When you enter the horse world, you might not really know what you're getting into. Especially if you want to become proficient at riding, set and meet some goals, and make regular progress. Every day can bring a new discovery, whether you intend it to happen or not!
Over the years, as you become more entrenched in the world of horses and riding, some "truths" repeatedly reveal themselves until you truly do "get" those essential lessons that will necessarily make you a better horse person, and a better human being. Here are the top 6 essential lessons that I've learned over my years of horsing around.
6) When to back off or leave it for another day.
Because you won't really have a choice. In the end, no matter your goals and desires, the horse is a partner in this whole "thing" (whether it's riding or ground work). And he's big. And there's always the possibility of you getting hurt. You might make a few mistakes in the early days, and not recognize the signs that your horse is giving you. But over time, you'll know just when he's had enough, and how useless it really is to force beyond that certain point.
And you'll definitely learn that with horses, stopping what you're working on, especially if things seem to be getting too complicated, will NOT result in your horse being worse the next time - as long as you end on a good note.
5) You really do have to listen.
Anyone who knows horses knows that you really can't make a horse do anything. The very fact that they weigh tens times the average person makes it that much more remarkable that they allow us to do the many things we do with them. Let's face it - when they don't want to do something, we'll know! Which is where the listening comes in.
If you are sensitive enough to recognize and accurately interpret their actions, you'll be able to get the feedback you need to make all kinds of decisions - from training to feeding to turnout friends to comfort and safety - it's all there for you to "listen to" and understand.
And the more you listen, the more rewarded you will be. Just as with people, when horses are well nourished, happy in their daily routines, comfortable and confident in their environment (and people)... that's when the sky is the limit. You will absolutely be able to recognize the happy, willing, giving horse when you learn to listen.
4) Patience and perseverance is the key.
Being patient when it comes to horses doesn't necessarily mean that you end up doing nothing and waiting till eternity for something to happen. Quite the opposite, actually.
In fact, if you can develop the self-control and skill that is necessary to know when you should repeat something, do something else, add something, break something down, or call it a day - then you can make incredible gains in fairly short manner.
Because having patience invariably allows us to make good progress, limit stress and set up for success - for both the horse and the rider. And the perseverance that is required isn't always the drill and skill type - it's the getting-up-and-doing-it-again-the-next-day kind of get up and go that sets us on our path and allows us to achieve.
3) Step only 5% out of your comfort zone. That's when the real learning happens.
I have to confess that I learned this from yoga, not from horse riding. But the horses continue to reinforce this notion for me over and over again Just think about it. If you push you or your horse too far out of your comfort zone, then bad things happen. We lose focus, harmony, beauty. Things become too difficult.
On the other hand, not challenging ourselves leaves us in an obvious plateau that we simply don't struggle enough to overcome. And so this concept of just 5% out of your comfort zone is enough to jazz things up, challenge and maybe even frustrate enough to motivate the required change, but then allow for the comfort zone that is inherently necessary to allow learning to be successful.
2) Maintaining balance is the key.
Well, horses teach you that right from the first time you sit in the saddle. But the nuances that we master at first become almost insignificant as we develop feel and core and seat and independent aids and so on.
Then we learn about the horse's lateral and longitudinal balance and wow - the feels we get when we first realize what "level" feels like, and then what "up hill" feels like! And then there's the bend and the 3 tracks and the lead changes and the half-passes... well, by then, we become friends with a whole new concept of balance that is simply non-negotiable. And we finally recognize how important good balance is to the horse's health and longevity, especially if he's going to be a performance athlete.
1) You're never going to be perfect! Not in this lifetime anyway...
As Charles deKunffy so eloquently says, "one strives, but never arrives...."
It's ok to settle on the fact that you'll never learn enough, even if you're determined and consistent and hard working (which will definitely get you very far). But there's always going to be something more. Something new, some other detail you never knew about.
And I'm sure that's what keeps bringing us die-hards back for more! 🙂
Which essential lessons can you add to this list? Comment below!
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