12/04/2024
THIS IS A MUST READ 🐎🐎🐎🐎
It’s absolutely mind boggling if you think about it.
Your horse gets absolutely nothing out of being competitive for you. Not a darn thing. Of course horses are bred for specific jobs, or they’re bred to be athletic to a certain degree. However, horses don’t wake up thinking about chasing cans, or cows, or flying over jumps.
They have no idea how much money is added to the pot. They have no idea that this is a qualifier. They have no idea that this is the short go.
And DESPITE us... DESPITE our nerves, our flaws, our incorrect ques, our huge emotions, they get the job done to their very best ability. Even when we fail them by letting our emotions get in the way, they come back and they try again. For US. Whoa. Let that sink in. If only we could all be so understanding.
To think of an animal that is forgiving and flexible enough to put up with the repetition of practice, the intense nerves of the rider, the stress of travelling and still meet you at the gate for scratches is MIND. BLOWING.
If you haven’t done so lately. Thank your horse.
If you’re successful, thank the horses that put you there and made you. Thank the horses that gave everything they had for you simply because you ASKED them to.
If you’re still on the journey to success, thank the horses that made you fall in love with your sport and who have helped give you the confidence to want to learn more and be better.
We can never stop learning as horsemen and horsewomen, and by continuing our education every horse in our future will be better off.
Next time you head to the arena leave your ego at the door and thank your horse!”
~Samantha Roffer
photo credit Amanda Bradford
