Horse training and riding lessons at Broadway Farms, LLC in Albert Lea, MN

I have been going mock two with my hair on fire for a long time. My body started having migraine auras. They act like seizures except my migraines do not usually hurt, and you can’t always tell I have them. I often slur my words or have to slow my speech down so I can make sure what I am thinking is what I am saying. I get dizzy, confused, and my lips and throat start tingling. I knew it was time to destress my life. I started by taking a sabbatical from the Southern Minnesota Social Media Breakfast, and I let my last social media client go. I also entered into a year of no. I wasn’t sure what this meant or how it would work, but I knew I had to try it. I knew I had to get back in the saddle and start riding and training horses again.

One of the memories I use to relax my mind and help me fall asleep is one from my days at Camp Redcloud. It was during a hard season in my life. I went to the pasture and picked my favorite horse, Goodbar, out of the forty head of horses we kept on the property. I brushed him, saddled, bridled, adjusted my stirrups and away we rode into the mountains. When we had picked our way to the road, I pushed him into a run, and I felt the wind in my hair. I trusted Gooby, his nickname, to take good care of me, and he did. The combination of being surrounded by the mountains and on horseback is a peaceful moment that brings me comfort.

As excited as I was to get back into the saddle, I was equally nervous. It has been thirteen years since I have ridden with the intent to train. I would have to be vulnerable and admit weakness. Some of the areas I need to master would mean going all the way back to the basics. To me, this was humbling. None-the-less, I needed to get back in the saddle.

I had been praying for a trainer similar to my friend Becky because for Becky training was as much about the people as it was the horses. I didn’t want too much rough and tough, but I didn’t want someone who babies their horses either.

Then I met Jodie Distad, owner of Broadway Farms, LLC. She is exactly the kind of trainer I had been praying to find. She rides and trains both horses and people in Western and English riding styles.  Seriously God rolled all sorts of remarkable talents into Jodie.

I am saying, no to fear and yes to vulnerability. I am learning to take one day at a time. Not looking down the road at the result, but merely enjoying each lesson, the moment on each of the horses I ride, and the thrill of being in a barn again. My soul is happy; there is a pep in my step that has not been there for a long time. I am excited to begin riding and training again, and I am thankful Jodie Distad is in my community to guide me along the way.

Are you looking for riding lessons or someone to help you train your horse? Give Jodie a call; you’ll be glad you did.