What a Field Full of Horses Taught Me About Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

Until recently, I had never stood in an open field surrounded by horses.

Not once.

So when I arrived at JW Horsemanship for another stop in my 100 Experiences experiment, I was excited—but I was also a little nervous.

Maybe “fear” isn't quite the right word. It was more like extreme respect mixed with absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Horses are BIG.

When you've only admired them from the other side of a fence, being in a field with several of them walking freely around you is a completely different experience.

Suddenly I had questions I had never thought about before.

Where am I supposed to stand?

How do I approach one?

Can they tell I'm nervous?

How hard do I brush them?

And most importantly…what do I do if one of these very large animals decides to walk straight toward me?

Learning Their Language

That's one of the things I loved most about my time with Joe and Karen at JW Horsemanship.

They didn't just put me on a horse.

In fact, the experience started long before that.

We went into the field to get Charlie. I learned about approaching a horse, grooming, body language and some of the subtle ways horses communicate with us—and with each other.

I also met Charlie's little donkey friend, Little Donk. The two are practically inseparable, which might have been one of my favorite discoveries of the day.

Joe was incredibly patient with a complete newbie like me, and Karen seemed to have this natural intuition with the horses.

Instead of feeling like I needed to already know what I was doing, they gave me permission to learn.

And slowly, something changed.

I stopped thinking so much about how big the horses were.

I stopped worrying about whether I was standing in exactly the right place.

I started paying attention to them.

Their personalities. Their curiosity. Their gentleness.

By the end of my time there, these enormous animals that had made me a little apprehensive when I arrived didn't feel quite so intimidating.

I actually felt connected to them.

Maybe That's the Point of Trying 100 Experiences

When I started my 100 Experiences experiment, my goal was to find 100 things you can actually DO in rural Texas—not just places you can drive by and see.

I wanted to show people that our small towns, backroads, farms, ranches and local businesses are full of experiences waiting to be discovered.

But I'm realizing this experiment may be teaching me something, too.

I am going to have to try things I've never done before.

Some will feel completely natural.

Others may push me way outside my comfort zone.

And maybe that's exactly what I need.

Because standing in that field reminded me that being uncomfortable doesn't always mean something is wrong. Sometimes it simply means you're doing something you've never done before.

There's a difference.

I walked into that field unsure of myself.

I walked out thinking, I could do this again.

And that's a pretty wonderful feeling at this stage of life—to discover something you enjoy that you never even knew was available to you.

An Experience for the Horse-Curious

That's also why I think the JW Horsemanship experience is especially wonderful for someone who has always been curious about horses but has never had the opportunity—or maybe the courage—to get close to them.

You don't have to own a horse.

You don't have to know anything about horses.

You don't have to decide you're taking up horseback riding as your new hobby.

You can simply come experience them.

Learn how to approach them. Groom them. Understand a little of their language. Spend time in their world.

And maybe discover that the thing that made you a little nervous isn't nearly as scary once you step through the gate.

I know I did.

Experience by experience, I'm discovering rural Texas—and apparently a few things about myself along the way.

94 more experiences suddenly feels like a very interesting challenge.

Follow along with my 100 Experiences experiment on my social media and at Burton & Beyond—and if there's something in rural Texas you think I need to experience, send it my way.