I think for most of us, at least those of us that abide by natural horsemanship, we have horses in our lives because of the connection that is possible. It is that interconnection that causes us to have horses. Somehow it makes us feel better.
Kind of mushy… but you know what I mean.
What is that connection, that mystical bond we seek? I think that this bond has different facets for each one of us. For some it could be as simple as a connection to another living being, to others a deeper connection to oneself and for others it’s a spiritual connection to nature. I don’t know what it is for you, but I do know that for most of us this connection is not a means to something more but an end in itself. And that’s why the idea of relationship rings so loud in our ears.
If your relationship with your horse is simply a means to an end then your horse becomes a tool to further your own ambitions or an extension of your ego. When we use our horses to further what we want then I’m not sure that we can call that a relationship. Maybe an association would be more appropriate.
Ok I’ll get off my soap box…
Sometimes I get a little carried away.
Recently I heard an idea that “relationships are emotion intensifiers”. They are the place where we feel our deepest, most intense emotions. Although this was directed toward human relationships I believe it holds true for our relationships with our horses and other animals as well. We feel the deepest hurts and the greatest joy in our relationships along with a whole range of feelings in between.
I found this video and I think it embodies all I have been trying to say. This clip is a story about a relationship two young men had with a lion. Many of you may have seen this but I just discovered it and it moved me enough to share it with you.
Enjoy and please leave a comment about how a relationship with an animal has impacted your life.
Hopefully many of you have had a chance to read my article in the Nov. “Savvy Times”. It focuses on my relationship with my first levels horse Kahn.
A story I like to tell about Kahn is how he showed me that horses never lie…
It was sometime back when we were in level 2 and I was really focused on liberty. So everyday I would get him out and ‘play’ at liberty. I thought it was great fun. After a couple of weeks of me drilling him on liberty he started to limp. Each time I sent him out on a circle he would hobble around like he was crippled for life and got slower and slower.
That first day I thought maybe his arthritis might be acting up so I turned him out. As I let him loose in the pasture I noticed that he walked off just fine.
Hmmmm…
The second day I got him out and led him to the round pen to “play”. As soon as I took off the halter in the round pen he started to limp again. So I haltered him and led him out to the pasture. This time no sooner had I released him into the field, than he ran off kicking up and bucking, no sign of lameness.
That got me thinking. Was he smart enough to trick me? What about that saying “Horses never lie” was he lying to me to get out of doing things with me?
On the third day the same thing happened again but this time I didn’t fall for it. I insisted that he trot out with a little more energy and the limp magically disappeared. I had learned my lesson the night before. So as soon as he trotted out without a limp I brought him in, haltered him and turned him out to graze and play in the pasture.
What had I learned the night before? That night as I pondered on his behavior I was deeply puzzled. Was he lying to me? But on further reflection I realized that he was actually telling me the truth. He was telling me that he was sick and tired of liberty and maybe our relationship was not as great as I thought either. That revelation hit me like a ton of bricks and I changed right then and there. I chalked it up as another lesson learned.
I’ve learned a lot from that old horse and some of those lessons are just now beginning to make sense to me.
Jerry
This is a tribute to Kahn that my wife created in honor of him. If it had not been for him I would not be where I am today. He carried me to my first star as a Parelli Instructor. We had 13 good years with him and I still think of him often.
.
.
*Note* For those of you that have seen the article. There is a picture on page 86 of Kahn and I jingling the horses in on a cold Colorado morning. Some of my favorite memories of him are of those times. If you look closely in that picture, on his right front leg there is the scar that reminds me of the injury that started our relationship. It’s interesting that I have seen that picture dozens of times before but I never noticed that scar until it was published in the “Savvy Times”.
Please leave a comment about either the post or the article.
Recently I was reminded of an idea that I heard over 30 years ago. Tony Robbins called it “millimeters” I first heard it as “degrees”. He gave the illustration of driving a golf ball. If you are just millimeters off when you strike the ball, it goes off in the wrong direction. The idea is that if our approach is off by just a couple of degrees then no matter how much effort you put in you will not reach your desired destination.
Pat talks about “the little things that make a big difference”. It’s the same idea. Sometimes if we make a small adjustment it makes a big change in the person and the horse. Maybe your position is off by a few inches or your timing is off by just a hair, but to your horse it makes a big difference.
My encouragement to you is to realize that in some cases you might be 99% there but it’s that last 1% that makes the difference. It may be that extra ounce of effort or that extra second that makes all the difference in the world to your horse or for anything in your life for that matter.
I found this video on you tube the other day and thought it would be appropriate. It talks about the same idea just in a slightly different way. It’s called 212 Degrees.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
I get the question quite often “why did you get an Andalusian?” Most of the time I say something like “ I just like the way they look” and leave it at that. But I can tell you exactly the time when the desire to have a Spanish horse started. It was 2004 during my 10 week Parelli school course.
Toward the end of the course when we started learning about finesse my instructor showed us a dressage round from the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez Spain. The horse and rider that captured my imagination was Rafael Soto and his Andalusian horse Invasor. That performance so inspired me that I asked if I could watch it again.
From that point on I probabkt watched that clip at least twice a day until the end of my course. I burned it into my mind. What it did for me was that it changed the picture in my mind and gave me something to aspire to. I can honestly say that I am no where close to that picture and may never be but at least I have a picture in my mind of where I would like to go. That was the time my fascination with the Spanish horse began.
Here’s what I want you to take away from this…
Find something that inspires you and burn that picture into your mind. Who knows, you might find yourself becoming more and more like your picture.
Here is a video I found on youtube of Rafael and Invasor. This is not the same as the one I watched but it is still great. Enjoy!
Rafael and Invasor
Please leave a comment below. Just click on the word that says comments and you will be able to see all the comments and make one of your own.
