Flowing with the going.

I like this picture of myself and Aundy heading back to the  stables after a breed class. She placed very well if I recall correctly. What appeals to me is how in sync with each other we appear to be. Moving together in harmony if you will.

While this isn’t a picture of us at liberty, I feel as though it shows connectedness and I can vividly recall the sence of satisfaction of a job well done and a feeling of unity as we migrated back to our herd. Our footfalls and breathing aligned as we made our way in a very relaxed manner.

Aundy was one of my biggest challenges as a youngster, with deeply held opinions and firm convictions, she and I didn’t often have such moments. I like to think she is one of my biggest influences in looking for quieter, better ways to influence my horsemanship. Not every technique is a good fit for everybody, Aundy was very clear about that. I had to concede that certain natural horsemanship programs were just not a great fit for me with her, and others like her.  I like to think my horses all breathed a sigh of relief when the round pen and orange sticks faded away. Not that I don’t use those tools when I feel as though they would be helpful. I do think a solid foundation of communication and fairness towards the horse suits us all.  Good skills and timing can be learned, trust is earned.

How you get to your place of trusted leadership in your herd of 2 or 200 is really not for me to dictate. I’ll just leave you with this thought, when you go from point A to point B with your horse do you flow together as if you were herd mates on your way somewhere? Or is something else entirely…?