Mistaking Activity For Accomplishment

Mistaking Activity For  Accomplishment   (c) by Sol Spitz



Habits that take up amounts of our time,

and deplete our energy without accomplishing anything

of value in return, need to be addressed...


We all have our down time, re-charge time,

gathering of information time, so here I'll keep the topic in how it

relates to horses, of course we can also view the horse

as a metaphor, for  the journey inside our unconcious...





A few days ago I was driving past an area, and I saw someone

working some reining manuevers...when I see others and their

animals its important to understand that it isn't to criticize others,

its to develop a critical eye...its to get a feel for how everything inter-connects...

Its how I was taught to be as complete a horseman as possible, for me...


The person was asking the horse to do more parts of a manuever
 
than the horse could accomplish with confidence...a spin for a reining horse

is to spin in one direction a few revolutions in one spot, then the other
 
way for a few turns...its to show the athleticism of the horse and the
 
control of the person over the horse...with very accomplished horses and

riders it is to show the communication and teamwork with the horse and

rider...


What a lot of riders tend to do is to work the horse harder than is necessary,

How do I know that...because the horse tells me...during a lesson if the horse gets

labored and un-co-ordinated then its being asked to do more than it understands,

or is being asked to do too much...but a lot of trainers want to show a big sweat

to show that they're accomplishing something...but what are they

really accomplishing...the horse trained this way will eventually lose confidence

and have a broke horse look...and it may win at some show, but eventually owners and

trainers are always looking for the next big winner...when...with a little understanding,

and taking time to actually teach the horse they could have built up the horse as

an athlete, that they are born to be...people tend to get greedy with animals ...like they have

proove a point to show that they are doing something...


The manuevers I teach is based on a good ground covering walk, up to a trot

and back to the walk, then I shift their weight...if the horse can do these without

nervousness then they're ready for more...how much is enough...I suggest to quit before

the horse quits, especially at the learning stage, where the horse develops confidence

in us, and their abilities...also if my time-line is an hour lesson, I break up the hour into

fifteen minute increments, with a five minute rest...it tends to keep the horse fresh...

I don't want a broke(n)  horse...I wouldn't want to break the horses spirit...

They're wonderful animals who want nothing more than to know how and

where they fit in...and when you think about it, you can feel your own way thru...