This evening, I took a deep breath and really thought about what my experiences with horses have taught me. One of the biggest things I have learned… is confidence. If you ever doubt that horses are teachers, then take the chance to go to a local fun show and watch all of those wonderful, patient, kind, horses go around in circles with the itty bitty children bouncing all over their backs. They take no notice of the child’s lack of riding, but very obediently hack around the ring carrying the child safely back to a beaming mom and dad. The horse doesn’t have flashy gaits or perfect conformation, but to me, is worth its weight in gold. Recently, I wrote an article about Edward Gal and Totilas. Before I wrote that article, I did a little reading on them. There have only been three people to ride Totilas. Yes… Totilas may be setting the dressage standard now, but only three people in the world have ridden him; Edward, Edward’s exercise rider, and Totilas’s owner, who wanted to ride him at least once (Wouldn’t you?). I now ask you to think about that quiet old school horse that happily hacks around the show ring. How many children has that horse taught to ride? How much joy has that horse brought to those children and built their confidence in riding and probably in life in general? Once we feel successful at learning something such as riding, we can ponder where we might have success in other areas of our lives. I think that way with this very website. I have stepped totally out of my comfort zone to try something new and see what I can learn from it. The only difference from riding is I don’t have a fuzzy nose to thank each day for that opportunity.

I wonder in the big scheme of the universe, if that old school horse’s value is even greater than a big, expensive, talented, show horse. I wouldn’t tell Totilas’s owner that though. I’m sure if you ask those children when they are all grown-up how much that horse meant to them, they will feel it is much more than a monetary value. Those horses exist and touch our lives for a reason and the world is a better place for having them in it.

So, what have the horses that have touched my life taught me other than confidence? I have learned patience, because you can’t learn everything all at once. The fact that I am not perfect, neither is my horse, and neither is anyone for that matter. You will probably always feel failure if you strive for perfection, however, you should always give it your best shot. Each day is a new day and although we should learn from the past, we should not dwell in it or continuously punish ourselves for mistakes. Good food, good friends, and space to stretch your legs are all you really need. A little dirt never hurt anyone. Laugh as much as possible because it is good for your soul. Nothing clears your mind better than the smell of fresh sawdust and hay on a cool clear day.

As I bring my article to a close, think about what horses have taught you in your life. Maybe they taught you how to get through a rough spot or helped you see on a bad day, that all of little things you have let get to you, are just that …”little.” Appreciate the good days, learn from the bad, and be thankful our world was created with horses.

Your quote for the day:

“Don’t be the rider who gallops all night and never sees the horse that is beneath him”

~ Jelaluddin Rumi.