AN OPEN LETTER TO HORSE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

Dave McLean is a volunteer at a therapeutic riding center. Soft spoken and careful in actions as well as words, his entire demeanor reeks of gentleness. It was easy to sense the concern in his voice as he spoke.

“A long time ago,” he said, “I vowed that I would never hit a horse. Well… the other day, after getting bitten for the umpteenth time, I found myself swinging at one. Granted, I missed, but I would have hit him if he hadn’t backed away. The whole thing surprised me. I felt mad! I was uncomfortable with how angry I actually felt.”

Getting mad is better than getting bitten, but with a little guidance, Dave could have avoided both. Whose job is it to provide that guidance? In too many barns nobody knows, which is why a crazy number of people wind up in Dave's position. Whose job should it be to provide guidance to horse handlers? If your business involves clients or staff handling horses, it should be your job. Sure it should.

As a professional in the horse industry, one of the best things you can do for yourself is help your clients and staff understand what it takes to provide good leadership to horses. Allowing horses to behave unmannerly causes handlers to get hurt, but so many of them don’t realize that it also causes horses to suffer undue anxiety.

All horse handlers should learn what to expect from horses in the way of good ground manners, and how to correct behaviors when necessary. Providing this education at your barn saves your folks the trouble of having to seek it elsewhere, which many of them will. Like Dave, they will be inspired by the frustration with and/or fear of the horses they are handling.

When they come to people like me and start learning that all they needed all along was some basic leadership skills, they’ll put two and two together… you can count on it. And that’s when they’ll ask the same question so many have asked before, “Why didn’t anybody say anything about leadership skills in the first place?” 

For your own professional integrity, don’t give the people you do business with reason to ask that question! It’s hard for anyone to answer it without causing you to appear less than professional.

The horse handlers in your barn need good leadership skills for their own safety. Please trust that they would prefer you inspire them to develop some... and before they wind up getting bitten enough times to get angry with horses, or hurt enough time to become frightened of them. 

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The ALPHA Equestrian Challenge teaches the basics of providing

good leadership to horses.  Click here to order your copy today!