(Another Into the Sunset Column previously published in Today’s Horse Magazine)
Which horse should I ride today? I look longingly at my old buddy and sigh, realizing that the young horses will never reach old Al’s level if I never ride them. As tempting as the prospect of a relaxing ride without worrying about what will happen if unseen gremlins and goblins leap out of dark corners at you is, there is work to be done and wet saddle blankets are often the product. We frequently take trust for granted, especially when you have fallen into the comfort zone of your favorite mount. Starting over isn’t easy but the rewards at the end are great.
The foundation of horse training is built upon trust; learning to trust is only earned through hard work. Building trust is a two-way street – you have to trust your horse as it also must trust you in return. Also, trust isn’t something you should take for granted because once achieved, it can be lost in the mere blink of an eye… or should I say buck or jab of an unwelcome spur in the side. Once lost, it takes infinitely longer to rebuild what was once there.
From the first moment a colt lays eyes upon its human counterpart, trust begins to lay its groundwork. Every sense known comes to play in this highly sensitive and inquisitive animal when it’s exposed to the weird creature that walks upon two legs and carries strange objects in his “hooves” and smells of foreign scents that have no explanation. Foreign sounds emitting from the human mouth can either frighten like the roar of a lion or caress his ears much like the comforting nicker of his mother. The unfamiliar touch of a human hand can hurt, or it can soothe the fear and even delight in a scratch of that itchy spot.
Likewise, from the moment you handle that new horse, all of your own senses come to play with reading its body language. Trust is as fleeting as the pinning of the ears, gnashing of teeth and cocking of a hind leg in your direction but with the encounter of a soft eye, a deep relaxed sigh and warm exhaled breath as whiskers gently caress you in a welcoming greeting, faith begins to grow. Transitioning from that old trusty steed to the new kid on the block isn’t always an easy thing to do but when you build trust with your new mount and partner it with confidence and self esteem, you also create a lasting bond and this is where the rewards come to play.
At its truest meaning, trust is the point reached when you and your horse change from saying “You want me to do what?” to exclaiming, “Can you believe what we just did?! That was awesome!” You are now partners in life; a winning team and the rewards reaped from that moment on make you quickly forget the hours and wet saddle blankets that it took to get to that point.
