Tag Archives: Jane Savoie

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

I see blue sky, green grass, and yellow flowers. I can’t see red apples as my eyes perceive the color red as deep gray. I’ve been told that it’s because horses have a different eye structure from humans and can only see things in blues, yellows, and greens. My eyes don’t have the cones to produce the colors red, purple, or orange.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? I guarantee that you don’t see the same thing I do. You also don’t see the same thing your mother, your partner/spouse, or your dog sees.

Perception is a tricky thing. We can only relate to our own perception, so we naturally assume everyone sees things the way we do. But as we mature and become wiser, we recognize that this is so far from the truth! Everyone’s perceptions are colored by their previous experiences, their culture, their brain function, and their unique senses. We all see things differently.

The next time you’re in a conflict with a person, or even your horse, remember… how they view the situation is very different from how you see it. Just recognizing that will help you take a step back from the emotions at hand and give you a chance to respond in a different way.

Someone once said: we don’t see things as they are; we see them as WE are.

How could seeing something through someone else’s eyes help your situation? Give it a try! You might be surprised at how powerful recognizing this fact can be.

Then stop what you’re doing and take a carrot to your horse. He’s hoping you will! He may see it as yellowish gray, but it still tastes yummy.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

Black and white. Yes and no. Up and down. Sickness and health. Positive and negative….

We live in a world of contrast. It’s the duality of Nature that makes up our physical world. Without that contrast, we wouldn’t be able to perceive. It’s in knowing dark that we can recognize light. It’s in being able to experience silence that we can hear noise. The comparisons go on and on.

As infants, people are trained to show a preference for one thing over another. Most well-adjusted (note that you have to be “adjusted”) children develop a preference for positive feedback over negative. For “yes” over “no”. For health over sickness. For “happy” over “sad.” Humans are trained from birth to compare and prefer.

What if nothing you experienced was actually “wrong” or “right,” but just an experience? How different would your world be if you didn’t judge what happened in your life, but rather just observed your physical and emotional perceptions of whatever showed up?

In many Spiritual philosophies, it’s the pain from living with the judgement of what occurs that is recognized as the most difficult part of being human. Release that judgement, and enlightenment is possible.

As a horse, I’m already enlightened. I don’t carry judgement about what happens. Oh, I may have an unhappy memory of the fellow who poked me in the hip to get me on that airplane in Amsterdam, but I don’t JUDGE it. It is what it is. It was what it was. That was then, this is now.

How would your life be different if you accepted “what is…”? Could you try that on, just for a day? Give it a try! Or not. The choice is yours. And that is the one constant… your choice of what you think about is always YOURS.

Your horse is hoping you choose to bring him a carrot when you go to the barn today. He says that is the “right” choice!

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

Words have power. They have energy. They create a state of being in our minds. Horses don’t use words, but we understand the energy behind what you say.

You’ve probably heard the saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I say, the wounds from a stick or stone will probably heal, but the damage caused by the negative words we hear may sting for life.

Never underestimate how your words affect those around you, as well as how they reflect back and affect YOU. If your self-talk is negative, your experience is going to be negative. If you speak positively, your experience will reflect the same. If you bark and growl at your horse without careful thought to the attitude you’re projecting, your horse is going to feel insecure and you’re going to maintain a negative vibration. If you’re snapping at the people around you, the energy you’re projecting can be just as damaging as a pointed stick jabbing into someone’s heart.

Have you ever asked yourself, is it better to be right, or is it better to be kind? It’s a very pertinent question. Sometimes you have to stand your ground and be firm in what you consider “right.” Sometimes being right is just not that important. Choosing which applies in each situation is one of the things you have to decide on your own. Observing the results of your choices, right or wrong, is where wisdom is born.

Your horse’s interaction with you is a terrific reflection of your choices. Horses are congruent, honest, and in the moment. They’re a terrific mirror of your state of being. If you take the time to observe, and you’re open to the message, you can learn a lot from your equine friend.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

Winning. What does that feel like to you? For me, I’ve “won” when I feel that flow through my body and everything comes together. I find it easy to feel flow when I’m cantering. I have a “winning” canter. It’s my favorite gait. When Jane was first teaching me tempi changes, I lost that sense of flow until I had the muscle memory of changing leads whenever she asked. Once I got that muscle memory, the changes became easy and flow returned. I felt like I’d “won.”

Winning doesn’t have to be about blue ribbons. If you’ve been away from riding for a while, you may feel like you’ve won if you simply get out to the barn and get on your horse for ten minutes. Walking around may be as far as you want to go today. If you’re a serious competitor, you may have that sense of a win by perfecting that challenging movement. If you’re a teacher, you may feel like you’ve “won” when your student ends the lesson with a smile.

There are many ways to find that sense of a Win. The key is simply to look for it. And when you do, remind yourself to pay attention to how it feels. Then you can consciously create it again and again. It’s being in that positive space that creates even more success.

What could you do today that would make you feel like a success? I’m going to perform perfect pirouettes today, both directions. That gives me a terrific successful feeling!

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

I was watching my favorite barn cat try to catch a miller moth today. She was so determined to catch that flitty creature! I couldn’t help but chuckle inside when she’d leap from a hay bale and try to grab the thing midair. She never did catch it.

Watching her try so hard made me think about all the things we want to do with our lives that we never actually achieve. I always wanted to swim in the ocean, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Some of my barn-friends’ people have or had a dream of riding in the Olympics. Some wanted to become famous writers. Some wish they’d struck it rich so they could have a whole herd of beautiful horses.

Sometimes our dreams don’t come true. It’s a fact. But if there is something you want to do that is really important to you, there is a good chance you can and will do it. It has to be important enough for you to let other things go. Life is just too short to do it all. And yes, sometimes life gets in the way and we don’t reach our goals. There is a point when we have to be satisfied with what we can do and not be upset by what could have been.

If there is something you wish you’d done with your life but the opportunities have passed you by, perhaps you can help someone else achieve a goal. Sponsor an Olympic hopeful. Be a mentor to a budding writer. Teach someone how you made it rich. By sharing the successful parts of yourself with others, you get to be part of something much bigger than yourself. It’s a type of immortality. You can have a positive effect on the world while you live a piece of your dream by helping others reach theirs.

I’m teaching the young colt at our barn how to piaffe. He’s already quite good at it! He has a real shot at being a dressage champion someday… maybe even going to the Olympics! It would make my heart so proud to see him wearing a medal.

What could you do today to help someone else achieve his or her dream?

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

Setting boundaries is a hot topic among horse people. I’ve heard the trainers at the barn tell their students that they need to establish firm, fair, consistent boundaries with their horses. It’s absolutely necessary when you’re dealing with an animal who’s five to ten times your size.

We horses like having boundaries. It’s true. One of the first things we herd animals learn from our mothers and herd mates is where we stand in the group. We feel safest knowing where we fit in.

People aren’t so lucky. I’ve noticed that people push on other people a great deal. While watching people at horse shows, I’ve seen husbands berate their wives for spending too much time/money/attention on their horses. I’ve seen trainers growl and snap at their students. I’ve seen parents berate their kids for doing normal kid kinds of things. It makes me sad.

Is there someone in your life who pushes your boundaries? Does it make you sad or mad? Are unreasonable demands being put on you by a spouse/parent/boss? Is someone trying to control you through fear, shame, guilt, or intimidation?

It’s easy for me to tell you to establish boundaries and don’t let anyone cross them. I’m a horse and my fellow horses accept and respect this concept, so it IS easy for us. But the reality is, it’s not so easy for humans to do this with each other. Humans are much more devious in the ways they establish control. Humans are terribly manipulative, often without even realizing it.

I’ve observed that the people who are most effective in maintaining boundaries are the ones who DON’T have the need to be right, or make others agree. The people who don’t try to change what others think, but rather stand firm in their own truth, are the ones who are most effective in all their human relationships. They teach others how to treat them by how they treat themselves. They don’t try to control the people around them, they simply control their own minds. If someone pushes on them, they politely either state their truth or intention with gentle firmness, or they disengage all together.

Arguing doesn’t work very well with people. Your minds are rarely changed by an attack. You can’t kick each other into submission like a horse can, so the most effective humans are the ones who can listen well, consider what they hear with a clear mind, respond if necessary from a place of strength, and still calmly remain in their own truth.

Do you have the ability to agree to disagree with someone close to you? How do you maintain your inner balance when being challenged? If you’re not sure, I suggest that you pay attention to how you establish your boundaries with your horse. Are you able to apply that ability to people too?

When you go to the barn today, notice how you’ve established your place in the “herd.” Your horse may hold the secret to helping you with this issue.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

You may have noticed that everyone has an opinion.

You may also have noticed that others’ opinions may not be the same as yours.

I overheard Jane talking to a friend whose feelings were hurt by a conflict of opinions. Jane shared something a business associate had told her.

Understand that about 10% of the people in your life will love you no matter what you say or do. Another 10% are going to hate you, or at least not like you, no matter what you do. The other 80% are not going to care about you very much one way or another, and are going to be too focused on their own lives to worry about what you’re up to.

Do you worry about what people think of you? Maybe it’s time to realize that it’s just not that important what other people think. If you like yourself and follow your own heart, that’s really all that matters. Trying to please everyone is not only impossible, it will make you crazy. Let it go!

I’ve decided to quit worrying about whether that new mare at the barn likes me or not. She will or she won’t. I can only be my authentic self and give her the opportunity to decide.

Are you your authentic self when you are around other people? I’ll bet you are. Remember, your horse can tell if you’re being “real” or not… and he or she cares about you no matter what. He’s in the “loves you” 10%.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

“Aha.” I love those moments. Don’t you? When you suddenly GET IT? It’s such a rush when everything comes together and really works for the first time.

How do you create more “Aha Moments”? When Jane is riding me, they come when both sides of my brain kick in, along with the muscle memory of the new movement. And that comes with both intellectual understanding and physical practice. It happens when the left side of my brain, where logic and linear thought resides, meshes with the right side, where emotion and artistry lives, and then shows up in my physical body as the execution of perfect movement. My whole being responds to everything coming together with an exciting and satisfying “Aha.”

Learning to ride well doesn’t take good luck or exceptional talent. As the cowboys say, it just takes wet saddle blankets. In our case, it’s wet dressage pads. I learn something from Jane every time she rides me. And she learns from me too. Sometimes our progress is imperceptible, and sometimes it comes in huge Ahas. But we only have forward progress when we actually put what we’ve intellectually learned into physical practice. And that takes commitment and work.

Have you put what you’ve recently learned into your practice? Have you had some Ahas lately? Remember how it feels and look forward to creating that wonderful sensation again.

Now, get out to the barn. Your horse is waiting for you. Today just may be an “Aha” day!

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

Some people don’t like gray horses. Some people don’t like chestnut horses. There are even a few that don’t like us shiny black horses. Some like the quiet temperament of a quarter horse over the fiery temperament of an Arabian. Some like the excitement of riding an exuberant Trakehner better than the slower paced energy of the Friesian.

Everyone has an opinion. EVERYONE. Even your dog and your horse. So, if your goal is to please everyone, you’re setting yourself up to be very disappointed. It’s simply not possible. Each of us has a different background, a different set of values, and a different way of looking at the world. We each have our own unique “lens” through which we view and interpret what goes on around us. We all gravitate toward the folks that are more like us than different from us, but even those people you feel the most compatible with will have different perceptions and interpretations of their experiences.

So, what should you do about this? What I do is… nothing. The only work I need to do is internal, on my own acceptance of the fact that everyone is going to see things a bit differently. I generally don’t try to change anyone’s opinion unless they ask. I do my best to just let my friends and family be who they are, and allow myself to be true to who I am. For the most part, I am willing to simply agree to disagree.

Just for today, do yourself a favor and don’t try to convince anyone to see your side of things. Just let it go. Take a deep breath and relax. See what happens.

All is well.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com

Motivation from Moshi, by Jane Savoie

My back was a bit achy this morning. While I was stretching, it dawned on me that I was not a youngster anymore. That was a bit depressing. For about an hour I moped around, realizing that I was getting older and was going to start going downhill soon. I became grumpy and snapped at Indy when he got close to my legs. I was not very nice to anyone all morning.

Then I realized that I was not following my own advice! I was concentrating on my minor aches and pains, and not thinking about how strong and fit I really am. I know if I give attention to my discomforts, they’re going to get louder and bigger. If I concentrate on how much muscle and stamina I’ve gained this season, then I will continue to “feed” my body with positive thoughts and energy!

When you check in and feel your own body, do you look for where it feels good, or where it feels bad? Most of us tend to look for the bad sensations, as a matter of habit. We search for the aches and the soreness. But, if you can make the effort to change your habits and always look for the BEST feeling in your body, you will change your energy and start feeling better and better! Even if you have a severe physical issue right now, you can help yourself immensely by giving your full attention to the places in your body that feel the BEST.

This afternoon when I was in my turnout, I decided to go for a fast run around the fence line and notice how good and strong my lungs felt as I deeply drew in life-giving oxygen. I snorted and pranced and acknowledged my incredible stamina. I felt young again! I remembered that age is much more about a state of mind that a state of matter.

How old are you in your mind? I don’t want to know how old the calendar says you are, I want to know how young your MIND says you are! I’ve decided I’m about four years old. I think I’ll stay here for a few years more.

Love, Moshi

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com