Upstate New York is so beautiful in the fall. The leaves change to brilliant colors and the air starts to become cool and refreshing in a way that is like no other time of year. It's a time for trail riding and apple picking and pumpkin carving. We enjoy the taste of pumpkin pie, apple cider, and warm cider donuts coated in cinnamon sugar. It's a time to reflect on the warm summer days and prepare for the cold winter that will be upon us in a few short months, or maybe even weeks since in NY you never know when winter will appear!! Winter brings with it a whole new perspective. The Fall is the time to figure out how to keep the horses' water supply from freezing, make sure there is enough hay for when the grass is no longer available, get the snow plow ready for the season, and make sure shovels are ready. The days start to get shorter and most of the morning and evening barn chores are done in the dark. Change is never easy but it does allow us to be thankful for the simple things in life that are often taken for granted (like light, heat, and running water!!!). During my trips to California, I appreciated the beautiful warm weather and sun, but I think I appreciate NY summer sun and warmth so much more because of the changing of the seasons. It is part of what makes the Northeast so beautiful.
Autumn is a time when a lot of things change, and with that comes a lot of emotions. I sometimes struggle with change. I like things to stay the same. When things stay the same it keeps me in my comfort zone. But I've found that if I stay in my comfort zone then nothing exciting happens. As we make our way through this Fall season, I look back on the last couple years since our family has started Horse'n Around Acres as a business to help share our love of horses. We have had a lot of change in the last couple years with starting up the business, offering boarding and lessons, having our main lesson and trail horse founder last January, and all during a global pandemic. I've had to change our business plan multiple times to make sure that we continued to follow our mission statement:
To share with others the positive influence horses can have on their health, happiness, and family. And to inspire others to make horses a daily part of their lives by welcoming them into our family.
We found that we had to be creative and find other ways to adjust to our circumstances. We had an opportunity to have an equine team building workshop with Malta Animal Hospital staff at our barn and it brought inspiration to myself, our business, the Malta Animal staff that participated in the workshop, and the facilitator of the event (check out our facilitator from that workshop at: Coaching | Katie Navarra) . It took a lot of work and wasn't part of our original plan, but it was an amazing day and we hope to be able to host more workshops in the future. It made me realize that even if things don't work out the way we expected and we have to change our plans, that's when we are pushed outside of our comfort zone and we find things that amaze us that we didn't even know could bring joy to our lives. It also, like the change of seasons, makes us grateful for the things that we have that help us through all the unexpected changes. This workshop helped me realize how much our family, horses, and property have to offer to others.
Some changes in life are wonderful but others are bittersweet and make us really have to search for how to make the most of the cards we are dealt. Although it may not be easy, when things change you never know what might be waiting for you at the end of the trail. So keep riding and change your path if you need to, but don't forget to always enjoy the trail your on!
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