The Only Certainty in Life is Change – Journey Europe Blog Update
I have two very strong positive qualities, tenacity and flexibility. Some may define them as stubbornness and irresponsible spontaneity but I choose to look at the positive impact these qualities have on my life. The main difference between stubbornness and tenacity is the motivation behind the action. Tenacity is the refusal to quit or the insistence to go on while stubbornness is the refusal to start or the insistence to quit. It stands to reason that if I’m tenacious enough to keep moving toward my goal I need to be flexible enough to change to my plan accordingly. My ability and willingness to change plans or direction while still moving forward is very unsettling for some and misunderstood by many. After a lifetime of working in environments that require me to think quickly, clearly and react appropriately I have developed what my husband refers to as a “smokin’ hot processor” for a brain. Basically I just think fast. This allows me to react quickly if needed or slower and with a more measured response without sacrificing momentum. Over the past week I have been trying to balance my tenacity, flexibility and reaction speed to the changes occurring with Journey Europe. On some days I have enjoyed great success while other days I have failed miserably but as is my nature I have continued to move forward and keep a strong eye on the goals I have set out to accomplish.The reason behind the changes is not important and I want to publicly thank everyone who has helped, emailed, supported and followed Journey Europe for the kindness and generosity of spirit they have shown us. Journey Europe would not be possible without the army of kind souls willing to give freely of their time and expertise to this project. Knowing and experiencing this is what gives me the unwavering faith that together we can improve our relationships with and understanding of horses around the world. But enough with the babbling let me share the changes we have made.
Journey Europe will now be departing from Italy instead of Ireland. There are some tremendous benefits to beginning in Italy not the least of which is the weather. As the UK and Ireland sit blanketed in snow we will be leaving for Italy in just over a week. This will allow us to spend plenty of time training and conditioning our horses in relatively comfortable, dry conditions. Considering the fact we will be spending the better part of six months outdoors, starting warmer and drier is a bonus. Starting in Italy also allows us to start where so many horses end. An interesting law about the ability to label a product “Made in Italy” means the horses they use for salami and other processed meat products must be slaughtered in Italy. So horses are regularly transported from throughout Europe to Italy for the express purpose of being made into salami. Our goal is to take three such horses bound for these sausage factories and turn their journey around. By taking three horses whose value had been diminished being listed as a meat by product in salami “Made in Italy” and returning them as productive useful members of the equine world we can help show the value in what we are routinely treating with so little respect. We will also be adding a conditioning report to our blog as a way to quantify the changes in the physical and mental conditions of our horses as our journey progresses. We want to help people gain a better understanding of equine needs in relation to diet, exercise and mental stimulation. By documenting and compiling data about our horses, diets, exercise levels and training over the entire course of Journey Europe we should be able to provide some valuable insights and possibly dispel some common myths.
There will be a some other changes in our route as a result of traveling North to South. First we will arrive in the Alps prior to the snow leaving. This will force us to transport the horses via train or van across the sections that will not be rideable so early in the year. Again as disappointing as it is miss the high mountain riding we will gain a little extra time so we will be able to ride through Germany and Belgium which we had originally thought we would miss. Our final destination will now be the Uffington White Horse. It seems so appropriate to end our epic journey of raising awareness to the conditions that horses are living and dying in world wide at one of the most ancient symbols of man’s relationship with the horse. Our route has changed but our goals and mission have remained true and intact. Our horses have changed but their needs and their hardships are all too similar. Our story will be different but I think possibly stronger as is usually the case when adversity strikes. So hopefully our friends and supporters will remain. There will be so many stories to share in the coming weeks as we introduce our new horses and post our new route. There will be announcements of events being arranged in connection with Journey Europe and ways people can get involved and join Journey Europe in raising awareness and money for neglected and abandoned horses throughout Europe.
Thank you all for the kindness and support you have shown us. We are grateful for all the help we have received in making these changes possible. We are always open to suggestions, ideas and comments on ways of improving the lives of horses.
