our day.

Time seems hard to grasp right now. What day is it? Is it really Thursday? What month are we in, isnt this usually a time of picnics and family gatherings as we approach Mother’s Day, graduations and weddings (now postponed or cancelled) and Father’s Day just around the corner? 

Each day is a new day. Each moment is an opportunity to make the best out of the most dramatic, unknown future we have ever experienced as a whole species. 

And right behind the reality of timelessness is the fear and anxiety of what we cannot control.We cannot make any sense of what is actually...

THE WALK

The walk is a quiet smooth gait. It has a 4 beat count, just like certain musical scores, 1., 2,3,4,1,2,3,4,… It is the first gate that a young or newly trained horse finds its rhythm and balance. It is the first and last gait a horseman will use during any training session. One of the few golden rules of horsemanship is always walk your horse back to the barn. The other is, ‘if you can’t do it at a walk, you have no business trotting or cantering at all.

Any good horse trainer understands the importance of integrating the walk throughout his/her athlete’s training program. This is done specifically to produce endurance, stamina and resilience as opposed to fatigue. Another golden rule is that always walk your horse back to the barn, to go any faster will only sourer him.

My favorite retort for those who are impatient with the walk is that cowboys did not gallop their horse across the country. They walked a lot! In fact, they loved that walk. Any...

“In a time when so many veterans are so hesitant to take another prescription or fear getting addicted to opioids, equine assisted therapy gets veterans outside and allows them the amazing opportunity to work with horses to process their experiences,” said Congressman Barr. “As the Chairman of the Congressional Horse Caucus and someone who cares very deeply for our veterans, I believe increasing grant funding opportunities for evidence-based equine-assisted therapy and innovative therapies will greatly diversify the treatment options available to our veterans.”

https://www.paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/rep-barr-successfully-includes-equine-therapy-in-veteran-suicide-prevention-bill/