My Story

What my horses taught me …

By Trish Andros Carlo….”dedicated to the little girl in every woman who always wanted a horse of her own…”

As a child I was timid and shy and scared of being with people. At school I had few friends and was the brunt of many jokes (today they call it bullying). At a time when most kids were thin, I was the fattest child in my class. I couldn’t do sports because my co-ordination was terrible, I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. Everyone would laugh when I tried to run a relay race because I was miles behind the rest of the class. So I studied and read and became an honor student in of all my courses but that made them pick on me more, because I was the ‘browner’, the teacher’s pet. My teenage crushes went unnoticed by boys who only looked at the prettiest girls. So I ate more cakes and cookies to make up for my unhappiness and I hid from people.

Trish & Moonshadow 1974

At the age of fourteen, my life changed. I found a friend who accepted me just the way I was. He didn’t care what I looked like, how fast I could run or how smart I was. He was kind and gentle and gave me his undivided attention. He was tall and golden with a white mane and tail. His name was Moonshadow and he was my first horse. I would spend hours with him each day after school, brushing his silky coat and talking to him about everything that was important to a teenager. When I climbed into the saddle, we became one with each other. As we galloped over the green hills with the roar of the wind in my hair and the thunder of his pounding hooves, I could feel his strength and his power with each stride. Nothing could stop us, we were flying. We were free.

We spent every possible moment together. Our communication was completely without words. When I rode him, he would respond to my thoughts before I asked him with my legs. I understood him, and he understood me. It was like we were connected in mind, body and spirit. We spent many hours in the sunshine among the birds and the trees either riding the trails, at the showgrounds sailing over jumps or just sitting on the ground reading a book while Moonshadow grazed beside me. His calm, rhythmic munching was a comfort to my soul. There was nothing I couldn’t tell him. He was eager to hear my every secret and story. He would nudge me when I cried and play with me when I laughed. He was truly my best friend. Moonshadow had healed me by teaching me that I was perfect just the way I was. The life lessons we shared over the next 25 years helped me become the confident and successful woman that I am today!

Trish & Lightning Power 2009

Since the passing of Moonshadow, there have been hundreds of other horses in my life who continued their lessons about life. When my soul finally started to listen to them, life became so much more peaceful. And finally I knew it was time to follow my passion of helping others learn life lessons and life skills from horses too. Today I’ve become a Certified Professional Coach and Certified Equine Specialist and teamed up with my horses on our beautiful ranch to offer others the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of the herd. They taught me my life’s a journey that I sometimes can’t control but I can control the way I respond to my journey! They taught me that I’m creating my life story by the actions I choose each moment. Because God is such an important part of how my life has unfolded and the many blessings He has bestowed upon me, I want to share His goodness and healing power with everyone. I have known physical pain and loss of dreams, divorce and grief, betrayal and toxic people but my Lord has healed me both physically and emotionally from each and every trial that I have endured. And most importantly, He has taught me to be grateful and to live in the moment to the fullest… my life today isn’t in my past traumas and it isn’t in anxiety of the future. I’ve spent years watching my horses live in peace and harmony, and I’ve learned their secret!!

2011 Copyright Trish Andros Carlo
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED no part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form.