Thank you and Good Bye
This week the world lost a renowned and respected Horseman. Peter Campbell. A man that truly understood horses and did right by them. A man that was not only a great teacher, but also one who inspired others to rise up to greatness. Though it may not have been entirely reciprocated, I considered Peter to be a friend, and his presence will be missed. A sentiment that is sure to be shared by many.
Peter made a big impact on me and the way that I associate with horses. He taught me to view a horse as a partner. Not just any partner, one who is also a friend. I learned from him, to operate around our horses while keeping this in mind. This, for me, was a huge shift in my thinking. A partner is someone that you can trust. They are also someone worth listening to. Who you can have a multi-level conversation with. In being around Peter I came away with a whole new respect for how a person can be with, and operate around horses.
Another one of the big lessons that I acquired from Peter was to really pay attention to my horses. They are sensitive animals and are tuned in to things way before we are. I no longer discipline, or correct my horses for focusing in on something other than what I have in mind. I now see those times as an opportunity to begin to pick up on what the horse is sensing. I then can practice at seeing just how little I can do to bring the horses attention back to the task at hand. I am grateful for Peter's words of wisdom given to my wife and me while discussing our horse Bombay. A horse that we previously had been told to sell. And by selling, we would be lucky to get "canner price" from anyone. Peter brought it to our attention that he was most likely our most sensitive horse. I was trying to convey to Peter that I had been having a hard time getting through to him. That maybe, just maybe, I had already messed him up. Peter changed our methods of approaching Bombay and we were told that the only way to work with him was "to work with him where he is at." We have since given up on trying to walk before we could crawl.
In my time riding with Peter I have changed my approach to horses. I now pay a huge amount of attention to their ears. Peter was really big into noticing what was happening with the ears of a horse. This goes way beyond just tuning into their ears while they are pinned back to indicate or convey being angry or upset. Every flick of the ear or twitch of the tail is deliberate. As a rider I have found it to be very beneficial to hone in on these once overlooked details. I now try to start every turn with my horse's ear. I also strive to have my horse's ears forward while riding out. A practice that I have had to really work at. When I first rode with Peter he had informed me that my horse's ears remained locked on me. I thought that maybe this was a good sign. When in fact my horse was tuned in to me out of the fear of making a mistake.
“If you have always got what you always gave then you will always get what you always got.”
I could go on and on with how Peter has helped me with horses. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. To Peter it was way more than just what you can do with your horses. To him it was as much about how you lived your life. Are you an honest and respectful person that lives up to the words that you speak? I remember well from a clinic that my wife Joanna and I had attended up in Cochrane, Alberta, when Peter spent a great deal of time on the subject of excuses. To him excuses were the venom to success. Making excuses meant that you had been poisoned by a snake and were slowly dying. Since then I have been trying to eliminate excuses from my being. Peter set a high bar on living up to "the code of the west."
More along this line is the feeling of inclusion that Joanna and I felt from Peter and his lovely wife Trina. Whether it was at a clinic setting or at his ranch home in Wheatland, Wyoming we were always invited to join in on the fun after the day of riding was over. It made a big impression upon me that Peter and Trina would offer up their home and allow participants to "hang out." Many fun evenings were had listening to Peter tell stories and re-count the days on the road as a clinician with his good friend Monte. Quite the storyteller Peter was and so very funny. He and Joanna really fed off of each other and by the end of the evenings my stomach would hurt from laughing so hard.
So much more than a Horseman. The world will miss you Peter. I am truly grateful of my time spent around you. I am sad to know that I will never again ride with you on this side of the veil. May the afterlife find you amongst friends and family. Tom Dorrance was sure to greet you there. And Thank you Peter for all that you were. A great man who will now join the ranks of legends.
So long, Peter...
Eric