Once Upon a Rescue

I heard a great quote the other day that I've been thinking a lot about lately. "The most honest person in the room is the problem child".

When it comes to horses, they are naturally designed to be good liars. From a prey perspective, they're supposed to lie to predators about their physical and mental weaknesses, because their very survival depends upon it.

"Good" horses are good liars. They're stoic about physical ailments, they tolerate mistakes, and they can perform their duties without needing to be heard by their human handler, or requiring a lot of skill from a rider. These are horses we value a lot in our equestrian society, and they're great for many reasons.

Problem horses are very bad liars. They cannot just go on with life when they are hurt, or upset, or feeling like their needs are not acknowledged or met.

They either find somebody who understands that, or they are sent to a trainer who's main job is to teach them to learn to SUPPRESS this urge to constantly communicate their emotions and needs, effectively becoming better liars. Some horses can learn this, but the ones that cannot are labelled permanent problems, and often find themselves shuffled around.

But what happens if we begin to value communication over compliance? What if we prioritize the relationship before our egos, and trust before our human goals?

We can all agree that we would prefer to be in a meaningful human relationship that ivalues empathy to a different perspective/reality. Why wouldn't we consciously cultivate the same relationships with our equine partners? Would that not be beneficial for everyone?

The next time you find yourself making a binary judgement about your horse's behavior, pause for a moment instead and consider the root cause of it. What are they trying to communicate? How can you help meet their needs and build trust instead of prioritizing your ego in that moment and demanding compliance because you've arbitrarily decided you deserve it?

Had several talks this week with students about the “spiral of knowledge” and this very similar idea came across my page today, so I wanted to share it.

Tape is only as effective as the person applying it is knowledgeable in applying the tape.

A loop knife and a rasp are only as effective as the person using the tools is knowledgeable and trained in using those tools.

A laser is only as effective..

A snaffle and split reins..

PEMF..

Massage..

Modalities, equipment, and tools aren’t what “work” on horses.

Knowledgeable professionals using these things appropriately as they were trained to do so is what makes these things work.

Maybe that modality or technique didn’t work for you because the person doing it didn’t have the correct training - or training at all.

Be honest with yourself about your own skill level as well.

If you need to refer somewhere else or ask for help, do it. You will never be the expert in everything.

If you’re paying someone to do a service, please ask questions.

Can that professional explain to you exactly what they’re doing and why? Both at a 3rd grade reading level and at a doctorate level?

They should.

If you are a paying client, you have every right to ask that professional every single question until you’re satisfied with the answers.

If you’re wanting to do these things yourself, you still need to educate yourself on correct use of any tool or modality. It’s the responsible thing to do for the horse.

The horse world is so unregulated. Other than being a vet or a chiro there isn’t much regulation and there are plenty of people taking advantage of that.

Take the class. Shadow the professional. Pay the trainer.

Invest in your knowledge. No one can take that away from you.

We’re all on a journey to be better.

Let’s not let the first dot on this graph “I know everything” keep us forever because it feels best to the ego.

The more you know the more you realize you don’t know a darn thing.

Turbo, 28 years old, was enjoying the sunset but then came over to say hi.

Unicorn Riding proudly utilizes our horses in the child-focused work they do. They aren’t an official therapy program yet, but that’s on the horizon for them- in the meantime, they still provide every lesson student support in all kinds of life skills, including emotional regulation.
Eeyore is HERE FOR IT!!!!

Where is Arrow headed?
He’s going to look for us on instagram!
OnceUponaRescuePDX over on insta!