An Essay on Horsemanship: Being around critters all of the time can get you to a place where you kind of get used to it. You start being too relaxed, too easy going, too self-assured. Thats not good. A primary reality that horsemen must stay aware of is this: Horses will always be horses. They will always act in the ways of their kind. And we will always be humans. We are smaller, weaker, slower, and softer than these wonderful beasties. Does all of this sound familiar? Have you read something from me along these lines here, before? I sure hope so because its a very important aspect of what Ive come to know after 65+ years with em. And again, horses expect you to look out for yourself. They know, in the herd, its on them to stay out of the way of others, be alert to whats going on around them, and to do what it takes to protect the herds survival. For their kind, that means getting underway in a big hurry and getting out of harms way. When they bolt, its serious business. Its a survival thing. Youre supposed to know that and respond appropriately. Just standing there and getting run over is viewed as not especially useful to em as a way to save the herd. Their behavior is not aggression. They are not attacking you or being dangerous by design. Theyre doing what has worked for them for a very long time. For hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years, equines have made their way in the world with the good practice of taking to their heels and moving as one, as a herd. Its a behavior you can expect to see and you should be prepared to deal with it. Its always there. Its just one little trigger response away. Ignore that at your peril. When youre with these magnificent creatures try and bring your A game all the time. They do. Jim
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:46:51 +0000
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