It’s pretty easy to pull out the laundry list of things your horse does that you don’t like. But I wonder what they would have to say about things we do that they don’t like? I bet the list would be pretty humbling.
It’s so easy to focus on what isn’t going well and what we want to improve. I work hard on my lessons to get people to notice the little improvements, and to have high standards but still spend their energy thinking about what is going well.
I don’t teach people by complaining about every thing they do wrong, in fact I ignore a good amount of it. It’s too overwhelming and would shut them down. They wouldn’t want to try anymore. That doesn’t mean I never work on those things, but I do them as they’re able- when they’re ready, with plenty of attention going toward the changes and efforts they’re making.
Are you encouraging or discouraging your horse? You can notice the things you don’t like, but don’t set up permanent residence in buzz kill land
