I learned money doesn’t grow on trees and if it did my horse would eat it
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;7456738]
Guys, all the OP’s stories are fake.[/QUOTE]
Oh, good, then I won’t have to ask why they thought it was a good idea to let a teenager ride a green broke 3 year old on the road.
My grandfather had a saying- “You can have anything- but you can’t have everything.”
I knew the words, but I didn’t really understand the meaning. I thought it had something to do with what you want to be in life, or with what you can buy with money. Horses taught me another meaning to my grandfather’s saying- that has to do with how you approach a problem- and that sometimes it’s that we are so focused on the everything we want- we fail to see all the anythings presenting themselves…sometimes as convenient building blocks to reaching the everything.
Two stories from about 20 years ago.
A man had a young mule who was not learning to lead. he was a big man and had wrestled with her a little and that just made her more worried and panicky when the leadrope came out. To make the situation even harder- the mule was very attached to a boarder’s mare and doing anything with the mule was difficult because she was so bonded to this mare. I had an idea, got permission to try it, and made arrangements with the boarder to accompany her on a hack. I was a bit fearful that I might get stuck “out” with this unmanagable mule- but I was pretty sure my plan would work. I just clipped the leadrope on and let the mule follow her friend which was exactly what she wanted to do!! I let the mule lead me for about a mile. Then gradually I began to gather myself up into the position of the one doing the leading- only I didn’t ask anything of her… for another mile. Then gradually I gently coaxed her to alter her path a little for me— just a little to this side of the road as we walk- go away from my pressure… now back this way again- follow the pull of the rope as we go along with your friend… now just a little bit slower… now let’s catch up… It was very relaxing and fun for both of us- and when we returned to the farm she was pretty much halter broke- she had learned the ins and out of what this leading thing is- without it being a fight.
Another situation with my own horse- he’d become barn sour and prancy as we returned to the farm from a hack- I wanted him to walk quietly so I didn’t have to spend a lot of time cooling him down- I was so stuck on my idea that he had to walk relaxed and quietly on a loose rein- and so stuck on the idea that I was the boss and entitled to have what I wanted - I got very egotistical and angry- we were warring. His behavior was getting worse and worse- he’d begin to sweat and prance earlier and earlier in the ride. I wanted a cool horse arriving at the barn- and my fighting with him was making him hotter than if we’d simply cantered!! Knowing full well that I was being a major jerk- I had my own come to Jesus with myself. I apologized to my horse and took my grandfather’s advice. The next time we went out- when my horse started to get wound up for the big fight for the homestretch- I thanked him for the nice ride and dismounted. Loosened the girth, and ran up the stirrups. My horse looked at me like I was nuts. As I led him back to the farm he jigged sideways. The next time we did it again- but this time he managed to snatch a few bites of roadside grass as we walked in a ground gobbling stride. Gradually all the tension and anger that had happened along that stretch of road was replaced with relaxation and love. It only took a week- we both had an attitude change. At that point I didn’t have to dismount- and could let him walk on a loose rein and still let him snatch some grass- and we’d arrive back at the barn cool and happy.
I learned that doing the right thing is far from doing the easiest thing.
And that I have to be responsible enough to always do the right thing - no matter how much it hurts.
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7455622]
Best life lessons so far:
(1) Always, ALWAYS trust your instincts. “Gut” trumps both heart and head!
(2) Take things one day, minute, stride, fence at a time.
(3) Make haste slowly.
(4) Goals are fine, but the relationship is the point.[/QUOTE]
Oh heck yes! It took me so many years to learn this, but now I think I am there!
This thread might have started as a sham, but good life lessons here, and worth it just to read Pennywell Bay’s story.
I wouldn’t say it’s the best lesson I’ve ever learned on a horse, or the most important, but it’s one that stood out to me. It goes:
You need to ride like you’ve never fallen off.
If you go into any situation expecting to fall off–expecting the worst from people–then how can you ever hope to get the best from them? That’s what getting on my green horse and riding her on my own has taught me. I had shattered confidence and didn’t trust horses. I thought I trusted them like I always had, but the truth was that I didn’t. This does not make for good experiences with a green horse.
But after a swift kick in the but from some friends, I got on and started riding. Then I kept doing it on my own, even without friends there to help. I handled a few spooky situations, typical greenie sass, and the like and still have remained seated in my saddle without falling. I did lose my balance a couple of times (out of shape, still learning) but the key factor here is that my horse didn’t really want to hurt me–even when she was busy being mcsassy pants and saying she didn’t want to do something.
I realized at some point in my rides and hacks with her that I’d been constantly asking “what is going to happen if she really spooks or bucks, will I fall off?” In other words, rather than being confident in my ability to handle the situation and accept that whatever happens will happen, I was being apprehensive about that. And that wasn’t fair to the horse. It doesn’t matter if it’s a greenie or a headstrong bucker. You deal with the behavior as it comes… you can’t just sit around waiting for it to happen because it shatters their confidence too.
This was an important lesson to me, because previously I hadn’t realized how much my fears and anxieties were holding me back in every day life. Being positive is a skill I need to work on. And I haven’t fixed the problem over night, but I can say that when I got on this morning my horse and I had a wonderful, worry free ride and I think it was brought on by the new perspective I have.
TL;DR: Worrying about something doesn’t stop it from happening, and it is in fact one of the most counterproductive things you can do. Once you have your plan in mind, stick to it and recognize that you’ve done what you can to prevent/handle things that go wrong. Once you let go of “what if” the possibilities will seriously grow for you.
Timing. When to quit. When to push through apathy. How to say goodbye.
Also, sometimes the most obnoxious people have the most to offer but that doesn’t mean every obnoxious person has something to offer. When I figure out how to tell the difference, I’ll share with the rest of the class 
