We often forget that horses can do what they do, often in spite of us. In spite of our tension, our imbalance, our defiant grasp on the reins and our breath. A horse and rider can be poetry or a master’s work of art. Horses make us grander than we are on our own two feet. Their four hooves become an expression of what moves us when no one’s looking.
We often give ourselves credit for the activities horses do with us, as though we were the ones who taught them what it means to rise above the ground with such elegance. As though their balance and precision at a gallop were something we schooled. At their best, horse are who they are in spite of us. Not because of us.
We often forget that horses can do what they do, often in spite of us. In spite of our tension, our imbalance, our defiant grasp on the reins and our breath. A horse and rider can be poetry or a master's work of art. Horses make us grander than we are on our own two feet. Their four hooves become an expression of what moves us when no one's looking. We often give ourselves credit for the activities horses do with us as though we were the ones who taught them what it means to rise above the ground with such elegance. As though their balance and precision at a gallop were something we schooled. At their best horses are who they are in spite of us, not because of us. This is a quote from the book, Getting Along with Horses an Evolution in Understanding by Crissi McDonald. Welcome to the Almost Daily Second Half Horsemanship Podcast, where we talk about using your mind more than your muscles on the path to better horsemanship in the second half of life. The podcast features a thought for the day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and a more in-depth discussion or interview on weekends. I'm your host, Paul Sherland. Years ago, I took a riding vacation in Wyoming and we herded a bunch of ranch horses through wild horse country. We ponied all of the mares in our bunch in an area where wild horses had been spotted, but that didn't keep a stallion from coming down to us to see if he could persuade the mares to go with him. I will never forget that stallion. He was jet black, beautiful, and in the prime of his life. The stallion circled our herd and riders with a collected trot that would've won rave reviews at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. He was the master's work of art that Crissi talks about in her book. After a few minutes of performing for us, the stallion galloped back to his herd. His performance was a reminder that our horses can already do most of what we're trying to teach. We have to keep the joy in our horses as we work with them. That should be part of the joy of horsemanship in the second half of life. Thanks for listening to the Almost Daily Second Half Horsemanship Podcast. If you're also on the second half horsemanship journey, please leave a comment on our website, second half horsemanship.com. We're always looking for topic and interview ideas. When I use links to books, products, and services in the podcast, some of those links might be referral links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, I earn a small commission when you purchase something through those links, but you will not be charged more by using the links. One more note, I use Descript for editing the podcast. If you have any video or audio editing to do, you should check out what Descript offers. It's an incredible tool for creatives. I'll also have a link to Descript in the show notes. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your reviews help the podcast, reach a larger audience. Thank you very much.