My Favorite Mistakes
12.30.11 TME
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Educated Equestrian
return to
Educated Equestrian
This is the time of year for countdowns, Top Ten lists, and resolutions for the New Year. I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions (I have this idea we can make changes, improvements, any time of the year), but I've taken some time to reflect upon my horsemanship the past year, and found myself enjoying the mistakes more than the successes.
Success doesn’t stand out in my mind so much as my mistakes do. Sure, I enjoy a nice ride; but at the end, when I’m walking back to the house, even the best ride is reflected upon. Could I have asked quieter? Did I allow the horse to perform to his potential? Did I get in his way? How was my own posture and balance? Should I have spent less time, working on one exercise, and more on another? There is always room for improvement, and these are the areas I would like to focus on improving in the new year:
Compassion. I am, in many ways, a beginner. There are movements I have not yet mastered, am not sure how to ask for, am not sure how to ride, but, I will keep practicing, What I have found is that I get closer and closer to “ideal” when I flirt with the edges of a movement. The horse is no different. Because of his body shape, confirmation, muscle mass, there are going to be movements which come easily to him, and other movements which will challenge his ability. When I've asked him to challenge himself, did I remember how difficult, how scary it can be to try something new? Did I respond compassionately to the horse when his work is less than perfect? When we get into the challenging work, I should take a deep breath, and say to the horse, “Hey, I realize that was hard, and I’m asking a lot, but your effort is appreciated, that was a really good try.” If we honor the effort of the horse, and exercise compassionate responses to his tries, our horses will keep trying, and give us their best.
Harmony. Horses resist for many reasons. Perhaps they don’t understand our request. Perhaps they just can’t get their body to do what we want it to do. Perhaps they're scared; frightened of the task we ask them to do. We need to first understand the horse would like nothing more than to comply. He is a herd animal, and would prefer to “go with the flow” than to resist. When we find ourselves engaging in a battle of wills with our horse (no matter how big or small the battle), we lose. If one wishes to produce an obedient horse, the rider needs to be attentive for a lack of harmony, and address it immediately. I have found the best way to do that is to STOP. Stop moving, stop asking, stop pressuring, stop everything, and take a deep breath. Think through the resistance, instead of trying to force your hand or leg. Why is the horse resisting? What can I change, about my request, to return harmony to our union? How quietly, softly, can I make my request, to establish and maintain a standard of lightness? What is the simplest way I can make my request, so that he is sure to understand what I am asking for? How can I change the feel of the request, to transmit the appropriate energy clearly to the horse? It takes two forces for resistance to occur. We can’t force change on the other; the adjustments need to be made within ourselves. The adjustment will not go unnoticed by the horse. He is often appreciative and will reciprocate the good faith effort, and give what he is able to give.
Balance. Have I made a fair request? Have I asked for too much? Have I been too physically demanding, or asked more of my horse than his emotional state/maturity can handle? Or, have I asked too little? Have I been too easy going, and allowed him to do what comes easily to him, without asking him to challenge himself? Was our lesson today too long? Too short? Too predictable? Too random? Planning a balanced lesson may be the most challenging part of training the horse. We can walk to the barn, prepared with a lesson plan, an understanding of “what we need to work on today, and how much time we have to do it”. On one hand, it’s good to have a plan. You NEED to have a plan. On the other, we need to be prepared to throw that plan out the window, if need be. The horse may have other ideas, distractions in the yard, or just not be as advanced as we were hoping he would be. That’s ok. When we arrive at the barn, we assess the horse. Begin with something easy, something he’s comfortable and confident doing, and then stretch that, asking for a little something outside his comfort zone. Sometimes horses regress. It’s not always convenient, or part of our plan, but sometimes we have to do remedial work, because that’s what the horse needs. The good news is, if we address that remedial work thoroughly, it will make the finished product that much better.
I personally have a tough time quitting a lesson early. As a professional trainer, I feel pressured to produce a specific level of performance in a specific amount of time. If I get a few minutes into a lesson with a horse, and he has a spectacular, much needed breakthrough, I have to really force myself to TURN THAT HORSE OUT. Ending a lesson at an optimal time may be the best, most productive thing a trainer can do to advance a horse. But it can be a challenge to establish the self-discipline required to stop a lesson when it needs to end.
Success doesn’t stand out in my mind so much as my mistakes do. Sure, I enjoy a nice ride; but at the end, when I’m walking back to the house, even the best ride is reflected upon. Could I have asked quieter? Did I allow the horse to perform to his potential? Did I get in his way? How was my own posture and balance? Should I have spent less time, working on one exercise, and more on another? There is always room for improvement, and these are the areas I would like to focus on improving in the new year:
Compassion. I am, in many ways, a beginner. There are movements I have not yet mastered, am not sure how to ask for, am not sure how to ride, but, I will keep practicing, What I have found is that I get closer and closer to “ideal” when I flirt with the edges of a movement. The horse is no different. Because of his body shape, confirmation, muscle mass, there are going to be movements which come easily to him, and other movements which will challenge his ability. When I've asked him to challenge himself, did I remember how difficult, how scary it can be to try something new? Did I respond compassionately to the horse when his work is less than perfect? When we get into the challenging work, I should take a deep breath, and say to the horse, “Hey, I realize that was hard, and I’m asking a lot, but your effort is appreciated, that was a really good try.” If we honor the effort of the horse, and exercise compassionate responses to his tries, our horses will keep trying, and give us their best.
Harmony. Horses resist for many reasons. Perhaps they don’t understand our request. Perhaps they just can’t get their body to do what we want it to do. Perhaps they're scared; frightened of the task we ask them to do. We need to first understand the horse would like nothing more than to comply. He is a herd animal, and would prefer to “go with the flow” than to resist. When we find ourselves engaging in a battle of wills with our horse (no matter how big or small the battle), we lose. If one wishes to produce an obedient horse, the rider needs to be attentive for a lack of harmony, and address it immediately. I have found the best way to do that is to STOP. Stop moving, stop asking, stop pressuring, stop everything, and take a deep breath. Think through the resistance, instead of trying to force your hand or leg. Why is the horse resisting? What can I change, about my request, to return harmony to our union? How quietly, softly, can I make my request, to establish and maintain a standard of lightness? What is the simplest way I can make my request, so that he is sure to understand what I am asking for? How can I change the feel of the request, to transmit the appropriate energy clearly to the horse? It takes two forces for resistance to occur. We can’t force change on the other; the adjustments need to be made within ourselves. The adjustment will not go unnoticed by the horse. He is often appreciative and will reciprocate the good faith effort, and give what he is able to give.
Balance. Have I made a fair request? Have I asked for too much? Have I been too physically demanding, or asked more of my horse than his emotional state/maturity can handle? Or, have I asked too little? Have I been too easy going, and allowed him to do what comes easily to him, without asking him to challenge himself? Was our lesson today too long? Too short? Too predictable? Too random? Planning a balanced lesson may be the most challenging part of training the horse. We can walk to the barn, prepared with a lesson plan, an understanding of “what we need to work on today, and how much time we have to do it”. On one hand, it’s good to have a plan. You NEED to have a plan. On the other, we need to be prepared to throw that plan out the window, if need be. The horse may have other ideas, distractions in the yard, or just not be as advanced as we were hoping he would be. That’s ok. When we arrive at the barn, we assess the horse. Begin with something easy, something he’s comfortable and confident doing, and then stretch that, asking for a little something outside his comfort zone. Sometimes horses regress. It’s not always convenient, or part of our plan, but sometimes we have to do remedial work, because that’s what the horse needs. The good news is, if we address that remedial work thoroughly, it will make the finished product that much better.
I personally have a tough time quitting a lesson early. As a professional trainer, I feel pressured to produce a specific level of performance in a specific amount of time. If I get a few minutes into a lesson with a horse, and he has a spectacular, much needed breakthrough, I have to really force myself to TURN THAT HORSE OUT. Ending a lesson at an optimal time may be the best, most productive thing a trainer can do to advance a horse. But it can be a challenge to establish the self-discipline required to stop a lesson when it needs to end.
Patience. It is so easy to lose our temper with our horses. Particularly if we’ve just been stepped on, head-butted, or dumped. We don’t see very clearly when we’re trying to think through a haze of pain. If we reflect on the event after the fact, it’s much easier to identify our own role in the mishap. We did not adequately prepare our horse for what we were attempting to do with him. That is our fault, not the horses’. We need to take responsibility for our actions, and realize we created the situation that prompted the horse to defend himself or bully. Maybe it’s a horse that's new to us, and we’re charged with the responsibility of improving these deficiencies….if so, remember, the horse did not ask to be prepared the way he had been. The toughest, meanest horses are not the green ones. They’re the ones that learned how to be tough and
mean from a human. Patience and compassion are your best allies, when working through a re-train process. Lose your temper, and you’ll only validate the horse’s need to defend himself.
Forgiveness. We all make mistakes. We’ve all made these mistakes, novice and pro alike. Forgive yourself, and when you go out to the barn with your lesson plan, check yourself, and see that you have a plan which enables you to not repeat the same mistakes you made yesterday. Change doesn’t happen overnight. The educated equestrian realizes patient practice and compassion not only benefit the horse. They’re good for the human too.
Forgiveness. We all make mistakes. We’ve all made these mistakes, novice and pro alike. Forgive yourself, and when you go out to the barn with your lesson plan, check yourself, and see that you have a plan which enables you to not repeat the same mistakes you made yesterday. Change doesn’t happen overnight. The educated equestrian realizes patient practice and compassion not only benefit the horse. They’re good for the human too.