It’s not about what you get done, it’s the way you get it done that counts
Each interaction with the horse we have, whether it be to get a task done, like putting a halter on, or doing an exercise, like a transition, has a world of possibilities within it. There is nothing we do that doesn’t affect the outcome of something further along the line with our horses- it’s only a matter of how much we’re aware of it.
Within the first touch of an unhandled colt lives the first ride, and every upper level movement that exists. The way we lay in the feel we offer, the way we teach them to think and find center, the way we ask them to get straight and stay relaxed in the neck: a first touch is just as important as the first rollback or canter pirouette- or much more so. Because we lay the foundation for how the horse feels about the rest of his life.
There is nothing so important as mundane tasks, the small stuff we take for granted and tune out, or the firsts we rush to get to, so we can move up and on.
For instance, leading your horse through a gate is teaching them transitions. Within each passing through a threshold lives the first transition from walk to trot, or the first piaffe steps, or a flying change. Because the quality and attention we choose to offer the horse in passing from one side of the fence to another teaches them how to tune into us when changes are expected, how to get balanced to prepare for something new, how to get centered, straight and calm to move from one way of going to another. It teaches them a great deal about our attentiveness, our reliability as a partner, and what they can expect us to offer.
There is no haltering, leading, trailer loading, grooming or simply even saying hello that doesn’t alter their way of going, or their way of thinking. Everything we hope to accomplish is made possible through the care we offer to doing simple things well, and the respect for the nature of the horse within every interaction.
A Matter of Balance 