I am filled with a sense of gratitude and well being as I reflect on my life and how it relates to horses. The ability to ride often and be around horses daily is a part of my life that fills me with great joy. I feel that when it comes to my riding and commitment to horses, I am driven by a fullness inside myself that stems from living a lifestyle around horses. My passion for advancement is fueled from this. Being in the saddle and having such a willing partnership with my horse is a feeling that, to me, is unequalled.

I know that I am not alone in this sentiment. Most of us who include horses as a big part of our lives, choose to do so out of a sense of joy. We ride horses because it is a fun and enriching experience. The feeling of freedom and power that we gain from the horse is unparalleled.

I know that for me, even after a full day of work, saddling up and riding is something that re-energizes me. I enjoy being out in the fresh air reveling in the beauty of our Big Sky state. At times I have to remind myself to enjoy the moment.

I can get caught up in the need to advance my horses and increase my own riding abilities. Sometimes this can result in a schooling or drilling mindset. If I find that I am pushing too hard at times, I find it helpful to remind myself of the words made famous by Ray Hunt. "Whistle, grin, and ride."

These words of Ray's speak volumes. They are simple yet profound. I have reflected on the importance of taking this to heart. Sometimes through striving to improve our horsemanship we can loose sight of the main goal. That which is, to enjoy ourselves and have fun.

It seems to me that when we are riding for fun and grinning ear to ear, that we have the ability connect more fully to our horses. It is in this connection that the ability to feel of the horse stems. Movements that we had worked hard towards in the past, begin to flow easily. An ease and sense of refinement comes to areas that were once jerky and mechanical.

The nature of riding horses does prove to be a little mechanical. We have all the gear that enables us to ride. The saddle that we cinch around our horses. The bit that we use in their mouths. The reins we use for steering. Our jeans, boots, spurs... etc.

After making ready ourselves and horses to ride, we mount up and have to deal with making all of our tools work. If we never see past all the tools, riding will be very mechanical. If we fail to follow our intuition and feel of the horse, we can become stuck and rigid.

By reminding ourselves to have fun, we tap into an area inside ourselves where creativity lies. This creativeness allows us to explore what our horse needs in order to sort out what we are asking them to do. We enable ourselves to vary our approach. We find new ways of asking the same question. Seeking out a response that feels right.

The fact that no two horses are the same means that we have to be a little creative to advance them. A fixed approach will fall short with many, many horses. Having fun and trying new approaches is a good way to prevent a learning plateau.

The ability to have fun on a horse and enjoy the ride also stems from knowing our limits. That, and knowing the horse's limits too. By asking ourselves if doing something with a horse really does sound fun, we can be respectful of our limits. If it is our mind telling us that something would be fun, use caution.

Trusting our hearts is key. By knowing this edge and not moving past our own area of comfort, we allow ourselves the ability to enjoy riding. This sense of contentment will be prevelant to the horse as well. This joyful harmony alone will improve you and your horses abilities. When neither of you are having any fun problems are bound to arise. Horse and rider will each make demands resulting in both parties coming out as losers.

I vote for us all to be winners. So "whistle, grin and ride." We will all be the better for it. Let's enjoy life. Isn't that after all, why we are here?

Eric

Easton Horsemanship