The Roads we Travel with our Horses

This quote happened to come into my mailbox this morning. As I had been discussing on a Horse thread about spooky horses and what to do with them, this quote hit a nerve with me. Just one of those "Ah ha!" moments.

Think about what it says; the end does NOT justify the means. In other words, if our goal is to have a safe, sane, pleasurable horse to ride, we aren't going to get there by force. Force is an act of aggression; aggression breeds aggression. If we want a gentle, kind, considerate horse would it not make sense to teach the horse in the same manner? If our goal is simply to get the ribbons at all costs, or the purse money, then our priorities are NOT on the horse - our priorities are on the winnings and the ego strokes. There are few people, in my experience, who are able to juggle the two ends together - few people who are motivated by the want of honest companionship as well as competitive winnings as equal results. This makes the discussion of horse training a volatile one and a most difficult one to maintain with a sense of courtesy and respect. One must accept the facts that not every rider, every horse person, every horse lover is going to see things under the same light.

The fact that you are here, reading this dialogue on Natural Horsemanship, tells me that you're interested more in the relationship training aspect of horsemanship than the competitive edge. However, you might just want both and it IS possible to have both. More than possible - it is a journey that has the most positive destination not only in terms of horsemanship but in self satisfaction, as well.

How delightful is it when we spend hours upon hours establishing a mutually respectful and trusting relationship with our horse to have it exhibited in the arena? How satisfying is it to hear one's own name called ouplacings placings of a class? Even MORE satisfying knowing that it wasn't just the rider who made this happen but the horse, also - as a untied partnership. All these words can be found in any expose on Natural Horsemanship but what do they all mean, really? Take a look at the individual words and write down the definitions. When you're done, take a good, hard look at the definitions. What do you see? Is there, in fact, a common thread which runs through all? Is there actually a formulation of an air that winds its way through our everyday dealings with horses? Of course there is! The words are positive ones. Words that might be elusive in our everyday lives with humans but can be absolutely magical in our lives with horses.

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