Equestrian Life

What do feel are the top 5 Virtues of Horsemanship? This question came up recently in a discussion group I follow. Here is my list… 1. Courage The ability to control your fear and trust in your relationship with your horse while training, without becoming foolhardy or reckless. Reliance on intellect in place of emotion when faced with a dangerous situation. The ability to suppress instinctive reactions in favor of calm reasoning. 2. Patience Ability to continue under difficult riding circumstances. Persevering in the face of apparent delay or provocation by your mount without reacting with annoyance or anger. Not allowing arbitrary goals to cause you to rush the training ahead of its proper pace. 3. Humility (Flickr/FiveFurlongs) Realizing that your way is not the only way and being open to the ideas of others. Accepting instruction with an open mind. Putting your own ego and image secondary to the needs of the horse. 4. Honesty Accepting and acting on the truths of good horsemanship, even when said truths are not convenient nor in line with preconceived notions or past instruction. Recognizing the fact that most of the difficulties the horse has are directly related to the actions or inactions of the [...]

Our first post, “You Know You’re an Equestrian When…” was so popular that I thought I’d put together another post! So here it is, Part II of the ‘You Know You’re an Equestrian When…’ series. 1. You check your bank statements and nearly every (okay, actually every) transaction has the word ‘horse’ or ‘tack store’ in it. 2. You totally don’t understand why your friends are grossed out when you go straight to lunch from the barn. 3. You know and understand the pain of having hay everywhere (yes, even there!). 4. You think it’s perfectly acceptable to spend a few hundred dollars on riding boots but would never dream of spending that on heels. 5. You think it’s totally normal for your horse to have more hair products than you. (flickr.com/Nationalmuseet) 6. You bought treats for your horses and then tried them… everyone’s been curious right? 7. You find yourself in the active wear section buying clothes even though you have no intention of working out… gym clothes are really made for riders, and no one will ever convince you otherwise. 8. You find yourself watching a TV show or movie you wouldn’t normally watch just because [...]