Fortunato Files

If you have been following the Fortunato Files, you won’t be surprised I am learning a brand new thing. (As always, it turns out to be less about dressage and more about living and leading.)   I smelled trouble when my trainer, Erin Bell, recently appeared carrying a lunge line. We only use the line […]

That was a definite crow hop! Fortunato did not actually buck, but clearly let me know he could (if he wanted to). We came to an abrupt (although staggering) halt. In all of our work together, he had never misbehaved this way, and it scared me. My first temptation was to jump off and find […]

With a goal of getting organized and moving forward, this horse will drop me to the right and slide to the left. We wiggle and drift side to side.  This is when I hear my instructor’s voice in my head. “Find your structure! No matter what he does, you are immovable. Your structure supports him – it […]

Fortunato will try things with me that he wouldn’t dream of trying with his Trainer, Erin Bell. He finds the holes (in my confidence and capability) and exploits them. In that way, he is a great teacher. He shows me where the holes are, so I can fill them with…presence.  It’s fascinating to watch someone […]

The inspiration for The Fortunato Files is a gorgeous rescue who is teaching me more about trust, partnership, courage and leadership than I ever imagined possible. He’s a Spanish Line Back Dun (very smart and a little sarcastic). Fortunato has a BIG personality. He also has tricks. (A few I’ve taught him, but most are […]

The first time I met him, I knew. I had been waiting for him my entire life, and there he was. I knew this was a dream come true. I did not know how much I had to learn, how brave I’d have to be or how far we had to go. I did not […]