Over the past year, my student,
Julie, has made huge strides in developing a tight, trusting bond with her
horse. But there is still a kink to iron
out, and it became apparent during a recent lesson.
Since it was a balmy sixty-some
degree day here in Michigan, Julie was riding outside. As we were wrapping up, she looked over toward
the barn where the big door to the indoor arena was drawn wide open to let in
the fresh air. Now, despite her horse performing calmly and cooperatively for
the entire lesson, she said, “Here’s one of the things that still bothers me
about Jagger. He has been so good all morning, but I know if I rode him into
the indoor right now he would get all antsy going through the door.”
“Why would you say that?” I
asked, incredulously, knowing that just by thinking the thought she is once
again forcing that door to be her nemesis. It’s been an ongoing issue for awhile.
“Because he would,” she insisted.
“I mean, he probably won’t bolt like he
used to, but he will pop his head up and look around. He does it every single time we get near that
door… like he’s waiting for something to jump out at him. It drives me crazy.”
Since it is the instructor’s
challenge to offer words of wisdom to help students get past issues, I imparted
this amazing piece of brilliance with all the eloquence of a five-year
old. “Oh my gosh, your horse is over
the door, Julie! Over, over, OVER the door!”
I’m betting I even stomped my
feet. I’m not sure. I did, however, stop short of throwing myself
face-down on the ground.
Suddenly, in the midst of my fit,
I was struck with inspiration. “Listen, we
all find it easy to believe it’s the horse and not us, but it’s never
true. Horses let go of things almost
immediately. On their own, they just
don’t keep spooking at the same things over and over again. If Jagger had to
walk through that door every day with other horses, do you honestly think he,
or any of them, would act spooky about it every single time? Day… after day… after day?”
“No, I actually don’t,” she answered.
“I could see them being a little cautious the first time, but after that they
would probably be just fine. Wow, it
really is me, isn’t it?”
Why is it so hard for us riders
to come to grips with the fact that we cause horses to display all kinds of
behaviors we don’t want? Are we that blind, that stubborn, or that
unwilling to accept responsibility? I
don’t think so, not at all. I think it’s
because it is hard for us to fathom that we are that powerful… that we,
as mere humans, can cause horses to do things simply with our thoughts. But we can and we do all the time.
Julie’s horse was done and over
with finding that door scary ages ago. But
the only way Julie will see that is if she lets go of seeing the door as a
problem for once and for all. How does
she go about doing that? Focus. Harness the power of the mind. Use it for good, not for evil.
“Let’s see what happens,” I suggested, “if you
ride into the indoor thinking about exactly what you want. Say it out loud, calmly and clearly, and just
keep saying it as you go.”
So, off Julie went speaking the
words, “Jagger will walk calmly into the indoor.” And, sure enough, Jagger walked calmly into
the indoor. Tada!
Focus on a problem and the
problem will always be there to focus upon.
Sometimes I think we have to
drive ourselves completely batty to even contemplate the thought of getting out
of the habit. Funny how that’s when
solutions seem to flow right to us when we’re working with our horses…and, well… apparently with students, too. Thanks for the lesson, Jules!
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