In The Saddle
I have had a love for horses for as long as I could remember, but it wasn’t until later in my life that I took that love and did something with it. I wasn’t raised around these animals and every interaction I had with them had to be worked towards. What started as mucking out stalls evolved into my first lesson (and I am eternally grateful for the people that gave me those opportunities), and from there I worked with over 40 horses in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, which eventually evolved into me starting my second business, Mountain Rose Farm Care, helping people that have the same love for animals that I do.
Working with all those horses in the mountains I got to meet a lot of people and help guide them through their first experiences. Some fell in love and caught the horse bug just like I did, and others left just with a little more knowledge and a lot less fear. I always felt lucky being a part of somebody else’s first time in the saddle, when it wasn’t too many years ago that I was right where they were.
The agricultural world is a hard world to get into when you aren’t born into it, but in the same breath it is a crucial knowledge that must be shared before it is gone. Grace has to be extended to the people who are coming into the game late, that is the only way to strengthen and grow the community. It is not something to gate keep from the “city slickers” that want to truly learn the nuances of this life, and it is not something to try to fully industrialize and streamline to push out the old cowboys. Each group has something to offer the other, and it is only through opening up and learning that can strengthen this rich culture and fully understand its importance.
I feel with my background of owning a business and fully being immersed in “city life”, while also finding my way into a small section of what the agricultural and ranching community has to offer, I have been able to boil down the universal lessons that being around animals can teach- no matter where you are from. There is a reason that horses are used as therapy animals, while simultaneously having their own careers as working ranch horses or rodeo horses- they have the same depth a person can have. We as people just need to understand that and take the time to find the depth and understanding we have in ourselves.
There can be comfort in fear when you learn to trust.
When you have a green horse, they are constantly in a state of fear. They are unsure of what is safe, what to do, and what is being asked of them. As you train, you are constantly reassuring them that you are safe, and what you are asking of them is safe. The only way to make a breakthrough in training is once they understand that you will lead them to safety and take care of them. This concept has been used in church sermons and training clinics: “You need to be this horse’s peace.”
Switch places with that horse. Through life there are many moments of uncertainty, fear, and lost direction. Whether you trust in something bigger like God, or you just trust in yourself that you can get through this time of struggle and figure things out, there will not be a moment of peace or forward momentum until you stop living in fear and find something to trust in.
You can be strong and kind.
Horses are big and sometimes scary. Being around them you can never forget how easily they can hurt, or even kill, you. This is why some people have true fears of them. But, the connection and trust you can put into an animal with those capabilities will be returned to you ten-fold through a gentleness and love you wouldn’t think they are able to give. The same concept could sometimes be said about the people in this industry- there are some big and scary looking cowboys and cowgirls out there. But, they are also some of the kindest and selfless people I have ever met. Through the ruggedness and sternness, they care so deeply about their animals and the people in their lives.
There is a mindset in big cities that you must claw your way to the top to make it, no matter who or what is in the way. That ruggedness is deep set within who they are, not just how they look on the outside. Learning how to hold a gentleness and softness, while still getting what needs done, done, is something that might take a lifetime to master; but it is crucial in finding a balance within yourself.
Patience will get you farther than anger ever will.
Horses are one of the biggest tests of patience, especially through training and consistency. You are working with another living being that has no way of clearly communicating to you. They have off days just like we do, pain like we do, and fear just like we do. Taking the time to learn their non-verbal cues and problem solve for them can be intimidating- you are reading the subtleties of an ear twitch, the way a hoof hits the ground, and the shape of a mouth. There is no way to beat them into communicating what they need, it is truly a process of trial, error, and repetition.
In a hustling and bustling world like today, it is hard to use patience when everything is filled with immediate gratification and constant evolving. We get angry when things don’t immediately change to fit alongside us on our path, but kicking and screaming about it will not get you anywhere you want to be. You have to understand the little cues of life, and act accordingly to get the end result you hope for.
You must be the centering thing in your own life.
When you ride, that horse can feel you tense up, and understand your heart rate getting rapid; they read the nonverbal cues you give the same way you have come to understand theirs. They now look to you for leadership and security, and can sense when you can’t give that to them. You have to learn to calm and recenter yourself before they continue to trust you.
You have to put in the effort to calm yourself down before you make your next steps too. Logical thinking and self-regulation comes first, or you will only wind yourself up and make decisions based out of fear or anger.
The bigger the commitment, the bigger the reward.
The more time you spend with an animal, whether it be training or bonding, you are committing to them. And through consistency of that commitment, you can nurture a relationship stronger than you thought possible. You can turn that rescue into a rodeo horse. This is true with any relationship- the more you commit, the bigger the reward. If you commit yourself to your dreams, you will get closer to them quicker than just hoping for those opportunities to fall into your lap. If you commit to a partner, you will have the opportunity to establish a loving and lasting relationship. Anything worth doing takes a level of commitment and consistency.
You must stay open minded to learning and listening.
Within the horse world, there are 100 different ways to do the same thing. Different fly sprays, ways to manage a colic, how to tie a rope halter, how to cinch down a saddle. Different things work for different horses, different things work for different people, there is nothing wrong with doing what works for you. The damage only comes when you shut yourself off to a different perspective, when pride gets in the way of the ultimate goal. Through life, you have to learn to set down your ego and plainly listen to another perspective, because sometimes another way is better than yours. If it works in the long run better than what you were doing, say “thank you” and continue on. Not everything needs to be rooted in pride, and a certain humbleness will get you farther than ego ever will.
It is okay to need help.
People cannot know everything about everything. I might know how to ride a western horse, but if you threw me in an English saddle and told me to jump, I wouldn’t know the first thing about it. But there is always an opportunity to know more. Asking questions and opinions doesn’t make you less of a horse-person, just like in life it doesn’t make you less of a value. Every single person has to start from 0, so do not be afraid to reach for what is next to learn.
