People seem to have different ideas of what makes an experienced horse person. I am often told by new students about their level of experience and it always seems to be assessed by the number of years they have been riding.
Several years ago I was asked to go to a lady's property for help with her Andalusian mare. She had only had it a month and was already seriously questioning her decision to buy the mare. It was a very nice horse and I would not have complained if somebody had dropped off in my paddock. However, the lady asked, “What’s wrong with her? Why does she behave so crazy?”
I responded, “Nothing is wrong with her. She is a super nice-minded mare but needs a little help because you are not being very clear with what you are asking.”
“Well, I’ve had horses for over 30 years and I have never had a horse as difficult as this one,” she explained.
I asked, “How many horses have you trained in 30 years?”
Her answer was, “Three.”
She had worked three horses in thirty years and she thought she was a very experienced and accomplished horse person.
I’ve worked with maybe a couple of thousand horses in my career and I question my level of experience. I mean, I am very inexperienced when it comes to training polo horses, cow horses, or plow horses. Despite my years of working with horses and the number of horses I have ridden I would never consider myself experienced at anything more than using my horsemanship skills to resolve inner conflict between a horse and rider. I am not the bloke to go to for help in establishing the perfect piaffe or the most amazing sliding stop. But I am the bloke you go to for help getting your horse ready for the perfect piaffe or amazing sliding stop.
We are all experienced horse people in a limited way. And for most of us, it is more limited than we realize.
