12/04/2026
Thought for the day:
Horsemanship is not like learning to dance from a carefully set out collection of exercises that you can learn by rote and practice to perfection.
Its much more like teaching a very athletic alien, who is full of worry and does not understand a vocal language, how to dance. In addition you must work very precisely and consistently in sign language that you don’t fully understand and with the extra difficulty that they will have a melt down and leave the class if the confusion gets to more than that particular individual can tolerate.
It takes some commitment to learn to do this.
Theory alone won’t get you across the line line and nor will practice without understanding.
Intelligence or athleticism alone wont get you there.
Bravado or quietness are not the answer.
Patience or the need for instant change are also not going to make it all fall into place.
A scientific approach, artistic flair or emotional intelligence? Reactiveness or passiveness? Sorry not them either.
You probably need a little of all those attributes that you can turn on or off or manipulate the intensity of. Not only do you have to have control of those things but you have to be able to do it in a heartbeat.
Buy, beg, borrow or steal the theory but learning how to be with each horse and “when to be how to be” is where the magic happens.
You can only learn that from horses.
