"And where did you go today?"
Each season, as a way to progress my personal horsemanship, I try to set goals for myself with my horses. With my days filled with horse work and managing my horse business, it is often hard to make it a priority to work with my own horses. (Though with the lovely turnout here in NY and the other horses around, I doubt Whimsy and Dezi are disappointed when my business keeps me away! )
By setting goals, it inspires me to make the time to work with my horses and helps me to keep my personal horsemanship advancing.
One goal I have this summer is to continue to expand my horse's exposure and ability to go places together and alone. I call this "changing the environment". Many of you who have worked with me have probably heard more than once, "get it good, then go somewhere with it." Changing environment can be as simple as riding or doing ground work in a different location. For the horse, it helps develop an adaptable, calm and confident horse. It also helps alleviate boredom for both horse and rider. For my horses, changing environments means going to other farms, seeing lots of other horses and being in the right frame of mind to work regardless of what is going on around us.
One mantra that keeps coming up for me is "don't reward the anxious mind". It is easy to want to pet, talk nice and soothe your horse into relaxing, but a better way is to work through it by moving the feet, getting busy and having a job to focus on. With Dezi, the half-Arabian part gives me plenty of opportunity to work on just that.
So next time you think all is well and your not sure what to do next, try changing the environment. It can give you lots of feedback as to where you are at with your horse and can make thing more interesting and fun!
