DOING THE RIGHT THING

This time I'm not going to post my usual training tip. Instead I'd like to talk about something that I think we all need to be aware of and something that we all need to think about.

Earlier this week I read an article on +Fox News about blatant animal abuse and actual torture within the Federal Wildlife Agency. The scenes described made me sick to my stomach. The sad part is that this was not a sensational article. It was reality. The only good part about the article is that maybe more people like myself are more aware of the abuse that frequently occurs within the agency, and there is an investigation being to done to hold people (somewhat) accountable.

As an animal lover, I can't help but wonder how those people mentioned in the article became what they are. What led them to do what they did? What is their mindset and justification? What is their reasoning? Surely they didn't grow up thinking, "One day I'll grow up to blow up puppies."

I think first and foremost it was a basic lack of respect and empathy for a living creature. I also think it was a belief that animals don't feel,don't think and therefore it doesn't really make a difference what you do them. Then that thinking further justifies that you have to be really hard to get a point across because they're dumb. Furthermore than train of thought also perpetuates that they're really no different than an inanimate object that you can do anything to. One thought just leads to another, doesn't it? All those thoughts serve as justification for torturer.

As horsemen, we need to be careful about how we see our horses, and all animals really. Yes, as humans we're obviously more intelligent than our horses but does that mean because of that they deserve less respect? Absolutely not. We're less intelligent than God but look at how much respect and love He gives us.

Like it not, if you call yourself a Christian how you treat your horse is your witness to the lost. It's also a speaking testimony of who you are on the inside and how much character you have or don't have.

As Jesus said, when you are kind to the least of these you are kind to me. That can be taken as being kind to any thing that we think is less than we are. It's not just people. It's those times that tell who we are.

The old saying is character is doing the right thing when no one is looking. Do you treat your horses differently when no one is looking? If not, why? Is it because people wouldn't understand? I'm sure that's the same exact reasoning the people in the wildlife agency used as well.

We can justify anything and everything we want to. It doesn't make it right. We as horsemen need to be consistent in how we deal with our horses instead of justifying some of the things we may do based on lack of intelligence. We need to always treat our animals with the utmost care and respect. When we can do that, we'll reap a good witness and a great horse in the end.

Train Like An Individual!

 I've just started reading the book, THE GIFT, by Barbara Schulte. It talks about how we're all unique with individual insight and abilities that no one else has and how to enhance those abilities with mental strategies for riding. It's great food for thought especially if you struggle with confidence, which happens to be the reason I bought it!

The concept of being a true individual doesn't stop at the rider. It applies to horses as well. Just like us, they have individual personalities but they also have unique strengths and weaknesses.

Every time we interact with a horse we're training whether we know it or not. Because of that, we can either grow that horse's strengths or we can magnify their weaknesses. A good horseman will be in tune to that fact and will work towards building their unique abilities.

By focusing on and encouraging a horse's strengths, just like us, they build confidence. Think about it. When you realize you've done something well, doesn't it make you feel good? Doesn't it make you feel like you've accomplished something? Horses are no different. If they're told, "No, that's not right!", over and over eventually they give up, just like we do. But if they're told, "Yes, that's right!" they just try harder for us.

God made us all different and I think He enjoys that fact. After all, it would get boring if we were all the same! The wonderful thing is that He's a big God that's equipped to deal with our individual craziness, weaknesses, and our strengths. He loves it all anyway and He finds ways to help us each grow our strengths in Him so that we're encouraged and try harder. So celebrate your uniqueness in God and ask Him to help you with it!

Get Some Control

I love breaking colts. Some people dread it or just absolutely refuse to do it, but I love it. There is nothing more rewarding than to see the fruit of your labor when you crawl on the first few times and have a good ride.

Breaking colts is serious business. How they start out is how they're going to be throughout their lifetime. Horses are made or ruined in those few rides. Ultimately, it can mean their life or death as the slaughter houses are full of horses that have major problems because they didn't have a good start. So any time you take on breaking a colt, it doesn't need to be for any other reason than that horse's future and you need to make sure you do a great job.

One thing I learned years ago from Marty Green, one of my mentors on colts, is that you need to get them broke before you ever put a foot in a stirrup. It's not good enough that they just tolerate you laying over their back without bucking. They need to have a brake, a steering wheel, and a gas peddle and they need to be light on those things.

Think of it this way. Would you go out on the interstate with a big dump truck that the brakes worked part of the time and took all your strength to steer? Absolutely not! You'd say that's insane. Well, breaking a horse is the same way.

If you have to do more than just pick up to get a colt's face, they're not ready to get on because you only have partial control. You need to spend more time getting better control of that horse's body and mind.

I'd bet that God feels the same way with us. He enjoys seeing the fruit of His labor in our lives when He builds us from the ground up. But just like with breaking colts, to have a good ride, God has to have definite control in our lives. He's got to be able to control our feet and our minds before we can go anywhere without a fight.

If we want to have a good ride with God, we've got to let Him build that foundation and get some control in our lives first. The only way to do that is to spend some time with Him so He can do the groundwork.

Just A Grunt!

In losing my mother this past week and dealing with family members, I'm once again reminded of an old saying that I love from my wise ex-mother law. Her saying was this, "What can you expect from a pig but a grunt?"

That's not to say that she was calling people pigs. It's much deeper than that. It's saying that you can't expect people to be anything other than what they are. You can't expect them to see what they can't see. When you realize that, it takes some of frustration out of the equation and it's easier to walk in a new direction rather than keep banging your head against a wall that isn't going to move -- you can invest your energy elsewhere.

The same thing applies to horses. I used to think that a good trainer could make a horse do anything. They could make a pleasure horse run barrels or a walking horse do reining. But as I've progressed and aged in my horsemanship, I'm starting to realize that a good trainer can see what a horse wants to do and they can see what a horse is. They're not expecting a pig to bark, so to speak.

A happy horse is a horse that is going to perform well. They're just like us. If we like our job, we'll do our very best because we enjoy it. If we don't, we'll do the bare minimum. Horses are no different. If we try to make them do something that they don't want to do, they'll do it but it won't be easy.

Spend some quality time watching and listening to your horse. Does your horse perk up when you go to canter across a field? Does he seem a little more interested when you approach a trail obstacle? Does loping slow come easy to him? Maybe you're hitting on what your horse really likes to do when you see those sometimes subtle reactions. Pay attention to those and pursue them a little futher to find out what your horse likes and "what" he is.

To take it a step further, God is the same way with us. He already knows whether we're a "pig" or some other critter. He works with us accordingly. He doesn't expect us to be something we're not. Instead He embraces what we are and works with it on His timeline. He knows what we're good at and He works with that.

So the next time you encounter a difficult person or a difficult horse, remember you can't expect any more from either than what they are. Once you realize that, life gets a little easier!