Mustang Saga

You ought to go read Linda's excellent post today. I really enjoyed thinking about her question and coming up with some quick answers. I'd like to say I'll sit down and think more on it and come up with even better answers, but my mind just isn't real capable lately. It's like a butterfly and won't land in any one place for long.

Go read her question, and here's my answer. Hope you post yours in her comments, I'll be checking back to see what everyone says.

Boy, it would take me days to come up with all the ways horses have changed me. I'll see what I can come up with off the top of my head. I've learned better patience, better emotional control, better attention to detail. I know my flaws pretty well through their feedback and I'm able to work on them. Same as you, I've learned to stay pretty level headed through their panic attacks. To trust them to find their way out of a bind when I can't safely get in there and help. I've learned that a lot of troubles are caused by the human end of the partnership, or by physical or emotional discomfort in the horse, not often willful disobedience. They are usually looking for the answer and it's our job to help them find it.

Of course it's all a work in progress, as it will be all through life. That's another thing I've learned. There's always more to learn! And even if you "know" something, it doesn't mean you can do it right now. It takes a lot of effort to develop some of these skills, and to strive to be the person we want to be.

Excellent post! What a wonderful subject to sit and reflect on.