Appreciating the experience

This week saw the end of my time in Kansas, where I was based at Kansas State University in the Flint Hills of Kansas for nearly three months. It has been a great opportunity and an important part of my learning experience here in the US. I have enjoyed access to world class educational facilities, passionate and learned professors, and a host of learning resources including K-State's online and physical library database.

One of the best things about this opportunity was being able to step back and assess our beef cattle production business program at home, along with my performance in it. Four months is a long period to take off work and so it was a top priority for me to gain as much from this opportunity as possible. I was able to take the time to look at the way we run our business as a whole, at the way I work as a team member, and also the performance of my section of the business. I'm not sure who originally coined the terms 'working on the business', rather than 'working in the business', but this opportunity has certainly forced me to actively engage in the former.

It hasn't only been what I have gained from a professional perspective which has made this trip so worthwhile. As with any experience in which you're forced outside your comfort zone, this trip has provided a platform for self appraisal. There have been challenges and times when I have doubted myself. There have been times when I have felt shy and wanted desperately to climb into a hole in the ground. There have been many nights when I've cried myself to sleep because I've been so homesick. There are times that made me take a look at myself and who I really want to be. But through those challenges, nothing has come to me more clearly then what it is I want.

And what I want first and foremost, is to be a good person; someone who is thoughtful and kind to others. Who is considerate of and helps those who are less fortunate. A supportive and loyal friend. I want to work hard in our business and enjoy our lifestyle back home, and appreciate what it is we have. To be a strong but kind friend to the animals in my life. And perhaps most importantly, I want to be a generous, fun and loving granddaughter, sister, daughter, sister in law and girlfriend. Because that's what really counts. 

                   With Alex in Oklahoma at the start of our US trip. A better man there is not.

The learning never stops

The past month has given me some great learning opportunities in horse training. The sixth annual A Legacy of Legends held in Fort Worth, Texas was a fantastic event, held to showcase and share the knowledge and legacy of Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance; two men widely credited as promoting horsemanship through trust and understanding rather than through fear and force.

This event was an incredible convention of horsemanship and knowledge. Nine colts were started over a three day period using the methods of Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance. The colts I saw being worked were willing, quick to learn, and supported by the trainers working with them. It was a pleasure to watch horsemanship at that level, and a privilege to learn from horsemen like Buck and Reata Brannaman, former Aussie Wayne Robinson, and Jaton Lord to mention just a few. It is quite astounding to be able to achieve such willingness and subtlety in colts over such a short period of time, and I feel it is a true testament to the work of Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance. 

I also had the opportunity to work for Ben Royal of Ben Royal Cutting Horses in Lockeford, California. For just over a week I worked with Ben at his training facility, loping horses as part of their training regime. I learned such a lot about the finer points of working horses on cattle from watching Ben train the horses, as well as from riding the horses myself. At the professional level of cutting horse training timing and feel are crucially important, and although some would argue that these cannot be taught, I very much refined my own feel and timing through learning from those horses I worked at Ben's. I was even lucky enough to work one of the horses on a heifer, which was an incredible experience.

A big thank you to Ben and Holly Royal, and to all those involved in the 2016 A Legacy of Legends event in Fort Worth. A special thank you to Linda, Kitty, Chilita, EB, Mark, Trav, and Tulenic: the horses who taught me softness again.