Tip of the Month
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" Pity on the man who feels he must be judged by others to determine his own worth. Shame on the man who sees his horse in the same light." |
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Maybe the title should read, "Ask not what your horse can do for you, but what you can do for your horse." The message JFK wanted to get across when he said this to the nation (or something similar) was if we did what was good for the country, we would reap the benefits. It's a mindset that keeps things moving forward on a positive note. Much like putting money in the bank and collecting interest. Now, if we apply this to our horse, we have set the stage for building a good relationship. If we enter into this relationship putting ourself first with thoughts of competition or how good we are going to look when our horse does things for us that impress our friends, we are thinking of ourselves first and putting the horse last. Can you see what might be wrong here? Just for a moment, let's look at it as a relationship between you and another person. If you feel the other person is constantly using you to get personal reward, how long do you think it will be before you lose interest? After all, it is what we think that becomes reality. This is also true for your horse. If you don't believe your horse knows when he has let you down (this includes losing an event) believe me, he does. This could well be one of the reasons that approximately 90% of competition horses have ulcers. This is not to say that a percentage of pleasure horses don't have ulcers, because they do. We put stress on their lives in many ways, and sometimes we don't even realize that we are doing it. We often dwell on the negative, when we should be reinforcing the positive. Remember that a horse's main purpose in life is to please the leader. If you are doing things right, you are the leader. This constant display of disappointment is much like telling a four-year-old child that he or she is stupid and will never grow up to amount to anything. We must choose our words wisely, because, in order to say it, we must first think it. I understand that the thought of competition is the reason that some of us consider owning a horse in the first place, but before training your horse for competition, you might entertain the thought of getting the relationship first. Work towards your goals and enter competition as a team and a partnership. Let your horse know that at the first sign of an injury, you will take him out of the event immediately. Should a horse get hurt at anything, he will be reluctant to repeat it. Let your horse know that in your eyes, he is always a winner and you are always proud of him. You will reap the benefits. "My horses affection for me is priceless, I would never trade it for a two dollar ribbon." Be good to your horse Dennis | |||
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