Knowing ME - Knowing YOU - Part III

Looking back at the past week I have come to realise that I don't want to just ride a horse. To me it has become much more.

I realise the great responsibility I have towards the horse. By that I don't mean it's health or it's safety, that is a given. What I means is my responsibility to keep the relationship alive. To keep it honest, free, pure and simple and through this to build a foundation based on trust and understanding.

The riding aspect is not really of that great of an importance to me. Yes of course, I enjoy it greatly and it is wonderful to feel this force underneath, to move with it and observe each of its movements, to be one with it.

But I don't get itchy feet if I am not riding for a few days. I am just as happy going for walks with 'Mr F'.

I cannot enjoy riding or working with a horse that does not want to be part of what is going on.

Having an interested and mentally sound horse will be a more willing horse. Where as a distressed and out of sorts animal will just be like sitting on a pressure cooker - it will explode at any moment.

And in view of the total communication breakdown between myself and 'Mr F' I have now decided not to ride him until I have figured out what exactly is the matter.

To be able to treat a horse in a fair manner, what we humans need to do is to be able to (this list may change as our journey continues):

- to listen

- to observe

- TO STAY CALM (even if not feeling so inside!)

- a WANT to learn

- to concentrate / focus

- the ability to THINK, re-think and THINK again

- a great deal of willingness to ADMIT to being WRONG

- have DIGNITY (the light doesn't shine out your backside, it never will!)

- SET ONES MIND FREE - to have the ability to forget whatever else is going on in ones life as soon as one is with the horse. If one is not capable of doing this, it will sooner or later interfere/distract. Basically: you have to be MENTALLY STRONG for the horse. The horse doesn't care if you had a bad day, it doesn't care if you have been let down or betrayed or whatever else. It only cares if you care, and then it will be with you.

In addition it also requires a great deal of:

- self-DISCIPLINE

- self-control (perhaps both go together to some extenct)

- a fair amount of GUTS or failing that a HUGE amount of acting abilities! If the horse notices that you are insecure or frightened, it will be weary. They are amazing at reading body language, they are prey animals afterall!

I am convinced that the riding can only flourish if I get a decent relationship going between myself and the horse.

If I have a willing horse, then there will be less struggle and I have time to concentrate on my job as a rider, to be with the horse, to be with its movements and its mind. But right now I have a long long road to get there it seems ...

I need to find out what is wrong with our relationship.