Jen Johnson
NAWD Judge and Board Member
In my family we have a Thanksgiving tradition of going around the table and expressing gratitude. This time of the year I always turn my thoughts to the things in my life that I am grateful for. Faith, family, friends, all of the volunteers that work here, my health, food on the table, horses and a warm place to sleep; all of these things come to mind as I count the many blessings in my life. I’m also thankful for the knowledge and ability to give my horses many things. They might never say the words “thank you”, but they thank me every time I ride by trying their best to do what is asked of them. If my horses could speak, what would they say? What would be on their list of things to say when their turn at the table comes up?
I think that mine would say this…………
1. Enough to eat
2. A great farrier, equine dentist, veterinarian, and chiropractor. I’m not sure that they would put this on their list unless I made them go without and they got sick or hurt. Then they might be thankful.
These things are obvious, and I think most horse owners provide them as necessary for good health. The rest of the list is not quite as common and I am glad that I can add them to the list of things that Danno might say.
3. A fit rider. My rider works hard to stay fit and keep her weight under control. She’s 45 and barely 5 feet tall-believe me, every pound shows up. I hope that the day never comes when she jeopardizes my well-being by asking her to carry more weight than I should.
4. Yoga! Yoga keeps my rider flexible and strengthens her core muscles, which allow her to have an independent seat. This keeps her entire body stable and balanced in the saddle so she doesn’t hang on the reins to stay balanced.
5. My owner has a lifelong love of learning. She positively thrives on knowledge. When she rides in clinics I can feel her thinking so hard and trying to apply what she is learning – it makes me really want to concentrate and do my best for her too! Whether it is studying biomechanics or the science of movement or how tack influences the horse, She loves to immerse herself in learning how to better serve my needs.
6. An owner that looks to experts that put me first. My owner trains me at home but she has a few friends to call on when she needs help. These people always direct her to what will help me learn without jeopardizing my soundness of mind and body.
7. Judges that give tough scores. Without them, my owner would not work hard to be the best she can be. I’m not a mediocre horse and if I always got mediocre scores in the 60s, I think we’d stay in the 60s forever. I don’t care about the scores but I DO care that what we are learning is helping me feel relaxed. Yes, it is hard work to engage and bend the way that the judges like but I can tell that it helps my body feel better when we do it right and get those elusive 7s. I even got an 8 once and my rider was so proud of me. I like to make her proud. Sometimes she gives me a carrot.
8. Time on the trail and variety in my work. That arena and those circles get boring! I don’t really care for groundwork but the long-reining is really fun!
9. Time with my friends. I don’t live in a stall. I am kept in a paddock with a shelter and 3 friends. In the summer we get to go out in the pasture too! It makes me happy to run and buck with my friends.
10. Mud and dirt. I’m always grateful for a good roll in the mud – this winter hair gets so itchy! I know we’ll be videoing for double up judging in the next week or so. I think I might be the dirtiest horse there but maybe the happiest one too
Thanks for listening, time to eat! Wishing all of you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. ~Jen Johnson & Danno
