I have always tried to facilitate success and learning in the jobs I've held through the years. My work has always been with animals and most often been with children and with women. In Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, I had more challenges than I could count. No two days were alike in any form or fashion and I learned to stay centered, using all of my Buddhist training.

Keeping our clients safe around my horses was a priority. I had one new girl of about 8 years of age who continually ran underneath my (very wise and patient) mare, Dalai. Dalai was a black Tennessee Walking horse and she was my longe horse (to put riders on her and I "controlled" her on a line with a wand, circling me). I could not allow it to continue as the girl refused to heed my warnings.



So, thinking long on it one night, I awoke and began fashioning a "fake" horse. I took a wooden sawhorse, covered it with blue blankets and made a papier mache'  horse head and neck. I wired and bound and glued everything together and the clients and I painted "Old Blue's" face. He was a handsome, safe and introverted fellow.

We even were able to properly saddle him with a tiny western saddle for a pony! Our daring young girl was told that, until she could demonstrate safe, correct habits around Old Blue, she would not be handling any other horses. Funny thing was, she just loved Blue! He was a huge success in many other applications as well.

I created, with an intern at our program, a board game of a bridle path with steps to measure after spinning a dial and the landing spot asked a question such as, "I really feel angry when..." or "I feel so happy when..." or "My favorite time of day is..." And we made little horses to use as players' markers to "gallop" around the path that wound through green fields and over bridges, etc. that I had painted on the board.

You do what you need to do to make things work!