Words of Wisdom

I'm lined up on my horse Sammy from Medieval Times and we're about to take off down the arena at a full gallop to do one of the games.  Sammy is dancing underneath me and I'm doing everything I can to keep him from taking off before it's time.  I'm still somewhat of a new knight and I put Sammy in the show only a few weeks earlier.  Sweat is streaming down my face and I feel like I am about to lose the battle to keep him still.

"Frenchy!" A voice booms at me from my left.

I turn and look over at the knight who just called me.  Sammy immediately stopped dancing and relaxed a bit.

Photo by: Chris Capitani

After the show I talked with the older knight who told me, "Sometimes we try too hard, when what we should be doing is nothing at all."  I am not the first person he yelled at to get their attention off of the horse and on to him.


There are moments like this spotted all over my journey with horses.  Little gems of wisdom that have come at the right moment to allow me to take steps forward.  Sometimes they were from non-horse people or people less "experienced" than I was.  It has taught me to not take anyone's advise or experiences for granted.  I will never know all there is to know about training.  There are plenty of moments where I have had to take a step back and gather strength and understanding from those around me.  I've learned more from my clients than I will admit, I don't want to have to give their money back.

Another time stands out that I find myself repeating to clients repeatedly.  Again, I was on my Sammy boy, it was one of the first shows he did.  We were between games standing lined up with with two other knights, I was so stressed from trying to make him do everything right and thinking about what was next.  The older knight next to me turned and said, "Hey, Frenchy, pet the horse."

My first instinct was to argue, I wanted scream, "Screw the horse, someone needs to pet me!"

All throughout his training I was supportive and reassuring.  Now, when he is performing for me, I could only think about my frayed nerves.  Those simple words were enough to break through to me, I felt like such a jerk.  I carry that advise with me on all of the horses I work with now.  When ever the training becomes tough or is particularly stressful I can hear that voice telling me, "Pet the horse."

Photo by: Cheryl Meyers

I want to offer the opportunity for you to share a little gem that  influenced you.  Maybe your experience will shed light on what someone else is struggling with at the moment.

You never know.