Strides To Solutions

When life’s most meaningful goals are delayed again and again, the toll runs deeper than missed timelines. The Weight of Waiting dives into the neuroscience, psychology, and everyday reality of deferred hope—why it hurts, how it shapes us, and the pathways to resilience. This is a space for honest conversations about disappointment, self-compassion, and the courage to keep going.

For research buffs and pet grief practitioners.. this specific podcast is for you. Pet-loss grief isn’t a tidy staircase. Emerging research shows it moves in pulses—shaped by attachment, social support, rumination, culture, and continuing bonds—rather than a simple “five stages.” In this episode of Strides To Solutions, Esther Adams unpacks what linear models miss, how non-linear patterns better reflect lived experience, and why anniversary reactions are normal, not setbacks.

Join our supportive Equestrian Grief facebook community at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/equestriangrief

Keywords: pet loss grief, non-linear grief, attachment, continuing bonds, disenfranchised grief, research.

Supporting a rider after losing a horse isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about presence, validation, and timing. In this episode, Esther Adams shares evidence-based ways to help: how to listen without rushing, offer consent-based comfort, keep check-ins low-pressure, and give practical help that actually helps. We’ll cover language that lands, common missteps to avoid, and simple rituals that protect dignity.

Join Equestrian Grief Facebook group and share your loved one and your experience.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/equestriangrief

You still catch yourself glancing at the door. That reflex is data: this bond wasn’t cute; it was consequential. In this episode of Strides To Solutions, Esther Adams explores the human-animal bond through both nervous system and narrative—oxytocin surges, attachment patterns, and the quiet daily rituals that scaffold our stress chemistry. We name why pet loss can jolt sleep, mood, and focus; how anxious vs. avoidant styles shape the waves; and why end-of-life choices (including euthanasia) can stir guilt that lingers. We’ll talk disenfranchised grief (“it was just a pet”), continuing bonds that help (rituals, memory objects, small acts of service), how to support kids through a first loss, and when to reach for clinical care. If a bowl sits where it always did, you’re not overreacting—you’re recalibrating after losing a steadying presence.

Discover the key steps to move from being overwhelmed by equestrian grief to becoming an active participant in your healing. Esther Adams covers emotional engagement, memory work, rituals, restoration, and the continuing bonds that keep your horse’s spirit with you.

Validate your grief and rebuild identity with scripts, rituals, EMDR-informed tips, and step-by-step guides. For owners, trainers, and barn communities. From Esther Adams, author of Horse Shaped Hole.

Straightforward, science-informed resources for equestrian grief—acute and complicated grief, identity shifts, and gentle next steps. By Esther Adams.

Practical guidance on equine bereavement—grief education, identity rebuilding, and barn-tested routines that help. By Esther Adams (Strides To Solutions), author of Horse Shaped Hole. For owners, trainers, and barn communities seeking validation and a path forward.

This Substack unpacks how horses—through the EquiLateral™ EMDR protocol—help trauma survivors reclaim a sense of safety in their own bodies. Drawing on Polyvagal Theory and insights from 20 participants with stress-related disorders, it explores the horse’s calm presence as more than comforting—it’s a potent biological signal that helps shift the nervous system from defense to connection. In that space, within the “window of tolerance,” deep trauma processing becomes possible, and healing takes root.

A mindful reflection on choosing clarity over clutter, depth over breadth, and quality over quantity. This intention invites you to strip away the nonessential, make decisions from a place of wisdom, and honor the quiet power of simplicity in both thought and action.