Dear friends,

As this bizarre year comes ever so slowly to a close, there is so much to reflect on. It’s easy to get caught up in the negatives and dwell in the gloom and doom. It’s much harder to live in the moment, have faith in the positive outcomes and look for the good in every situation. This is the creed I try live by, but I’ll admit, it’s been a hard course to steer lately. There are so many life lessons we can learn from horses, not the least of which are to live in the moment and not in the past, to be aware and ready to take action.

As many of you know, Colorado was ravaged with wildfires last month, and we were grateful for the early winter storm at the end of the month that helped dampen the flames. (Two feet of snow was not enough to extinguish the fires, but did bring them somewhat into control.) The C Lazy U Ranch (the 100-year-old guest ranch where I have been doing multiple clinics a year for more than a decade) was impacted by the East Troublesome Fire, which completely surrounded the ranch. Amazingly, the ranch headquarters was largely spared, and plans are already being made to restore the minor damage and reopen in the spring. You can find updates from the ranch about the impacts of the fire here. 

C Lazy U has a remuda of about 200 saddle horses, and many people say the herd of safe and reliable riding horses is the heart and soul of the ranch. The herd was preemptively evacuated before the fire blew up, and then they were moved again when the fire grew exponentially to a safer location on the front range. As you can imagine, moving nearly 200 horses is no easy feat. But in the spirit of finding a bright spot in the darkness, we had a pleasant surprise come our way in the form of refugees from the fire.

The ranch had an unexpected and unplanned foal born on October 1st from a Clydesdale mare they had recently acquired as a riding horse. October is a very awkward month for a baby horse to be born, especially in the high mountains. Since the colt is too young to run with the currently evacuated herd, we offered our accommodations at Goodnight Training Stables to the mare and foal for the winter. Mamma Joy and Baby Remington (“Remi”) are safe and sound at my ranch now, settling in and getting comfortable in their temporary home. It’s fun to have a youngster around—it’s good to laugh at his silly antics! Once the mare and foal have settled in and  feel more secure, I’ll introduce you to them.

In the midst of so much turmoil and uncertainty, it can be hard to stay positive and find joy. Taking action to help others and witnessing the uncomplicated exuberance of a young foal has given me peace and laughter, and for that I am grateful. November is when we traditionally take time to give thanks and reconnect with family and friends. I’ll admit that the holidays may look different this year, but that does not mean we can’t celebrate, re-connect and find joy. We just have to be creative about it and work a little harder to find the good in every situation.

I am confident that 2021 will be a year of healing and unity, and that we will get the upper hand on the pandemic and come together as a nation. I’m not expecting life to go back to the way it was exactly, but I am expecting to get back to a *new* normal in 2021. One thing that has not changed, and never will, is that there will always be horses that need help with their humans. I look forward to doing clinics next year, not only at the renowned C Lazy U Ranch—which is making plans to serve guests for the next hundred years—but around the country too. I hope to connect with you and your horse soon. In the meantime…

Enjoy the ride,