30th reason to be in AWE - New. Now.

One of the best times to start something new is the moment you hear that little voice in your head saying, "I'm too old, it's too late."
Well that is just not true for horsemanship. You are never too old, and it is never too late. Not for the humans; not for the horses.
We don't require any previous horse experience to be in AWE. And you don't need to bring a horse. The horses are already here. Waiting for you, their new partner.
There are many different reasons people get started in AWE. We have 30 of them listed here now! with many more reasons to be added.
For me, I have done lots of different horsey things. I started like many kids do. We lived in the country, though we were not farmers. My mom and dad were teachers. But Dad finally talked Mom into letting us have some horses. I went through a few years during college and in my early career years, without owning a horse. But for most of my life (and it's getting pretty long) I've had horses. It wasn't until I was 40ish though that I actually started taking lessons, because I finally had time and money to think about becoming a horse-show person.. I DID kind of think I was too old to become a showperson at that time, but I tried it anyway. And thanks to a wonderful teacher (Carla Clay, who passed away last year) and a wonderful horse (Moonshine, who died last May at the age of 31), I learned how to be safe, happy, and successful in the show world. I am so glad I tried something new at that point in my life.
But I don't really like traveling that much anymore. So, once again, a couple of years ago, I got that urge to try something new with horses. But this time, something I could do right here, without having to haul them all over the place, and something that would let me use my background in education.(yup, I followed Mom & Dad and became a teacher after college.) And so I started researching some of the popular natural horsemanship programs that are out there. And I chose Parelli.
I too hear the little voice. But the little voice in MY head doesn't really say "I'm too old for this." It says, "I wish I would have started this 20 years ago." And as soon as I start hearing that little voice, I get out there with the horses and get going on some new horsemanship activities. Not so much because I'm afraid of getting too old or that it's getting too late, but more because there is soooooooooo much more to learn!
Good Thing to Know: Stay away from the horse people who think they know it all, for they know nothing.
So in our horsemanship program, in AWE, we use Parelli as our foundation, as our guide. There are hundreds of activities, skills, patterns, games, etc. Both non-riding and riding. Not everyone wants to ride right away. And that's fine! But for those of you who are interested in advancing your riding skills, you can certainly do that here too.
And remember, your sponsor $$$ contribution all goes to the horses. People who help you here are volunteers. None of the horsemanship money goes to a person. Every penny goes to a horse, for the horse's food and care.
We do feel there is something for everyone in our horsemanship program, and that everyone should be in AWE. The foundation is the same for everyone, but the reasons & goals are individual. Everyone has an individual program here.
For those of you who are going through a major life change, if your kids have all moved out, if you are retiring from your career and don't know what to do with all your spare time, if you are just feeling kind of gloomy from this long cold winter and spring, if you want to exercise naturally (through horse activities) to lose a few pounds or get stronger, if you just need a new hobby or learning opportunity. And, for sure, if that little voice in your head is saying, "it's too late, you're too old," now is the time to get started and be in AWE. Now is the time to start something new.
New. Now.