Thomas Edison once said “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
I don’t know if our ride would be categorized as genius, but these two factors are the same. The idea to do this journey was quick and easy; the preparations to make it happen, however, took three years of hard work. The 3 keys to making my idea happen were research, maps, and training Apollo.
Listen weekly as Meredith and Apollo share about their multi-year 48-state journey (The Centauride), talk with interesting guests, and discuss the realities of domestic abuse.
What to Listen For:
00:25 Introduction to the episode
00:57 A recap of the idea for the ride
01:20 Step One: Research. Is this ride possible, and how?
01:55 Who has done this sort of thing before?
04:22 The decision to ride on roads
05:30 Step Two: Mapping the 10,000 mile route
10:48 Arriving in Seattle: Time to reassess
11:37 Some things I learned on the way to Seattle
13:36 Backpacker lessons
15:09 Step Three: Training Apollo
15:53 Preparing Apollo for the unknown: shopping carts, strollers, school buses, and more!
18:52 Specificity and desensitization training
20:21 Trust training
21:18 The “touch it” game
23:21 The “look at it” game
25:04 Guest Melissa Ellis about Harmony Horsemanship
43:13 Apollo’s bonus verbal cues
46:18 Reflections: did the preparations pay off?
47:50 Closing statements
48:21 End of episode
About our Guest:
Melissa Ellis
I am a Level 3 Harmony Horsemanship Instructor and enjoy helping people develop an enriching partnership with their horses based on trust and communication. I own a farm in Southern Vermont and am the USA base for Lindsey Partridge’s Harmony Horsemanship. I enjoy every aspect of my relationship with horses but my heart is in Liberty and Bridleless work. I also enjoy Trick Training and Extreme Trail. I was Equine Affaires 2019 Reserve Champion in Versatile Horse and Rider Massachusetts and am looking forward to competing in the Trail Competition at Pennsylvania’s World Horse Expo and Equine Affaire Ohio’s International Liberty Horse Association ‘s competition. I absolutely love what our horses teach us on a daily basis and look forward to each and every moment I spend with them.
Resources:
Frank Heath’s book “40 Million Hoofbeats”
Mesannie Wilkins’ book “The Last of the Saddle Tramps”
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