10/09/2021
I will now be teaching and using the term mindful with my riding students. 🐴
There’s a fine line between being scared and being mindful. Seems to me that riding mindful will keep us safe, while riding scared will likely get us hurt. The one is a proactive, calm approach, while the other is usually more reactive.
One of the key differences between those new to horsemanship and those who have made it lifelong learning is the concept of awareness. Of being aware, without being afraid.
I think many beginners see the horse(wo)men—those who are products of long time and mileage—and they see this seeming nonchalance. They mistake it for carelessness, or offhandedness. They couldn’t be more wrong.
I was sitting by my horse trailer at a show, just hanging out in the parking lot with my coffee and sandwich. There was a lot of activity going on around me. At the next trailer was a family who was obviously just getting into horses. They had a really nice horse but what struck me was the number of times they unwittingly put that horse and each other in jeopardy.
What I’m trying to say here is that whenever they focused on a task, they really zoned in. This, rather than keeping their heads up, their eyes all-seeing, their collective focus wide and soft.
While putting their horse’s mane in braids, they did not notice that he and the horse tied beside him had moved so that their quarters were aimed for a face-off. I watched and waited and sure enough, the neighbour got ready to initiate the first kick. At this point, I gave a heads up, for the child was directly in the line of fire. The family looked up at me, confused and then, were quick to assure me that their horse would never harm them. Ah, perhaps not, but the neighbouring horse isn’t bound by the same contract.
Then, while fixing the daughter’s hair, neither parents nor child noticed that the reins draped over their waiting horse had slid, with one side to the ground. When they went to lead him, he stepped on his rein, flew backwards and broke it. Their readiness preparations then dissolved into a frenzy of bickering, repairing, blaming and tears. The day passed with one thing after another teaching this family lessons in horsemanship. They were lucky, for while their nerves appeared frazzled by day’s end, nobody actually got hurt.
I see so many situations where a rider fails to notice that the horse’s attention is on something in the hedgerow, or far off into the distance. They are caught unawares when the shy happens, or when the horse trips and falls into an unnoticed hole. They get kicked or run over, when they failed to see where the boss hoss was in the milling herd.
Oh, the stories we tell of things happening seemingly ‘without warning’… and yet, the horse has usually warned us, all along. It takes a lifetime of seeing the pitfalls, failing to see the pitfalls, falling into the pits and taking prat falls before we learn to really see… without having to mindfully tell ourselves to do so.
Even then, sometimes we fail to pay attention, with dire results. Bucking horses under saddle and runaway driving horses in harness are two examples that come to mind for me, personally. These and other stories bear telling, but will have to wait until another day.
Whenever we see a lifetime horse person sitting or working amongst horses—without looking to have a care in the world—trust me, they are watching, listening, feeling and taking in every subtle communication. Gaining this knowledge is a telling point, a milestone, in all our horsemanship.
The message here? Learn to be mindful, without being scared.
📷 Iain McLean.
