JW Naturals

06/28/2026

06/23/2026

Have you seen the western pleasure horses lately?

I'd need a mounting block, a ladder, and maybe a helicopter to get on one.

I swear every year they get another inch taller while I get another year older.

Back when I started riding, a horse was a horse.

Now I walk through a show and find myself looking up at western pleasure horses like I'm admiring a skyscraper.

Meanwhile, standing at 4'10", I'm over here doing mental calculations.

"Can I get on that?"

"Do I need assistance?"

"Should I file a flight plan first?"

The funny thing is, the horses don't seem to notice.

They're standing there peacefully while the rest of us are trying to figure out whether we're riders or mountain climbers.

At this point, I'm not shopping for horses.

I'm shopping for elevation.

06/13/2026

I have more confidence catching a thousand-pound prey animal than ordering food over the phone.

The funny thing is, horse people won't even question that statement.

Need me to catch a young horse in a 20-acre pasture? No problem.

Work through a spook, a training issue, or an unexpected opinion from a horse? I'm your girl.

Call a restaurant and place an order?

Suddenly I'd like to explore other options.

Confidence isn't a personality trait. It's a collection of experiences.

I've spent decades learning horses, understanding their behavior, making mistakes, solving problems, and building trust.

The phone, on the other hand, continues to operate with almost no regard for my comfort.

At least horses give warning signals before they make things awkward.

06/06/2026

I've spent years building confidence.

My horse can test it in about three seconds.

The good news is that confidence isn't never getting rattled.

It's realizing that when life, horses, or your own nervous system throw something unexpected your way, you're still capable of handling it.

At 55, coming back to horses has reminded me that the confidence may get rusty...

But the foundation is still there. 🐴❤️

06/05/2026

My horse and I handle stress differently.

He teleports sideways.

I pay bills about it.

Honestly, we're both just trying to survive. He worries about mountain lions hiding behind feed buckets.

I worry about things that haven't happened yet.

The good news is we're both getting better at asking one important question:

"Is this a real problem, or am I just having an enthusiastic reaction?"

🐴😂

06/01/2026

My horse has taught me many valuable life skills.
Most of them involve recovering gracefully.

Recovering from mistakes. Recovering from bad timing. Recovering from confidence that exceeded my actual abilities.

The funny thing is, the older I get, the more I realize that horsemanship isn't about getting everything right.

It's about regaining your balance, adjusting your plan, and carrying on like that was exactly what you meant to do in the first place.

Fortunately, I've had decades of practice. 🐴😂

05/31/2026

This isn't really about horses.

It's about learning to trust yourself again.

When I was younger, confidence came naturally. After years away, C-PTSD, and a lot of life in between, I found myself rebuilding something I once took for granted.

Not skill.

Trust.

Trust in my judgment. Trust in my body. Trust that I can handle whatever happens next.

Recovery doesn't happen on anyone else's timeline. It takes as long as it takes.

For now, I'm just grateful that my "brave" is slowly turning back into confidence.

Also, about half the things I've survived lately have turned out to be feed bags. 🐴❤️

05/27/2026

05/26/2026