Lead with Your Heart . . . Lessons from a Life with Horses by Allan J. Hamilton;MD

Author:Allan J. Hamilton;MD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horse gift;horse behavior;horse training;leadership;Lipizzan;equine;horse relationship quotes;spirituality;inspirational messages;horses as leaders;learning from horses;teaching horses;horse guidance
Published: 2016-07-25T19:28:54+00:00

LIFE IS A SERIES OF PLANS PUNCTUATED BY THE UNEXPECTED AND THE UNAVOIDABLE.

Shrinking the amount of territory you cede to the unforeseen depends on how carefully you have mapped out your plans. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama pointed out, “Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline . . . [is] important. Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.”

Ride down the trail, therefore, with self-discipline and awareness.

EQUIPMENT IS CHARACTER.

Every piece of equipment has meaning, and every aspect of its design has significance. No one needs to agree on equipment, but each choice should have a justification in the horseman’s mind.

I am never satisfied with my equipment. I am constantly designing modifications to my existing equipment: a better-fitting halter, a better-weighted lead rope, a better kind of footing in the arena, a better clasp on the gate. Always question and scrutinize how things are made, the craftsmanship, the design and function. Why is this training wand superior to that one? Why is this set of reins better than those?

Everything should have a reason and a purpose; the handler’s tools should become an extension of herself. Whenever I travel to a clinic, I always bring my own halter and lead rope in my luggage. Some people think I am crazy. Why do I insist? Because even an extra ounce or a slight stiffness to that lead rope or halter makes a difference to me. I have spent years perfecting the feel of that rope in my hands. It is second nature to me, like my own fingers. I know its exact length in relation to my waist and my feet and the distance to the horse. I know exactly how big a loop it will make when I swing the end. So when I insist that my equipment be of the highest quality, I am honoring my knowledge as a trainer and my devotion to the horse I am training.

At one clinic I was teaching riders to go over tarps with their horses. The host brought out three small tarps with massive tears and holes in them. She was put off when I said we needed new tarps. “Why do we need new tarps?” she asked. “Because,” I answered, “it is hard enough for the horse to learn to walk confidently over the tarp without making him worry about catching a hoof in it and suddenly dragging it behind him.”

Lousy equipment betrays a lousy attitude about horsemanship.

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