nicoleromerocreative

Happy Love Day! 💖

Im a Level 3 Skater today! I’m pretty proud. This was a lifelong dream for me and I made it happen during an incredibly rough season. It has been so much fun and incredibly healing. I’m excited to continue on this journey and see where it leads. Thank you .fsc for a great Fall session! Also want to say I could not have survived without supplementing these lessons with Liz’s ballet class . It goes hand in hand with the skating and I’m finally starting to feel alive and empowered again.

My Piper nugget is 7 today! 🤯 I really can’t believe it 😭Here’s a look back through her birthdays starting today. I’ll post her party pics on FB later. 💕🎉

Anesia made omelettes for us today over at Gramps’ 💕 I thought it was Mother’s Day until Piper decided to pinch me 😅🍀

I’ve had this conversation soooo many times 🙃 and it is important to speak up 💕

There's a recurring conversation I've had at least 100 times this year, and every time I have some version of this conversation I feel frustration, anger and shame related to the horse industry.

It goes something like this:

I meet a new person and they ask me what I do for a living.

I offer a short elevator speech about Unbridled (nature-based experiential learning with horses).

The person says, "Oh! Yes, I've heard of equine therapy. It helps many people."

Depending on the context of the conversation sometimes I take the time to explain that I'm not a therapist and what I offer is not therapy, but it IS very therapeutic.

Either way, after a pause, the other person oddly (and usually enthusiastically) starts telling me a story about some previous experience they had where a horse nipped them, bit them, kicked them, scared them, bucked them off, ran off with them or otherwise behaved "badly". The underlying message of the story is always that the horse was mean/naughty/aggressive/dangerous/grumpy, etc.

When the person is done telling their story I very matter-of-factly say that, in my experience, when horses "behave badly" it usually means they are experiencing some kind of pain, fear or discomfort and that they don't have any other way to tell the humans except through their behavior.

Nine times out of ten, this response initially elicits a blank stare, but I can literally see the wheels turning behind the person's eyes. They're desperately trying to align the information I just shared with their actual experience (or memory of the experience). I'd say that three quarters of the time the other person eventually shrugs and says something like, "Hmmmm. I never thought about it from that perspective. But, I really just think this particular horse was mean/grumpy/aggressive/naughty/pushy. Even the owner/trainer/instructor/responsible-adult-on-the-scene agreed this horse was evil."

Occasionally someone surprises me and says, "Wow. I never thought about it like that. You're probably right. How did you ever figure that out? You must be one of those horse whisperers". 🙄

Here's the thing: one person offering a dissenting opinion (especially after the fact) can never compete with an entire industry that's actively perpetuating lies about horses. If you're a horse owner or horse professional, people who don't spend time with horses will TAKE YOUR WORD AS GOSPEL, especially in regard to how you describe your own horses (or those in your care).

With great power and privilege comes great responsibility.

The next time you hear someone (anyone!) make a comment like this, I encourage you to PLEASE not just let it slide. And, PLEASE, PLEASE don't try to "one up them" with an even bigger horror story about an even more evil or naughty horse you've been hurt or scared by. It's not a human story-telling competition. And whenever we fail to embrace an opportunity to try and educate the general public about the true nature of horses, the biggest losers are always the horses.

Believe me, I know how much courage it takes to speak up. And I know a lot of people who don't speak up simply because they don't want to make the other person feel guilt or shame. Or they don't want to ruffle feathers. Or they're afraid they might be wrong.

Science is now fully behind us on this issue. Don't doubt yourself. And, yes, sometimes the truth hurts or makes people uncomfortable. But what hurts even more is when someone who COULD have told you the truth, doesn't.

So, I personally don't even care if you say your something nicely or not.

Just. say. something.

No one can stop the madness but us.

Happy Halloween 👻

This is a great illustration of the importance of consent with horses and any living being.

A conversation with a horse.

Human: Hello nice pony (touches horse)
Horse: What the heck?
Human: It's ok, I am nice I won't hurt you.
Horse: Don't touch me, I do not know you
Human: Why are you being defensive with me? My intention is to be your friend!
Horse: I don't know you. You're not entitled to touch or access me
Human: Hey (To owner)... your horse is kind of dominant right? They are behaving really pushy
Horse: Would you get out of my face I have not even smelled you yet
Human: Stop being naughty, stand still, let me touch you
Horse: Sigh. Go on Monkey, touch me. Apparently you own me.
Human: I am going to ride you.
Horse: What?
Human: (throws saddle on)
Horse: Oh s**t wait what's happening
Human: (Mounts). Ok horsey, give me your body. Exactly how I want it when I want it
Horse: Get the **** off me.
Human: You're so pushy and defensive! Give me that behaviour!
Horse: ...

A friendly reminder, that nobody on God's green earth is entitled to another. No matter what your intentions are. Your intentions are about you and often have nothing to do with another.

It behooves us (pun intended) to really take the time to build rapport and trust with a horse before we can expect anything from them, or even expect access to them.

If I were a horse, I would be labelled difficult too.

Ok, 39! Here we go…

I’m spending the morning with the horses. Morning is my favorite time to be out here with them, so I try to come as soon as I drop Piper off at school. There’s just something about the morning light, the birds, the stillness.

I’ve received several signs in the last couple days to slow down and get back to nature and myself. I always have a hard time slowing down when I feel like I’m moving in slow-motion 😅 but it’s always easier with the horses.

38 has been rough…really rough! I’m sure I’ll speak more to it on the podcast eventually because there is plenty of experiences and learning I want to share. I know everything has happened the way it was meant to and that it has been laying the groundwork for what is coming this year.

The future is unknown, but I do know that I’m ready for the big shifts that have already begun! I’m ready to step into this new year with all of my resilient, creative, and powerful self, and I’m ready to embrace what beauty and magic is coming to fruition 💖✨

Piper’s first day back to school! She was so excited (not about this photo 😝) that she made sure to pack everything herself, get her clothes ready, and get to bed an hour early!

It will be an adjustment for both of us for me not to be her teacher this year, but I know she will do great, if not better, without me there. She’s sensitive like me, so I hope she remembers how amazing she is and stands up for herself as she needs to.

Happy 1st Day back nugget and good luck to all of you as you get ready for the back to school adjustments.

I’ve been feeling about how Charlotte feels about this turkey 😅

I’ve been coming to the acceptance of the things that have forced their way into my life this year. Some good, some devastating, and some ongoing in between things that are in limbo.

All I can do is handle myself as these things move in and out of my life. I am choosing to continue to persevere. I am choosing to maintain hope. And I am choosing show up the best I can in every situation.

I have also been getting back to my nightly ritual to help keep myself balanced and clear. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I can go to sleep thinking of the best outcome possible.

I hope you all are doing well, and that no matter how bleak things seem to be, that you choose to believe that there is good coming to you. 💖

I am devastated by news of the loss of my former co-worker, mentor, and friend David To. If you did not have the opportunity to work with or know David To, I am so sorry that you did not get to experience his gentle presence or his warm light. He was an incredible designer, a sensitive leader, and an open-minded, creative collaborator. He was also a friend and guide to many of us on our career paths. During our time together on Mario Kart, he was the glue that held our team together. His humor and laughter kept our spirits high on the many late nights of meeting deadlines. He brought joy, curiosity, and perseverance to the most difficult and chaotic moments. His life truly impacted our MK family, and I know many others in the industry, in the most positive and profound way. I don’t really have words to wrap this up as I haven’t fully been able to wrap my brain around it. I just know there is a deep void left behind from this loss, but an even greater impact will continue to echo from the time we were all fortunate enough to spend with him.

Side note: I felt the urge to message David 3 days ago after I saw he looked at my profile. For a stupid reason I didn’t and am deeply regretting it. So just a reminder to make sure you follow those seemingly random gut instincts.

*most of my photos from this time were lost, so the first few are from David’s FB, the group one is of most of the Nintendo crew (see if you can find him), and the last is the sweet gift he brought back for Piper from Osaka.*

Yesterday the horses offered me a wake up call around broadening my perspective (among other things 😆)

Sometimes I have trouble listening to messages from my own horses. I’m either too much in “mom” mode or just not paying attention. Yesterday, the herd managed to hook me in though.

When I approached them, the horses seemed agitated at first and then arranged themselves into an interesting lineup (2nd pic).

Eventually they left Charlie girl alone facing me. My immediate thought was inner child as that is often big medicine from her.

Then they rearranged again placing Leo closest to me and my mind drifted away from that first message.

I am so connected to Leo, and he is both highly sensitive and dominant, that often I look at the herd as coming together in support him.

However after I left the pasture, I was reminded Charlie was the one facing me and I noticed how Leo seemed to be cradling her between he and Hope, and I remembered Draco was on the other side.

The message I received after realizing this was the inner child being held in safety and love.

This was a beautiful message for me to receive and sit with, but also a wake up call to not fixating and looking at the bigger picture.

Look through the pictures and let me know what comes up for you - thoughts, feelings, images…💖🐴✨