A Journey with no Destination?

“A Journey with no Destination?”

Horsemanship could be thought of as a way of life, a passion to seek a deeper understanding, an art.

Not all horsemen practice horsemanship. Personally, I view horsemanship as “a practice” since learning something new should be expected and welcomed. With knowledge comes more responsibility. Being open to learning means that the journey continues!

Our relationship with the horse is marked with love, awe, passion, fear, and contradiction oddly enough.

Do you want the horse to do athletic things?

Then use equipment to hinder the horse’s movement. [Contradiction]

Do you know your horse is smart enough to figure out how to open a gate latch?

Then think the horse is not smart enough to pick up the correct lead. [Contradiction]

Do you see the horse gallop and play energetically in the pasture?

Then think the horse is lazy in “work”. [Contradiction]

Do you spend more time thinking about what the horse IS NOT doing, rather than what the horse IS doing?

Non-verbal cues are an animal’s ONLY means of communication. Yet, some chose to “quiet” the horse any time it attempts to communicate. Some humans have been taught that a horse has nothing to say and if a horse does try to communicate, then it should stop immediately! This is a contradiction to horsemanship.

It’s usually not as easy as thinking “the horse is misbehaving” or “uncooperative”.

These are all forms of not listening:

• Not listening to what the horse has to say.

• Misunderstanding what the horse says.

• Not letting the horse finish what he has to say.

• Putting words in the horse’s mouth.

  • Perhaps you remember a time when you felt ignored.

Humans think like humans…Horses think like horses.

The challenge is getting a human to think like a horse.

Humans and horses think differently.

Guess who WANTS to be “right”?

The Human.

When it comes to horses, don’t expect to be right all of the time.

Guess who doesn’t care about being “right”?

The Horse.

The horse is simply being honest and its up to the human to listen and to understand the horse.

Animals tend to be more forgiving. Humans tend to be intolerant.

WHY? Animals perceive time differently than humans. Additionally, animals do not have an agenda.

A relationship with a horse, built on trust, takes more time, requires patience,

a willingness to learn, less ego and a dose of humility.

Enjoy the ride!

Suggested reading: In the Company of Horses, A Year on the Road with Horseman Mark Rashid, by Kathleen Lindley