I decided to start a "member journal". seems like everyone's got one. I couldn't think what to title it, so jokingly, I decided to use the title: "Deep thoughts". I am not sure if any of you remember the very old SNL skit with Al Franken (now a Senator, btw) who was this nerdy little guy named Stuart, who would look in the mirror and say all these self affirmations, that were "deep thoughts".
Well, I am kind of making fun of myself for being too much in my own head at times, busy with those "deep thoughts".
And nothing brings out deep thoughts like being around and working with horses.
But before today's deep thought, my personal disclosure:
I am not a trainer of horses or humans.
I have never bred a horse, raised a foal, broke a green horse or really even trained one, other than what passes for training but is really daily handling
I almost never show. Currently do not take lessons.
I am so far from a hotshot rider it isn't funny.
I cannot rider through any kind of serious bucking.
Can't jump worth beans.
Never roped a cow.
Never done a sliding stop
heck, never even owned a horse!
So, I have absolutely NO ground to really offer an advice on how to ride or handle horses. I only have my own limited experience and those crazy deep thoughts that keep coming up in my head. You might get some fun out of them.
Ok, So today's deep thought:
Don't MAKE your horse do something. CONVINCE him to do it.
Huh? What's the big deal difference between those two words? Well, semantics DO matter. If you say in your head, "I'm going to MAKE my horse go up this trail", you may be feeling as if you are driving a car or a wheelbarrow. You MAKE a wheelbarrow go somewhere. However, YOU do all the work because to make it move, you have to MAKE it move, and when you stop making it move, it stops.
If you CONVINCE a horse to move, you cause him to decide to move. Once he's made that decision, you stop working and he takes over and does the work. you aren't holding the handles of the wheelbarrow, pushing it forward each step. you have got him thinking in alignment with you, "ok, i think the thing to do is go up this trail", and he commits and walks forward.
Well, I am kind of making fun of myself for being too much in my own head at times, busy with those "deep thoughts".
And nothing brings out deep thoughts like being around and working with horses.
But before today's deep thought, my personal disclosure:
I am not a trainer of horses or humans.
I have never bred a horse, raised a foal, broke a green horse or really even trained one, other than what passes for training but is really daily handling
I almost never show. Currently do not take lessons.
I am so far from a hotshot rider it isn't funny.
I cannot rider through any kind of serious bucking.
Can't jump worth beans.
Never roped a cow.
Never done a sliding stop
heck, never even owned a horse!
So, I have absolutely NO ground to really offer an advice on how to ride or handle horses. I only have my own limited experience and those crazy deep thoughts that keep coming up in my head. You might get some fun out of them.
Ok, So today's deep thought:
Don't MAKE your horse do something. CONVINCE him to do it.
Huh? What's the big deal difference between those two words? Well, semantics DO matter. If you say in your head, "I'm going to MAKE my horse go up this trail", you may be feeling as if you are driving a car or a wheelbarrow. You MAKE a wheelbarrow go somewhere. However, YOU do all the work because to make it move, you have to MAKE it move, and when you stop making it move, it stops.
If you CONVINCE a horse to move, you cause him to decide to move. Once he's made that decision, you stop working and he takes over and does the work. you aren't holding the handles of the wheelbarrow, pushing it forward each step. you have got him thinking in alignment with you, "ok, i think the thing to do is go up this trail", and he commits and walks forward.