Just recently I took into
training a small but gifted young horse. Because of his size, his owner would like
to see him eventually leased to a 4-H’er or some other young rider. He’s pretty spooky right now so I take him
through one or two bomb-proofing exercises each time I work with him. One of our sessions was on a very hot day, so I
cooled him down with the hose afterward. Right about the time I was finishing
up, a giant horsefly came zipping in. The horse started bucking like mad. “Oh no,” my
client yelled. “Quick, get him into the barn!”
“What," I asked? "And waste this perfect
opportunity?” I had to smile,
though, because I knew where she was coming from. It is human nature to want to shelter horses
from things that upset them. We think we’re
being compassionate… doing them a favor. But we’re really not. Teaching moments don’t come when horses are
standing around behaving calmly. They come
when horses are freaking out about stuff. We must embrace
those moments because they are our opportunities to help our horses grow
emotionally, and to help ourselves develop better horse-handling skills.
I did not run the horse
back into the barn. I reprimanded his bucking and got it under control. I knew the horsefly was not going to kill him,
so I got him to stand still long enough for me to kill the fly. The poor little guy was shaking
like a leaf, but that’s okay. The next time a horsefly comes around we will do
it all over again, and he will shake less. Soon this young horse will be mentally mature enough to
behave calmly when horseflies are near… at which point he will be much safer
for a young rider to handle.
Growth for both
you and your horse comes from facing challenges… not trying to avoid
them. Horses don’t want to
go through life afraid of stuff. So
when your horse starts freaking out about something, don’t let it freak you
out. SEIZE THE
OPPORTUNITY to help your
horse become more confident in his surroundings, in himself, and in you.
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