11/03/2019
HORSEMANSHIP has become a lost art. I thought I would write some thoughts on it, why it is so important, and how we can keep developing it in our riders.
Horsemanship , to me, has many elements.
1. Riding ,of course, is a part of horsemanship. Riding in an empathetic, kind, clear ,concise way . ( We could spend hours on this )
2. Safety. Learning how to handle horses in a safe way. This means horses of various ages and education levels . This also means not only safety for the human, but keeping the horse safe as well ( although we all know they could hurt themselves in a padded room ).
3. Care of the horse - basic needs of the horse on a daily, monthly, yearly scale. Learning how the horses body functions so you can make decisions for the horse such as when it needs help with arthritis, how to handle different sports injuries, how to feed the horse for maximum performance but also for various health problems such as cushings.
Learning different leg wraps, foot wraps, how to deal with wounds etc.
4. Learning how a horse thinks. What does the horse want out of the relationship with you and with his herdmates ? I just discussed with a student yesterday - most horses do not like their heads hugged, much like I dont like people touching my face ! There are a few horses who like this. Some horses love to be groomed, others hate it. Does the horse need you to spend more time with it beyond riding ?
5. Noticing everything . Grooming properly for cleaning the horse but more importantly to check the horse for ailments. Do you feel your horses legs every time you groom ? I do ! You should know the tightness of his tendons. I run my hands over the horse as i groom it and notice lumps and muscle soreness.
How does it eat every day ? ( hint....horses are the same every day ) Does the horse throw its feed out of its bowl or does it eat quietly ? Is it always first to the gate or does it hang back ? Does it walk briskly or dawdle ? When you notice things , you can head off big problems quickly.
6.Education. A horseman knows that even a lifetime dedicated to the horse will only still be the tip of the iceburg of knowledge. Seek out more learning - books, magazines, riders, trainers, barn managers, vets and farriers and body workers. There is so much to learn. Education isnt limited to people and books...horses are our greatest educators. They tell us what does work and doesnt work. Their language is through their body and very rhythmical. They need consistency more than anything.
7.. Even bigger decisions. When is it time to end the horses life ? Do you have a plan? ( burial, cremation, rendering plant etc ) Horses are very stoic. They dont show obvious pain because they believe a mountain lion is going to come eat them. ( and when they do, they are in so much pain they dont CARE if a mountain lion eats them ) So how do you know?
Personally, I dont believe in letting a horse suffer until it dies. We have a GIFT we can give them, that they dont have to suffer through that agony.
One of my....proudest moments as an instructor / mentor was the following story. It is hard. It is tearful. It is LOVE at its highest degree.
One morning I was feeding all the horses in my barn and I went in to feed a lovely bay gelding who was boarded with me and he looked at me head on and I noticed that one of his eyes was bigger than the other. Probably would never have noticed from the side. Long story short..after a scoping he had a tumor in his sinuses. Not operable. It was pushing his eye out. I was very surprised when the owner decided to euthanize him shortly after the diagnosis. She thought about the headaches he must have, the constant pressure on his eye and how that must feel. And she made a hard but brave decision. A great gift.
8. Lastly is Love. Which is directly linked to all of the above. If you dont love horses: their smell, their different personalities, their idiosyncrasies, the feeling they give you, being one with them etc....then I think you are missing out. They aren't an animal to dominate. They are a friend. A respected relationship. I enjoy my horses every day
They are so honest. They have no idea how to lie or cheat. Horses have no ambition. They dont care if they win the Olympics or the Congress. They just want a relationship, a life, to be healthy and cared for. How lucky are we to be able to communicate with them ?!
Horsemanship - an art I hope that more and more seek out. Jenn Hoffman
