Obstacles

According to the Oxford dictionary, obstacle means, “a thing that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress.” It seems like most people believe obstacles to be a negative thing. I want to travel from A to B and there is an obstacle in the middle. While obstacles can feel frustrating and impossible in the moment, many times it leads us to where we were meant to be all the time.

            There are many stories out there about the “worst thing” to happen in someone’s life, became the catalyst to the best direction possible. Plato is quoted as saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” I believe that obstacles are what drives us towards necessity.

            As we grow and add to our little family, dealing with the manure has become quite the obstacle. The more manure in a bucket the heavier it gets. Not wanting to keep the manure pile near the barns means the distance to the pile is far. So, less full buckets make the walk easier. But the fuller buckets make for more difficult walking. Our obstacles here are time and effort. How do we do this job sustainably, not ruining our backs, and how do we not spend all day hauling manure? Sterling spent hours researching. We talked to other muckers and barn owners. A manure spreader is very helpful, but has its own group of challenges with it. We bought an attachment for the golf cart to make hauling out easier, but it was too shallow and only allowed one or two stalls cleaned at a time.

            Finally, Wendell came up with the perfect solution! In Nicaragua they don’t have the same use of many things we take for granted here. Not a lot of people own levels, so they create plumb lines. Power tools are a luxury, so they develop ways to do everyday chores without power. After months of mucking and ruminating the problem, Wendell found a way to make it work. He was able to attach a large bucket goose neck style to the golf cart with an easy release. Now he can muck three stalls, clip the bucket on, a quick drive to and from the manure pile and he’s back at it. Not only does it save half the time cleaning the barn, but it saves his back and body at least an hour a day hauling the heavy bucket out!

            The obstacle of hauling heavy buckets of manure way out to the pile led to the necessity of creating a solution, which lead to Wendell’s invention! Amazing.

            As we celebrate conquering one obstacle, we look out on our property to the obstacle course. (Also built by the amazing Wendell!) This is a fun way to challenge your horse. New things on the ground. Things moving. Different colors. There is a lot of stimuli to work with. And of course, the practice gate. Learn how to move your horse in the direction you want to open and close gates without dismounting. There is a lot of fun stuff to be done out there. Celebrate the obstacles in your life and see where they are leading you.

            Stay safe, enjoy the ride and happy start to 2025! Here’s to many happy hours in a saddle.