Out of all my classes I learn the most from horsemanship. It’s not about me and what I know, what I’ve read or studied—what a relief! It’s about the horse, and my awareness of him, and his awareness of me. There are a thousand things that go into every interaction with a horse, but here are just some of the ones I’ve learned.
If you don’t know where you’re going, neither does your horse. If you don’t communicate with him—with your voice, your legs, your reins, your touch—he’ll go where he wants. You must learn to choose where you’re going and stick with that decision. The horse finds comfort in your leadership.
The horse is not a statue. He’ll stand still—until he won’t.
Different side, different horse. You meet him on the left and you meet, as if for the first time, on the right. Introduce yourself again.
Never do anything to your horse while he’s tied up. Never let yourself be tied to the horse. Never wind the rope around your arm, unless you’re not particularly attached to your arm. How often is never? my teacher asks. Never! we cry.
You lead your horse, you don’t drag your horse. You respect your horse with your awareness of him. If he’s stopping, you have to figure out why.
The horse is unpredictable, so everything you do needs to be perfectly predictable. That’s why you tie your knots in a half hitch (every time) and why you hang the halter in the same way (every time) and why your front cinch is first on and last off (every time).
Those aren’t horses! Those are cows!