“I don’t let anyone else ride my horse.”
“I’m just really particular about my training process and I like it the way I like it.”
“It just makes the win sweeter when I’ve done it all myself.”
“Well, I learned from ol’ so-and-so, and he wouldn’t have ever done it like that.”
Mm-hmm. OK then.
A lot of my life is spent around people who ride — for fun, for necessity, for a living. There are riders, there are cowboys, hobbyists and horsemen of all levels. Most of them acknowledge the heavily traveled (but undeniably rough) path that takes one down the road of horsemanship. They understand how much goes into developing timing, feel, knowledge and maturity in the saddle. But some of them just seem to want to do it all on their own.
I’ve been to clinics and seen ladies’ eyes well up when someone else rides their colt for the first time. It was a dream of theirs to be the only person ever on his back, and the clinician felt it wasn’t safe or in anyone’s best interest to do so. So that dream ended the first day he was ridden, even though they were all better set up for success on ride two.
I see people applaud the fact that someone “does it all on their own.” And it seems sometimes this narrower perspective on horse training methods and the whole “trying to control the entire process yourself” stems from folks who don’t understand the benefit of outside influence.
Did I learn all that I know from just one teacher? Just one perspective on life? Heck no. I’ve had mentors and influencers from all walks of life. People who are athletes, riders, hippies, cowboys, experts, novices, supporters and discouragers. I have so much further to go. I’m bringing them all with me. They say it takes a village to raise a child, so why would anyone think they ought to control the entire training process themselves on a young horse?
Taking it one step further, I think that as horsemen, the more influence, the better. It’s so helpful to have a compass, to have someone whose methods and influence match well with one’s goals, struggles and style with their horses. But in reality, almost everyone who comes along has something to offer you in your journey. It might be one little comment about your swing in the branding pen that’s life-changing. Your thoughts about the rundown and stop in a reining pattern might totally be altered in the best way by having a conversation with someone who isn’t your go-to. Your horse could benefit greatly from someone mentioning an effective and affordable ulcer treatment. The list goes on and on.
No man is an island. No horseman is either. As I sit here at the Will Rogers Coliseum during the Snaffle Bit Futurity wearing my invisible journalism spy goggles, I realize that the more advanced the horseman, the quicker he (or she!) is to have someone else step on, feel what they are struggling with, have a conversation about it, and learn. I’ve seen huge changes in horses in minutes and huge shifts in scores by having little talks at the right time.
Don’t read into this as if every single person with a pair of Anderson Bean boots needs to ride your colt. And not everyone who opens their mouth has something helpful to say. You’ve got to take the initiative to have a filter, to understand who you respect and appreciate, and what sort of help it would take to gain. There needs to be a lot of weeding out in this process. Plenty of folks are going to teach you what you don’t want to do, and that’s valuable too.
But if you walk into any sort of challenge with your eyes open and your mind ready to absorb, and then know to include the right kind of others in the process, I think it makes the win even sweeter, myself.
It’s not by accident that the photographer allows for a lot of room in that ol’ winner’s circle. That final picture comes out a whole lot better when you have a village standing in there with you.
So true. And I so appreciate Kelli’s views.