I read something today in the January 30th Chronicle of the Horse that made me laugh out loud.
In an article by trainer John Madden, “A New Year Means New Goals”, he says:
“Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of treating your horse like a Barbie doll and getting too carried away by the accessories, such as excessive veterinary work, chiropractors, masseuses and psychic intervention. While properly used, some of these things can be very valuable (except for the psychic), but they can also interfere with training schedules and practice. The best thing most people can do for their horse is spend more time in the saddle.”
Amen to that!
One of the best instructions I ever received from a trainer, when I was hesitant to push the horse (believing I couldn’t possibly be doing the exercise correctly), was “JUST RIDE “. What she meant was I couldn’t learn it by thinking through it, I had to ride through it, even if messy, until I could ride it right.