A Glass Horse

Mistakes and recovery

In order to learn, we have to develop a healthy relationship with mistakes. I often tell my students, “try your best, don’t worry about being perfect because it’s not possible.”

That’s easy for me to say, but harder for me to experience. When I’m a student, I learn so much about myself. I am put in positions where my best wasn’t enough for the moment, where I misread a horse or scenario, or just plain didn’t respond at all. It is uncomfortable to make mistakes, and even more to make those publicly.

But if we are more concerned with our own image or comfort than growth, we lose one of the most important lessons- recovery.

It is essential to be aware of the mistake to learn from it. It’s very important to be able to admit what we failed at so that we can be sure to adapt and adjust for the future. But what is harder for many to learn is how to recover - to shake it off and regroup with fresh awareness and calm.

One of the great benefits of making mistakes is to learn that it is inevitable - shoot for 100% and regroup when we meet failure. The more we practice the skill of regrouping, the better at it we can be.

Make your mistake, learn from it, and regroup: emotionally; physically, spiritually. Then get back in the pen.

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Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water - zen proverb

A lot of people come looking for help for an issue with their horse. I have a solution in mind, but I often have to be creative in how I go about it if important skill sets are missing from the rider-

For example: an inverted horse struggles with transitions, popping their head up and hollowing out their back. I can give the rider tools to manage it now- but the problem will persist until the rider learns how to sit to prevent or guide the movement into a better balance through their seat. As long as the rider is bumping around like a canoe on rough waves, they will be perpetuating the problem, or at the very least unable to help.

That’s the problem with teaching: it could take a long time to create an educated seat enough to ride this particular horse. Most will get frustrated and bored and move on from this tedious and unpopular work.

But, giving an immediate fix to this problem without addressing the root perpetuates this thinking: a rider seeking a fix without looking internally and working from there.

What most riders need is hours of learning to sit tactfully and follow and absorb the horses motion. Learning to pick up their reins with tact without their seat stopping. Using their leg without gripping or scrunching. Breathing in the saddle deeply as a habit. Picking up and dropping stirrups repeatedly so you aren’t dependent on them for balance.

Who wants to do all this chopping wood and carrying water? Any serious rider devoted to the wellbeing of their horses back. But people are pretty good at mental gymnastics- it’s fun to find a program with great marketing that bypasses learning these crucial skills. Learn to lower or raise your horses head artificially and you can easily cover symptoms - push buttons, throw treats around every two feet of your arena to keep the horse moving, or whatever the program entails - and you never really have to learn to ride or problem solve.