ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU THERE
 

We know attitude is not about pretending things are fine when they are not. It is about how you choose to stand inside what is happening. Horses are masters at this. They do not deny reality, but they also do not dwell in it longer than necessary. They adjust, they regulate, and they move forward.

This chapter is about that kind of attitude. The kind that does not come from motivational quotes or blind optimism, but from lived experience and the decision to keep going even when life feels uncertain.

Choosing Laughter Again

After leaving her marriage, Kari needed to bring something back into her life that had been missing for a long time. Joy. Lightness. Fun.

Once again, her mother Faye played a pivotal role. Faye had always believed that humour was not optional. It was survival. No matter what was happening, she could find something to laugh about. She knew that laughter loosened the grip of fear and disappointment.

Through her moma's influence, Kari began to see that while she could not control everything, she could control her attitude. She could choose how she responded to life. This did not erase hardship, but it made it bearable.

Horses model this beautifully. Even after stress or disruption, they find their way back to calm. They shake, they move, and they release. They do not stay stuck.

Enter Sid

It was Faye who introduced Kari to Sid. And in Sid, Kari felt something she had not felt in a very long time.

Safety.

Sid did not try to change her. He did not expect her to be smaller or quieter or less driven. He accepted her exactly as she was. For Kari, this was unfamiliar and deeply healing. With Sid, she could let her guard down. She did not have to manage the environment or anticipate conflict.

Sid stepped naturally into the role of a steady father figure for Kari's three daughters. Because the girls were still so young (ages 3, 2, and 1), the transition felt gentle. Stability entered their lives in a way that did not require force.

This season felt balanced. Faye loved Sid. Sid loved Faye. The family dynamic felt grounded and supportive. For a while, life felt good again.

Seeing a Gap and Stepping In

Around her tenth year with the clothing business, Kari began to feel a familiar restlessness. The work had been good to her, but her heart was shifting. She wanted something more connected to purpose and community.

That shift became clear during a visit to the Strathmore Heritage Days Stampede. Taking her daughters for the first time, Kari expected a lively, family focused experience. What she saw instead was limited and underwhelming.

And instead of complaining, Kari did what she had always done.

She acted.

She went to local businesses and asked for support. She raised twenty thousand dollars in sponsorship. She created an old fashioned country fair with simple, meaningful touches like pie eating contests and hay bales for families to sit on together.

The Stampede General Manager was taken aback. He could not understand how someone would step in and take action without being asked. But that is what people who are connected to their passion do. They do not wait for permission. They do not wait for an invitation. They move forward because something matters to them.

Kari didn't ask if she was allowed to care. She cared, and then she acted.

Her initiative and ability to see what was missing impressed him enough that he asked her to come in and pull the entire event together. What started as a simple idea quickly turned into leadership. Kari was given full responsibility for organizing and managing Heritage Days Stampede, trusted to oversee the entire setup and bring the vision to life.

Leadership Comes From Listening, Organization, and Consistency

From 2004 to 2010, Kari managed over seven hundred volunteers and forty two committee heads. This was no small task. It required organization, communication, and the ability to listen deeply.

What Kari learned during this time would later become foundational to her work with horses and people.

Consistency matters. Listening matters. People want to feel valued.

Horses teach these same lessons. When you partner with them, you cannot rush relationship. You must show up consistently. You must listen without ego. You must earn trust through presence.

When the Wings Felt Clipped

As successful as the role became, changes within the Ag Society began to feel restrictive. Kari was required to spend more time in the office. For someone who thrived on freedom and creation, this felt suffocating.

Her wings felt clipped.

She knew something needed to change, but she did not yet know what. She trusted that clarity would come, just as it always had before.

This is a moment many people recognize. The space between knowing something is ending and not yet knowing what is beginning.

Horses live comfortably in that space. They do not panic when the path shifts. They stay present until the next step becomes clear.

Final Thought

Attitude is not about denying difficulty. It is about choosing movement over stagnation. It is about finding humour, connection, and purpose even when the road feels uncertain.

When you partner with horses, they teach you that life does not need to be perfect to be meaningful. It needs to be honest.

And when you carry the right attitude, one rooted in resilience and openness, it will get you where you need to go.

Even when you cannot yet see the destination.