There was a moment in my life when everything changed in an instant.

In the days before the accident, I was walking the barn aisle, feeding my animals, taking my horses out, and having fun.

Then everything shifted.

Suddenly… I couldn’t stand on my own.

Losing My Way of Life:

I lost my ability to move freely.

I lost my way of life.

I lost the freedom to care for myself — and the animals who depended on me.

And no one prepares you for what that does to your mental and emotional state.

Yes, there was physical pain — and plenty of it!

But what shattered me the most was the dependency I now had…

• The loss of independence in the most personal ways.
• The inability to do the simplest things without help.

If you live your life around horses, you understand this at a different level.

• When you can’t get to the barn…
• When you can’t lift feed bags…
• When you can’t turn horses out…
• When you can’t show up the way you always have…

You don’t just lose movement.

You lose a part of who you are.

The Decision That Changed Everything:

In the middle of that darkness, I made one decision…

“I was not going to quit on myself and I refused to quit on my horses.”

Because who would take care of them without me?

They became my reason to keep fighting.

What Happened Next:

As the months passed, my body began to change in ways that terrified me…

• Bone and cartilage loss
• Inflammation and swelling
• Metabolic shifts
• Depression
• PTSD
• Anxiety
• Memory loss
• Brain fog and confusion

I looked and felt as if I had aged ten years overnight.

And that’s when something clicked.

My accident was instant.

But the internal breakdown that followed?

That’s the same kind of breakdown many people experience slowly over time.

Not from trauma.

• From years of inflammation building quietly.
• From oxidative stress that goes unnoticed.
• From metabolic shifts we brush off as “just getting older.”
• From pushing through exhaustion because the horses still need to be fed.

Mine happened fast.

For many people, it happens gradually.

But the end result can look painfully similar.

• Needing help to move.
• Needing help to function.
• Needing help to live independently.

Why Prevention Matters to Me:

Chronic illness doesn’t always happen overnight.

But it can lead to the same result – loss of independence.

“And I knew I never wanted to experience that kind of dependency again as long as I lived.”

That’s why I became passionate about prevention.

Not because I’m afraid of disease.

But because I know exactly what it feels like to lose your independence.

And for those of us who love horses, losing independence doesn’t just affect us.

It affects our animals – who rely on us every single day.

So instead of accepting decline, I rebuilt my life from the inside out.

• Reducing inflammation.
• Supporting my cells.
• Stabilizing my metabolism.
• Protecting my brain.
• Filling nutritional gaps consistently.

Not extreme – Not trendy – Just intentional.

And slowly… my body responded.

My Mission Now:

Today, I am almost back to normal physically.

But internally and overall?

I am healthier and feel younger now than I did before the accident.

Even though I’m still finishing the final stages of recovery — physically, mentally, emotionally —

My mission is simple:

“To reach back and help others get through to the other side.”

• To protect their strength and vitality long-term.
• To help prevent chronic illness before it steals their independence.
• To help horsewomen stay strong enough to keep doing what they love into their 90s.

A Personal Invitation:

If you’re reading this, I’d love to give you a free internal health assessment and scan using a brand new health and wellness device.

Us horsewomen need to be healthy, not only for ourselves, but for our family, and especially for our animals.

If you’re local, we’ll do it in person. If you’re not, we can do it remotely.

Using the Prysm iO, we can actually see where your internal health stands right now – especially your antioxidants, immune system, and cellular health.

• No guessing
• No assumptions
• No judgement, just awareness

“What is not measured, can not be improved” – William Kelvin

If you’d like to learn more about this device first, you can visit the link below:

 https://aginggracefullywithteddie.com

If you’re ready to schedule your free assessment and scan, simply message me at m.me/teddieziegler or email me.

“Because prevention is easier than recovery.”

And staying strong and healthy enough to care for the horses you love is definitely worth protecting!

— Teddie

Below is a video of me and Merlin today, enjoying life again together.

This simple task, after 3 years of turmoil and recovery (starting from a wheelchair), meant the world to both of us.

The post Where I’ve Been – The Truth Behind My Silence appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

So instead of reading, just grab a cup of coffee or a nice hot beverage and sit back, relax, and enjoy the video.

It is a follow-up from last week’s blog about Merlin’s first year with me and all he has accomplished so far.

It’s only a 16-minute compilation of his first year. I hope you enjoy it!

The post Merlin and Me – Our First Year Together appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

My husband and I purchased a new BBQ Grill this week and decided it would be a fun project to put together as a couple. However, something simple turned out to be more complicated than we initially thought.

Me: I opened the box and instantly went looking for the instruction book and started to read it.

Him: He went right to pulling out the parts and started working on putting them together like a tonka toy, just winging it.

Me: I was reading the instructions, out loud, step #1 and step #2 hoping that he would follow what I was saying. Silly me.

Him: He heard me but wasn’t listening because he thought he could do it on his own.

Well, he got so far and then it didn’t go together quite right, and he realized something was wrong. It took him a while as he took it apart and tried again. And my trying to tell him what part to do next fell on deaf ears.

It took him a while before he realized he needed help. Then I stepped in and undid most of what he had put together, because a few parts were put on backwards, and started over following the instructions.

He had done well at first, but after a short while it wasn’t so easy to see where to put what. Once he realized he needed a little help, we worked together to get it accomplished.

He was definitely upset that he needed my help and that he had to follow the directions. And I sure wish I could have just winged it and figured it all out by myself without using the instruction book, but I knew better.

I’ve tried that in the past and found out the hard way that it took me a lot longer and there was usually a part or two that were left over in the end. Not good.

You know me and research, so I had to look up what science said about that age-old adage about men not asking for directions and this is what I found out. There really is a scientific explanation.

Why can’t men ask for directions when they are lost? Why can’t they read an instructional manual when they don’t know how to do something? Why can’t they pore over a self-help book on relationships when it can help them enhance their skills?

According to a Psych Central article…

“At first blush it may seem ridiculous, but logic can propel us in different directions. What seems illogical may actually be quite logical, if only you understand the logic behind it. So, let’s begin with three major operating principles of the typical male mind.

• Men prefer to learn by doing, not by being told what to do.

This is why boys generally don’t do as well as girls in school. They don’t want to sit still and listen. They want to experiment with stuff, move stuff around, find solutions for themselves.

Grown men don’t readily give up this part of themselves. Hence, if a man is lost, asking for directions is like admitting defeat. He had to ask for assistance. He couldn’t figure it out for himself. How humiliating!

• Men want to win.

Men want to emerge victorious. They want to be effective. They will soldier on alone, if need be. So, don’t get him off track by engaging in a discussion of the problem, especially if you are suggesting a solution that seems perfectly logical to you but goes against his grain. If you pressure him to do it the ‘logical’ way, don’t be surprised if instead of thanking you for the suggestion, he brusquely tells you to back off and leave him alone.

• Men want to be strong.

Men don’t want to be told what to do. Read a self-help book? Nah, it will just make him feel vulnerable. It will tell him what he’s doing wrong. It will tell him how to do things differently. Who needs this? He’s gotten along fine in life. Why change? Better to just suck it up, let her complaints roll off his back, let time pass and things will get better by themselves. Or so he hopes.

The male mind is a strange phenomenon for many women. Does it feel just a bit less strange to you now? I hope so. For men and women really do think differently.”

I’ve noticed this difference in my students as well. I work with men and women, and I have to change my training to allow each person to learn how they learn best. And there is not only a difference in how people learn, but there is a difference in how men and women learn as well. But, I really enjoy working with so many different types and personalities of horses and humans.

After so many years teaching, I’ve developed a basic road map, per se, that is a big help to me and all my students. It encompasses all the different types and personalities of horses that I’ve worked with.

From that road map we can both tweak what’s needed for each individual person, male or female, and for each individual horse. You’d be surprised how different each combination can be, but also how the basics are the same.
On a similar note: we all know that maps are useful, right? But according to a book I’ve been reading by Seth Godin, he says…

“Sometimes, when we’re lost, we refuse a map, even when offered. Because the map reminds us that we made a mistake. That we were wrong.”

This encompassed men and women. As a general rule in life, most people refuse change until the pain is too great. I’ve seen this in myself at times as some of my past blogs have shown you.

Many horse owners don’t proactively seek more training until they’ve already suffered losses. They trust their own “figure it out by myself” approach blindly until find themselves in a mess. Maybe they have a fall, or maybe their training has stalled and now their horse refuses to listen anymore. Maybe it’s just not going as quickly as they’d like.

Either way, maps are important to progress. Without them, or instruction booklets, we can go forward for a bit and then end up going backwards without realizing it until we’re in a mess. Then we have to start over and try to figure out where we went wrong and how to fix it. Just like what happened to my husband and the BBQ grill.

Don’t refuse the map. It doesn’t mean you’re wrong if you ask for a map or start following one. Actually, without it, you are more likely to go wrong and will get lost. It’s not worth it to stick with an old idea, go at it alone, or take “the hard way” to reach your goals or understanding your horse.

Take the map and take action now. Once you’re lost, it’s much harder to get out of the forest. But if you start with a map or an instruction booklet, it is much easier to get what you want, and faster as well.

You can still do it on your own, by looking at what the map tells you, coming up with a strategy, and charting your own course with your horse before stuff hits the fan and you’re in a mess.

I love seeing the map work and seeing how each couple (horse and human) transforms on their own into exactly what they want.

That’s why I have designed programs that can be accomplished as self-study courses to allow students to work on their own, at their own speed, and still accomplish their goals.

Plus, as an added bonus, if you get stuck or need advice while taking the self-study courses, I’m always there to help via email, Facebook, or a phone call. So, you’re not really alone unless you want to be.

I also have private courses where I work with each student and their horse personally and walk you through your progress, holding your hand and encouraging you every step of the way.

Check it out here on my “learn” page and hopefully there is something there that can help you along your journey with your horse. Wherever you are on you map, I’m here to help you further your progress and get to your goals.

https://teddiezieglerhorsemanship.com/learn/

If there is something else that you would like help with or would like to see a course developed, let me know and I can work on it for you.

I love helping horses and horse owners all over the world reach their dream goals so if there is anyone you feel could use this article, please pass it along.

The post Do you ask for directions or just wing it? appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

At college I had two best friends, Nick and John. We used to spend all our days together in college and most of our evenings together too, we were thick as thieves. I loved both of them as brothers.

I shudder to think back at some of the capers we got up to back then but it was always the three of us together and we became known as the Three Musketeers.

I was reminded of one of those evenings recently when the characters in a series on TV walked into a room that had water all over the floor…

Suddenly I had a flashback to a late night dive in Cardiff where the 3 of us were drinking with some female acquaintances we had just met. For some reason the carpet in that particular establishment was soaking wet so each time you went to the bar it was like walking through a paddy field. Weird.

Anyway, the point about telling you all this is that I wanted to talk about the characters of these two friends because I think it may be of help.

Nick was Mr Dependable. If he said he would be somewhere, he was there. If he said he would do something, you could be sure it would be done.

John, on the other hand, was Mr Flaky. You never quite knew whether he was going to show up or not. Often it was because he’d simply forgotten. Other times it was because he got waylaid for some reason (don’t ask!).

He didn’t do it to annoy us or because he was a nasty piece of work. On the contrary, he was charming and kind and very likeable. But unreliable.

So when it came to going on long trips, which of the two do you think I preferred to travel with?

Nick of course because I knew I could rely on him.

We made several such trips back in the day, to football matches, to concerts and vacation. And when we did, I always knew Nick would be at the appointed meeting spot at the agreed time and that he would have the tickets and his passport with him.

On the other hand, attempting such a trip with John would have been a nightmare. We would have missed the train, plane or coach and when he eventually arrived he’d have left his tickets at home.

So when it comes to horses, which type of horse do you want to be without on the trails, Mr Dependable or Mr Flaky?

Would you rather have the cool, calm and collected partner you know you can rely on or the skittish, spooky stick of dynamite just waiting to explode beneath you?

That’s obviously a rhetorical question because I’ve read some of the student emails that Teddie sometimes sends me.

Here’s an excerpt from a typical example:

“In the last six months, things have been much better and we are truly connected, but he can still rear, strike and bite at a moment’s notice if things become too much for him.

The challenge is things can change so quickly and whilst I keep a close eye for signs, it often comes from nowhere in a split second.

…my horses are for life and I really want to help this one resolve the fear he holds and be a happy, healthy horse without fear and anxiety.”

This lady is far from being alone in reporting such behaviour from her horse, it’s a pattern I’ve seen again and again in the emails.

Horse owners who know that if they are thrown or fall, their bones won’t heal as quickly as when they were young. It will hurt more and may do more damage like break a hip.

It all stems from their horse being unpredictable and prone to spooking without notice. And because they never know when it’s going to happen it can get a little scary knowing whether today will be a good day or not for their horse.

So it seems to me that what people are looking for is a horse that is predictable, reliable and trustworthy – like my friend Nick.

They want a horse that is safe and consistent. A horse that listens to them, loves them and won’t hurt them. A horse they know they can rely on because the trust and bond is so tight between them.

Is this what you want too?

I’m not a horse person but I do ride a motorcycle so I can really relate to the pleasure that comes from riding out in the fresh air.

I have to be very aware of what’s happening around me when I’m out on the road but I always know there is one thing I can rely on and that is my motorbike as I always keep it in excellent condition. Even if there is chaos on the roads, at least I know my motorbike is not going to do something unexpected.

So I’m therefore really surprised to hear that so many horse owners risk going out for rides, hacks or on the trail not knowing whether they’ll come back in one piece or not.

Here are some shocking statistics for you:

In the USA 7 million people ride horses.

78,279 people visited hospital ERs in 2007 due to horse riding injuries. 15% of those injuries were head injuries, 11,759.

Concussions account for about 5 percent of emergency room visits, a figure that is more than double that for other major sports.

Over 100 deaths per year are estimated to result from equestrian related activities, with 10-20 times as many head injuries occurring for each fatality.

In the UK, a Cambridge University Study of 1,000 riding accidents found the following:

1 injury for every 100 hours riding for leisure riders.

1 injury for every 5 hours riding for amateur racing over jumps.

1 injury for every 1 hour of cross country eventing.

Riding a motorcycle on the roads is nearly as dangerous and so we all need to be cognisant of the dangers we face when we go out riding.

I’m also aware that some people prefer to just hang out with their horse without riding or enjoy doing work at liberty but I imagine the majority of horse owners dearly love to ride.

So why not make that experience a whole lot more relaxed, enjoyable and safer?

Why face the risk of a fall and ending up in plaster or worse when there is an alternative?

If this is the dilemma you face, then I urge you to have a chat with Teddie to see how she can help you.

She is far too modest to toot her own trumpet but having spoken with some of her students, I never cease to be amazed at the transformations she is able to bring about in them and their horses.

And even if you don’t want to ride but have been struggling with an ongoing problem with your horse for any length of time… my question to you is, why do you insist on making your life harder than it needs to be?

Imagine the issue you have is like an in-growing toenail…

It’s not that bad and you can live with it but you know if you leave it it’s probably going to get worse. And what happens… eventually it does, so what do you end up doing anyway?

You go to the doctors to get it fixed and when you do, oh what a relief! Suddenly the world looks a whole lot brighter and you feel like you can really begin to enjoy life again!

So if the frustration of a persistent issue with your horse is taking the shine off your time together then do yourself a favour, get rid of the pain now by booking yourself a slot to chat with Teddie.

The calls are totally free of charge and without obligation so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Do it today, here’s the link you need:

https://teddiezieglerhorsemanship.com/book-call-int/

There is a range of different options to suit all pockets so there’s nothing to stop you getting the help you need and ESPECIALLY if riding safely is your dream.

Teddie’s computer should hopefully be back next week which means so will Teddie!

The post A tale of 2 friends appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.

“Never judge your kids for who they are now but help them become who they know they can be.”

I ask my students to look at each day, each session, with their horse in a positive light. Don’t look at what’s going wrong but look at what’s going right.

So many times, I have heard horse owners say that when they met their horse, they just knew that they were meant to be together. They said that they could feel the connection and the love.

Some of my students also said that even though they had heard that this horse was a problem, or was dangerous, they could see the horse’s true nature underneath. They could see the kind, gentle, horse trying to come through.

Those stories are just beautiful. I have seen amazing life changing transformations in these horses and in their owners. But it all started with a heart-felt connection and an underlying belief that it was possible.

The last two weeks of blogs have been long, raw, and revealing. Today I just want to leave you with this one line. Something to think about when you go out with your horse and work or play.

I’d really like to know who your horse is now and who you believe you can help them become. Or who they were then and who you did help them become now? Let me know your success story in the comment section below.

The post Never Judge appeared first on Teddie Ziegler Horsemanship.