For the people around us not caught up in the
passion of horses, these are very common questions. When you really corner a horse lover and try to pry
the reasons from them, the answers can range from vague to more than you were hoping to know. In every
case, however, you tap into an emotion that would be similar to questioning “Why do you love your
parents?” The connection for a person born with the love of horses seems almost like a virus. It comes
from within your body, where you feel yourself react on a cellular level. You can mask the symptoms, you
can divert them, but nothing ever replaces the sense of completion you have when you touch a horse- any
horse. Certain horses have a special place, and certainly some will hold a more special place than
others. However, the reality is that if you take a horse addict to the most beautiful beach in the world,
the highlight of their day will be the moment they pet the donkey carrying bananas down
the beach.
Most people deeply involved with horses have been born with
the desire to be close to the animal. I have a woman who started cutting my hair while she was pregnant. She
gave birth to a boy – and he has an absolute fever for horses! She and her husband are from New York, and
she says “ animals are o.k., but other than a dog neither of us ever looked at animals.” Her boy started
gesturing at horses as soon as he could see them out a car window. She now comes to my barn to cut my hair
while her boy gets to ride around on our old Arabian. The entire time he rides, he explains to whoever is
leading him that this is HIS horse and soon he will be able to take care of it himself. I personally hope
that he is right. At this writing he is three years old, a mystery to his parents and a soul mate to
me.
The joy of being a teacher is that you get to tap into the
energy that drives every rider questing for knowledge, and you get to fan that passion by sharing with them
what you have learned. It is a new journey with each individual, even if they have been your student for
decades. Many a dedicated rider has fielded the question “Don’t you know how to ride yet?” Does the
Philharmonic have a conductor? Does Michael Jordan have a coach? Don’t they know how to play yet? The
answer, which for us is visceral, escapes many an observer. My friend and mentor, Kathy Connelly, has a
wonderful ability to put our passion into words. In the introduction to her book “DRESSAGE INSIGHTS:
EXCERPTS FROM EXPERTS” she writes:
“It is impossible to extinguish the passion we feel for our
horses, their beauty and the development of their prowess. Additionally, there is a spiritual cathartic
process when we combine our nature with theirs to share the risks and profits of the training
process.”
For parents who are concerned that this passion can
interfere with the correct development of their child, I encourage you absorb the following, for more true
words about training have not been spoken:
“Training horses in Dressage is also the ongoing lifetime
development of the human individual. To become a trainer and understand the complexities of the horse, the
rider must learn about himself and be dedicated to his own mental and physical development. The trainer must
discover, acknowledge, and shed his defenses, obstinacy and arrogance. He must strive for personal
integrity, humility and the desire to grow in order to maintain a truthful relationship with his
horse.
The demands of growth require honesty, creativity,
self reflection, self discipline and the coping mechanisms for dealing with intermittent
failure and success. Trainers must learn what it means to do less to achieve more and to reward generously
for what may be only a small achievement in order to maintain a horse’s [and a rider’s] desire to
try.”
These words speak volumes to me, as I am sure they do to
others who work in the wee hours of the morning, in the hot sun, dry dust and soaking rains of riding
arenas. For those of us who drive old cars so that we can ride fresh horses our lifestyle makes sense. For
the observers who watch and fear for the sanity of their children or loved one; I encourage you to see
deeper than the surface, to envision the passion underneath, that can bring such heights of joy and depths
of despair: for those are the feelings that make life interesting and worthwhile. For those of us who get to
participate, we are truly blessed, and would have it no other way.
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