Okay so we’ve talked about saving our brain, and toes, but what really started me on the idea of extremities were my fingers.

Hands, fingers, and toes are all very upfront when working with horses.  They also manage to be in the wrong places at times.  Pretty much all the people I know, that really work with horses, have had their fingers broken or dislocated at one point.  It’s not always because we aren’t careful, it just happens.

Lead lines, longe lines, and halters are the biggest problems with reins coming in there somewhere.

First thing I tell people is not to wrap anything around their hands, it’s quickest way to get dragged.  I instruct my students to either make big circle loops or serpentine with lines and reins.  Never put knots in anything.  You may think that will give you something to grip onto, but when they slip between your fingers you are bound to dislocate a knuckle.  Wearing gloves is also a help because (depending on the type of glove) you will have a better grip and less chance of getting a rope burn.

Now from riding we know that the muscle on the inside of our arm is not as strong as the muscle on the out side of our arm.  So if you are leading a horse and want a little more control have the line come through your hand from the pinky to the thumb, instead of having the line come from the halter through your hand from thumb to pinky.  If you have a horse that is really strong, use a stud chain for leverage.  Stud chain placement is a whole other subject.

Never try to lead a horse by the halter without a lead line.  Fingers have away of getting themselves into those little rings and openings, and one swift move from the horse and they’re broken.  Just having a fly land somewhere will cause him to swing his head around with your finger in tow.  Not to mention the pull on your shoulder.

These are all silly little things that can cause great pain and inconvenience.  Always be mindful of your fingers and toes.

I give this a big Thumbs Up!

If you’ve been around horses for any length of time you’ve had your toes stepped on, it just goes with the territory.  Now I always advocate wearing boots around the horses.  You still get stepped on but there’s something resembling a foot and toes left after the incident.  I’ve seen kids with flip-flops or barefoot, not at my barn, but when I see that my heart rises to my throat.  My grandchildren would run through the barn barefoot with me yelling at them, but the horses were out in the pasture, nowhere near the barn.

No matter how careful we are there is always that possibility.  All though I hurt my toe last week, ( which became a beautiful combination of colors of purple and blue and pink and red and finally yellow and green) slamming it into a chair leg.  My toes have been stepped on so many times they are all different lengths and shapes.  One bends both ways.  All this with boots on.  I’m very talented.

Several weeks ago I was putting a fly mask on one of the horses in the pasture and the horse next door spooked at something, invisible of course.  My horse felt or heard him spook and reacted putting one foot to the left to run.  He then realized I was there and stopped.  Yup, you guessed it, right on the arch of my left foot.  He froze, yup on my foot.  I stood there going ouch!, ouch!, ouch!, and simply pushed his shoulder and he removed his foot from mine very slowly and carefully.  Thank you God that I have all reasonable horses to work around.  They try at all times to be careful around people, but there is still that fight or flight instinct in them.

I always tell my students to pay attention, and do everything properly, even if you have the sweetest, best, kindest, smartest, horse in the world, because some day you may just be holding another horse that isn’t.  If you get in the habit of doing everything the right way, it will always come natural and instinctual.

Boots are always a good idea, and stylish too.  I like my toes, I use them everyday, just like my brains (well actually the jury is out on that lately.  I Hate Old Age!)

I tell the children to walk along side of the horses neck, just behind the head, holding the lead line or reins short, close to the halter or bit.  Don’t ever let them walk behind you, because if something frightens them they will probably run you over trying to get away from it.  Or never let them walk ahead of you because then you have no control.  I also tell them to look ahead to where they are going, not at the horse.  If you trip and fall, the horse is going to trip and fall over your body.   Double Ouch!

Be mindful of where your feet are, more so than theirs.

Ask.com describes that as having will power over obstacles.

It’s a great title but I’m not sure if that really has to do with my subject.  I guess, in a way it might.

With age I notice I’m having trouble with my mind.  It just doesn’t keep up with me anymore, and in most cases my friends are having the same problem.  For those of you who are young, a warning, it stinks.

But this post isn’t about old age, it’s really about the minds of children these days.

If you’ve worked with children for any period of time you have noticed a big change in their attention span.  Between working with the children at church and with the horses, it’s really becoming more of a challenge.  We hear more about A.D.D. and A.D.H.D.  When I was a kid, back in the stone age, we never heard anything about this stuff.  For that matter, kids were kids and really didn’t have these problems.  We were outside every chance we got, played hard, got tired and went to bed.  Now a days, both adults and children have their nose buried in some kind of technological wonder.  There is no eye contact with another human being, they will sit in the same room and text each other.  Games are now all downloaded and played constantly.  Things move so fast on the game board that children, when confronted with everyday life, find it extremely boring and slow.  As with adults, they want everything now.  Frustration comes in when things can’t be accomplished immediately and boredom sets in if the information isn’t passed along in a split second.  So how do you teach something that requires patience and time.

Aghhhhh!  I think that came from a stone age cartoon character in the comic strip B.C.  More recently it’s become my way of voicing frustration with the computer age children.

Our horses didn’t know anything about instant gratification.  They are still in the mind-set of walk around and find something to eat.  We are now putting a clock in their heads, just like our children, by putting them on a feed schedule.  They now paw at the gate or door if dinner is late, or if they want attention. To avoid this, keep hay or grazing available all the time.  Keep them as close to nature as possible.  We’ve conditioned our children and animals to become impatient and demanding, and truly, we do it to ourselves.  When I was a child there was the lay-a-way plan (which is making a comeback in some form).  If you wanted to purchase something, and you didn’t have the money, you gave the item to the clerk with a deposit and paid a little each week until it was totally paid for and then you took it home.  Now you take it home and then pay for it.

It’s time we took back control of our children, animals, and our lives.  We are so much in fast forward that most times we don’t even know what day it is.  I think that’s why so many people find peace when riding their horses.  To stay safe and enjoy we must slow down and stay in the moment.  If you get on your horse with the “to do list” running through your mind, your horse will feel it and become worried.  This could become dangerous because you are not aware of things going on around you.

Stop and smell the roses.  They may not be there tomorrow.  Take back control of your life and time.  Show your children that there is life out there.  Teach your horses to be horses again.  Trust me your horse will be more receptive to the idea than your children will.

In order to work with a horse, or teach children about horses, they need to slow their minds down and connect with another living, breathing, being, not a computer.  Horses don’t text, they need one on one time, and truthfully, so do we.

Life, right now, is like a run-away horse, take the reins, and take back the control, before it’s too late.

Stay in the moment, or you’ll miss life as it happens.

“Teach what you’ve learned and one less horse will suffer from ignorance, and never stop learning.”  This has always been my philosophy.

We all may not do things the same way.  It may be right, it may be wrong, or it may just be different.

Sharing what you’ve learned and comparing notes may be a learning experience, not only for you, but for others.  Of course we all feel that our way it right and the only way to do things.  But then we might just learn an easier, or another way of doing something.  Always file information in the back of your mind.  You may not need it at this moment, or with this horse, but you never know when a situation will present itself, and puff!, you’ve got just what the doctor ordered.

I love teaching, especially children.  I love explaining things in a fun, thought-provoking way.  There is nothing as satisfying as watching your students learn.  Not to just go through the motions, but really get it, apply it, and know why they are doing it.

I know that I have done my job right, when out of no where, I hear them explain to someone else, word for word,  why something is done a certain way.  Or they diagnose an ailment right off the bat without you even being aware that there was a problem.  I can’t begin to explain how proud I am of them.

Perhaps it is because of how my brain functions, I teach differently.  In order for me to grasp something, I have to know what makes it tick.  Some babies just learn to say NO!  I always asked WHY?

I want my students to learn to ask why.  But I also need them to know when the tone of my voice shouts a command, not a request.  Sometimes I see a disaster in the making and can avoid it by a simple correction, but I need them to respond, now!

I don’t remember the circumstances why we did a lesson on the ground one particular day, but it was one of the funniest, and most rewarding lessons I had ever given, or for that matter, ever received.  I was going to be a first time rider at the barn and they were going to give me a lesson.  What it did show me was exactly how much the girls had learned and retained.  Emily was my, to the very last detail person.   The depth of her knowledge and descriptions of what was to take place was way beyond what a beginner could handle.  Lexy became frustrated when she was trying to get her point across and I had no interest in what she was saying.  Diana made the announcement that she would never be an instructor, to which they all agreed to the same after much laughter.  Hannah, always in charge, was trying to make order out of chaos.  Bottom line was that these girls knew and retained everything I had taught them, could explain it and pass it on.

Emily touched my heart one morning while getting ready to ride.  She came and told me that Desert just wasn’t himself.  Emily and Desert were so in tune that she picked up that something was wrong before there were any clinical signs.  The signs followed hours later.

This is what I strive for.  Listening to what your horse is trying to tell you.  Sensing, feeling, listening, communication without words.  The horse is always trying to tell us, or teach us something.

The horse whispers, are we listening?

This is a question I’m asked often.

This is what I do.  You can use it as a sample as to what to look for in an instructor.

First question I always ask the child is “What do you want to do with your riding?”  Then I can either give them basics, and when they are ready, send them to an instructor who is going to further their particular riding interest (such as barrel racing), or continue teaching them myself.

When I send them off to another part of the state or to another state I first try to locate an ARIA certified riding instructor in their area.  ARIA stands for the American Riding Instructors Association.  When I certified with them in 1998 I was astonished at how high their standards of testing really are.  Safety is their main concern, as it should be, but the amount of knowledge that you needed to pass the tests were totally amazing.  If someone is ARIA certified, they know their stuff.   There are people out there that are excellent instructors, who have never tested or certified, it just requires more discernment on your part.

Anyone can hang out a sign saying they give riding lessons, but how much do they really know.  Just because a person hangs out a sign that says “Doctor Is In” doesn’t mean they know a hill of beans about diagnosis and treatments, you really had to pass the exams and had hands on time to be a real doctor.  Why do people trust their children’s lives to someone who just wants to make money at something they think is fun.  Someone may have been riding their whole life, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been doing it right.  Do they know how to see what the problem is and know how to teach the correct method of accomplishing the goal?  Do they know their horses, and do they know how to keep your child safe.  Some people have the gift of explaining things, and some don’t.  We all had teachers in school who made learning easy and fun, and other teachers who knew their subject, but just didn’t know how to get it across to the students.  The same with riding instructors.  There is a saying, that I don’t agree with –  “Those who can ride, ride, those who can’t ride, teach.”  Riding is the easy part, teaching requires that you know how to ride, understand the horse, and know how to explain how to accomplish the task at hand.

Riding can be a dangerous sport, you need someone who can keep your child safe, and make it a fun learning experience.  If it’s no longer fun, stop doing it.  Don’t push a child into riding because you always wanted to do it as a child.

What I tell the parents is “If it doesn’t feel safe to you, it probably isn’t.”  Yes some parents are just prone to worry, but most parents know when something is extremely dangerous to their child.

• Don’t hesitate to ask about the instructors teaching experience, and if you would like, ask for references
• Watch the instructor give lessons to other people
• If they have a web site, go there, are there pictures of other children, are they smiling and having fun
• Look around, does it look like a safe environment.
• Is the equipment in good condition
• Are the horses well cared for
• Do the horses look fearful or calm and happy
• Is the instructor focused on what they are doing or are they distracted or on a cell phone
• Are they relaxed and confident in their job
• Do they have a lesson plan in place before they start
• Do they listen and are they really hearing you and your child
• Are they prompt and professional
• Do they get to know your child before they start teaching
• Do they keep you informed about what they plan to teach and what they seem to notice about your child’s fears and performance
• If you follow them to a show, are they screaming at the children or do they give them uplifting comments of encouragement.  Are the children having a good time or are they afraid of making a drastic mistake
• Is all that matters the blue ribbon, or are the children praised for the good job that they did that day

Take the time to find the right instructor.  You need to know that the person you have chosen, is safe, are kind to their horses, knows their job, and connects well with your child.  There are different techniques of teaching, find one that works for your child.

A little knowledge on your part,  goes a long way.

I just looked up the correct wording of the infamous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt, now that was an Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933.  I’m long in the tooth, but that was still before my time.  You may have heard “Long In The Tooth” but never thought about the fact that it came from horse trading.  The seller would say he’s a five-year old and the buyer (beware) would look in the horse’s mouth and say “he’s long in the tooth for a five-year old.”  Well anyway back to my subject.

When posting an appointment on my refrigerator this morning, I glanced at a “post it” I had put there some time ago which read “Fear is the single most dangerous and destructive force in a relationship with a horse.  Eradicate fear and you begin to develop trust.”  Don’t remember who said it, or where I copied it from, but it struck me then, as it strikes me now.  How true that statement is, how paralyzing fear can be in any situation, but when you add a horse to the mix it’s down right dangerous.

Finding the root cause of a particular fear is not always an easy process.  I am not educated in the workings of the mind, conscience or unconscientious, but over the years I have worked with many people to help them move past their fears and learn to enjoy riding again.

Okay, we’ve all seen a friend walk up to our horse with a carrot in their hand terrified that after the horse is done with the carrot their hand will also be missing.  They reach out ready to pull back at any moment.  Our patient horse reaches for the, all of a sudden missing carrot.  The other extreme is the rider who has had a bad fall, but wants desperately to get back to riding again.  They sit on the horse like it’s going to explode any minute.

I have a terrible fear of water.  I can finally put my face under the shower.  But I sink like a rock, and have failed the YMCA swimming course twice.  With that said I have been boating for over 40 years.  No I do not wear a life vest.  To an outsider I look confident as I handle the lines and jump from the deck to the dock without fear.  People ask me how I do that when they find out I can’t swim, float, or tread water?  I tell them it’s simple, I don’t plan on falling in.

So how does this relate to fear and our horses.  Well I don’t plan on falling, but it is a reality.  I used to have the habit of falling off once a year when I was hunting.  If you don’t fall off and find out that you’re still okay, you build the fear up in your mind and begin to believe that it’s really going to mess you up.  And when I fall it’s usually because I’ve done something really stupid.

Case in point.  On my sixtieth birthday I got on my horse and said “I’m 60 now and I can’t fall off, I’ll get really hurt.”  Well as I was walking around the pasture to stretch Zoey out I decided to turn the water on for the irrigation system.  I hung off her right side as far as I could go, but still couldn’t reach it.  So I hung down just a little more, put my heel in her side and she said “Oh I know this, you step over to the left!”  She did and I hit the ground.  She stood there and looked at me with those eyes that say “Oh my, people are so stupid.”  I laid on the ground hysterically laughing, hoping that no one was watching.  Picked myself up, got back on my horse, and said to Zoey “Okay, I’m 60 today, I just hit the ground, and nothing has changed from yesterday when I was 59, I’m still stupid, lets ride.

Fear is our worst enemy when we are with our horses.  They pick up on it.  They will either become fearful themselves, because they believe you are supposed to take care of them and you’re scared, or they are going to take full advantage of you.

First thing you have to do is figure out what you are afraid of.  What is the worse thing that can happen?  How did you get this fear?  You have to be upfront with yourself.  Then you go back to square one and start again until you get comfortable.  Take one step at a time.  Yes you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone to progress, but don’t rush the process.  Are you and your horse incompatible?  Or just temporarily not the right fit to work through your fear?  Perhaps you need a trained instructor to help you work through your fear, to give you encouragement and support.  Perhaps you need a confident horse to help you rebuild your confidence.  If that’s the case, see if your instructor or a friend can loan you one for a short time.

As we get longer in the tooth, we realize the responsibilities we have.  We acknowledge that if we do get hurt that many things like, our job or families will suffer.  Not to mention, who’s going to take care of the animals.  We may have to rethink our riding goals, or the horse that we are riding, but the one thing I do know is that we have to eliminate our fear.  It will keep us from being who we are, and doing what we really want to do.  Oh I’m not saying we need to throw caution to the wind and seize the moment.  What I’m saying is that we have to put everything in its proper perspective, and work to make the necessary changes.

Fear is paralyzing, don’t let fear rob you of true enjoyment.  You can overcome it.  There really isn’t anything to fear but fear itself.   Don’t give fear the power over your life.