05/30/2026
Some of the old timers taught in parables and you had to kind of figure it out
My teacher never really said, “put your hand here, leg here, do this, do that.”
She said things like “the horse gains trust in our aids when we are in balance ourselves.” Initially I took that to mean being in a good alignment, then over years of lessons with her I understood that more deeply, as a way of living life.
If you read accounts of those who rode with Ray Hunt of Tom or Bill Dorrance, you get a lot of similar experiences - they taught in metaphors, stories and concepts.
There isn’t a lot of tolerance for not immediately knowing now - and while I was often extremely frustrated at not understanding, there is a beauty in being forced to explore and observe.
I spent a lot of time watching my teacher ride and work. I spent a lot of time thinking. I watched my students and started to piece together what she meant. She showed up every week, but she didn’t spoon feed me- and so I, over time, developed my own understanding, and each lesson she gave me developed more and more depth.
We don’t have a lot of tolerance for wondering now - if we can’t figure something out now we can google it in seconds - everyone wants a step by step plan, an answer right now, an immediate response. Space not only frightens us but enrages us. You can’t sell any program nowadays that doesn’t promise an outline, a plan, how many minutes each direction, the death of all nuance and feel lies in the step by step plan.
As a teacher, I like clarity, and I have learned a lot about how to teach more specifically from my own vague and often frustrating lessons.
But it doesn’t hurt to wonder. In fact, I’d venture to say there is a lot of damage done to our minds when we are constantly spoon fed, delivered a plan, delivered all meaning without having to search.
It’s pretty healthy, in fact, to wonder, to mull over, and to take time to put our own pieces together. If we really want it, we will find it.
