A Horseman should know neither fear, nor anger. ~James Rarey
'Horse Frightened by Lion'
Works Of
George Stubbs
While Rarey speaks of horsemen knowing neither fear, nor anger...this translates to the horse through the horseman. A horseman who is in fear will cause fear in his horse. One who knows anger around their horse will share that anger with their horse. Neither of these emotions should be sent to a horse from their rider, it makes it hard for us to understand what is going on.
It seems that humans have forgotten that once they domesticated the horse they became responsible for their emotional and physical well-being. While there is no way to protect a horse from things in nature that may cause them fear, they can be protected from fear caused by humans. A horse getting scared of an obstacle or getting spooked while training is different than a horse that is in fear. Fear is a total physical reaction that causes a horse to fear for its life...a human should never cause that to happen. The other thing that a human should never do is address their horse in anger. Anger directed at your horse will not get you the response you are seeking, in fact it will most likely make things worse. Deal with your horse from an aspect of justice and they will try hard for you.
Keeping us from fear and anger is a small price to pay for our willingness to be your partners.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR
2 comments:
Good advice, Jack! I know sometimes I have gone out to my horses angry and full of tension. They have taken one look at me and have run the othe way! I learned to leave my problems behind and just enjoy being with them.
Yes, Jack, that is a wonderful post. Frustration in training can lead to anger and that's the time to take a deep breath or walk away. The fear part is something I've had to overcome but I know it's best for my horse.
Thank you, as always,for great advice for us humans.
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