January has been a very busy month for Just Horsing Around - in fact the busiest month since we started back in 2007. It never gets old for me to help folks come away with a better understanding of horses. So many students now have their own horses and that has brought me the privelege of helping them develop a mutually respectful relationship with their horses. The journey towards great horsemanship is so different for each of us. For me great horsemanship means being able to ask more of our horses with less; always striving for softness and harmony. The great thing about working with beginners is their openess to learning. There are many naturally talented horse people out there, and the rest of us - well we have to work harder at it - practice, practice, practice. When we aren't confident with our skills; and we see our horses struggle to figure out what we`re asking; or we get frightened by their reaction, we back off, or stop practicing. Unfortunately, the only way to improve our skills is through more practice.
There is no question, it is easier to pratice your skills with a relaiable horse that doesn`t overreact to our mistakes. Unfortunately, not everybody starts with those type of horses and that can definitely make the journey more challenging.
That is where coaching can help build that confidence in you and your horse to keep the journey fun and progressive.
Keep practicing,
Tovie and the Boys
