This weekend, I had the pleasure of riding with our mentor, Pippa Callanan. One of my greatest joys when she visits are the quiet conversations we share as I drive her to and from the barn.

During one of those conversations, my thoughts wandered into the contrast between the confidence I feel in my daily work and the vulnerability I experience as a student of the horse. In that moment, I felt a deep appreciation for Pippa’s unwavering ability to help me feel safe enough to be vulnerable in my learning.

I am not much of a poet, but I felt inspired to write about this experience, and poetry won out over prose…

“Taught with Grace”

A life
forged in knowing,
in the quiet armor
of competence and confidence.

I am trusted.
I am certain.

Yet,
my heart elsewhere,
in the breath of horses.

Here,
I am undone.

No longer expert,
vulnerable,
still reaching for approval
yet drawn insistently
toward what is real.

To impress
or to surrender.

To brace, to guard
a fragile sense of safety,
or to step into the unknown

to fumble.
to fail.
to begin again.

And then,
the teacher.

Who sees.
Not performance,
but person.

Who does not measure,
but meets.

Who holds the space
as things come apart
and does not turn away.

Who stays
as I try,
as I miss,
as I try again.

And in that quiet holding,
something returns

a remembering

that what matters
is not perfection

but the quiet joy
in the courage
to keep learning

what I love.

Wishing everyone a joy-filled and fabulous weekend of learning with your horses. ~ Paul

PC – Jordan Koepke Photography

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