A Note about the Pause

<p>We offer these shows for free. If you think it’s worthy of a <a href= "https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=FUYYAMHPLE2VE">small contribution</a>, we sure would appreciate it.</p> <p>This is Episode 14 of Season 4 and it’s a short one. Why?</p> <p>To be blunt and to speak in general terms, I’d say life and death are having their ways with us. </p> <p>I’m sorry to let you know that Jec lost her mother last month. As you might imagine, that’s been pretty trying for her. <a href= "https://nickernews.net/sally-king-butcher-remembered-part-i/">I lost my mom</a> just over a year ago. While our mother-daughter relationships were very different, we both owe it partly to our mothers for what we do now. Horses would not be so much of our lives or so much of our identity, if it weren’t for our moms. That, I think makes the remembering and the grieving process a bit more in-your-face than it might be otherwise.</p> <p>They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. You’ve probably heard of them. Here at the Best Horse Practices podcast, we are dealing with some of them, or maybe none of them, but with feelings that are related. Or mixtures of them.</p> <p>It’s a process. And as one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Del Barber, would say: "there is no straight path."</p> <p>I think the holidays, the shorter days and longer nights can be challenging, too. It can be harder to get out and ride when it’s 15 degrees and dark is just an hour away. A cup of hot cocoa or a glass of wine can seem like a much better idea.</p> <p>What are your challenges?</p> <p>How do you make the most of winter riding?</p> <p>What are some winter hacks you have for dealing with ice, snow, cold, and short days?</p> <p><a href="https://besthorsepractices.com/contact/">We would love to hear from you!</a></p> <p>Also, I want to remind you about the mental health initiative that the Best Horse Practices Summit is developing. Thanks in part to a grant from the <a href="https://lorfoundation.org/" ta