“You can’t teach feel, you have to experience it” -Bill Dorrance
So much of exceptional horsemanship is feel. We can be told the right thing to do but without feel behind it, we won’t be effective horseman. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t grasped the idea of feel for themselves… there’s no way to describe it, they just have to DO it. It’s something you can’t teach. It’s something no matter how hard you try, you can’t give it to someone. You can guide them, but they have to get there themselves.
Personally, I’m a thinker. Usually, an OVER- thinker. I want to do it right so badly that my brain wayyy over processes what I’m trying to learn. In a sport where feel is so important, thinking too much can disrupt the feel and instinct that are so crucial.
Now there is a line here, because when you’re acquiring a new skill, you’re going to have to think about the steps you must accomplish in order to achieve that skill. You’re obviously going to have to think when you’re in the process of learning how to do something. From then on out though, most of our interactions with horses, both on the ground or in the saddle, should have FEEL. Where things get difficult is that feel is something you must develop for yourself. No one can do it for you.
Back to the thinking part, I can say with great joy that I’ve progressed leaps and bounds in the “overthinking” department. Still, when it comes down to natural instinct, my first reaction is to overthink everything… I’ve had to practice just riding. Less thinking and more doing. It’s a continual process for me.
I want to have feel. I want it to be my goal every day to improve my riding and training, not only for Sam (since it IS my job to help her!!) but also for myself. I want to become a horseman in the truest since of the word.
However, It doesn’t happen immediately just because I want it… It’s a lifelong process. One that true horsemen and women know you can always improve, no matter how long you ride or how many horses you train. The key is to keep going. Keep trying. Keep working on improving your feel and timing each time you climb in the saddle.
There are days when I feel like I’ve made loads of progress and it’s fun to know I’m advancing. And then there are days and those particular ponies who make me feel like I have no idea how to ride at all. We’ve all been there. My over-thinker side reminds me how much I know I don’t know and the skills I don’t have. Yet. the crucial thing here is yet. If I let my brain focus on what I don’t know, then I just start thinking too much instead of just going out and riding confidently.
So If feel is something you have to develop, how do you get there? It’s not like a mathematical equation on paper… it’s something you only get by practicing. Every horse I get on each day is an opportunity to feel more. To think less. To practice what I DO know how to do and develop the new skills I’m trying to get down. Now this doesn’t mean I always get it… in fact, often times I feel like I’m missing a piece of the puzzle when I’m learning something new. But you just have to keep doing.
After talking to Sam today, I was thinking about who I was when I started working for her just a little over a year ago…. I was there basically to handle ground responsibilities like grooming/turnout ect, and now I’m learning to break ponies and teach the young ones… how cool is that?? Continue doing. Keep feeling. Never cease trying.
I still think more then I should, but as a whole, I’m starting to feel more. I definitely make mistakes, but now I’m able to catch myself and know what I should have done. I don’t always know how to handle certain training situations, but my confidence in riding lots of different horses and having a good feel for what I want has skyrocketed.
Now it’s not magic… you must to be willing to work hard, put in the hours, and commit to your dream. There’s no easy way or shortcut in this sport if you really want to become a horseman and TRULY develop feel… but it’s SO worth it.
Keep pressing on and take each ride as an opportunity to learn something new. Keep feeling, keep working, and think less. I’m right alongside you.
See you around the barn!
-Rebekah Bukowski
