Sometimes, things just don’t work out
Every once in a while, a horse comes into a training program that doesn’t end up working out for whatever people needed it to. Not because of anything the horse actually did, sometimes that horse just doesn’t grow enough, sometimes the family decides not to be as involved as they originally thought, sometimes the stars just don’t align for that horse to be in your program any more.
Sometimes you fail them
It gets you thinking, did you do right by that horse while he was in your program? Did you do everything you could with him, with the time you had? Let’s face it, there’s only so much time to work with a horse when you don’t have a specific goal in mind. I was recently in this situation, and I can honestly say that at one point I failed this horse. I gave him time in the saddle, but I failed to give him time in my heart. He didn’t have a person to attach himself to, and he suffered mentally because of it, and I failed to see that he wasn’t okay.
A little love goes a long way
Not every horse needs such devoted time, but there are sensitive souls out there that need a little more attending to. As a trainer, it’s my job to take notice of which horses are which. I failed that horse up front, but he let me know without a doubt what he was feeling and I made sure we didn’t fail that horse again. I assigned Rebekah to be his person and she stepped up to the plate and the two became partners. This horse’s whole attitude changed. He had always been decently compliant, but now he tried harder to do what we asked. He became sweet and his eye softened to us. Even when we would hit small roadblocks, he would stop and think about the next move without first reacting incorrectly to it.
Every horse that comes to you will teach you something if you’re paying attention
I don’t know how other trainers handle this kind of situation, but I do know I’ve received horses before who had been treated the opposite way. Instead of being asked why they had lashed out for something, they had been beaten down for lashing out and had become either frightened or aggressive. All this horse took was a little understanding at the right moment. Though I was late to see it, I did see it and we were able to make great progress before finding this horse a permanent family and home.
Give your horse faith for the future
Any horse in your possession needs you to do everything right by him, even if it’s for a short time period. You can make a world of difference in that horse’s life just by treating him correctly for however long you have him. This horse was remarkably talented, kind and I would have loved to keep him for one of my own clients, but circumstances just didn’t allow that this time. I am still incredibly grateful to have spent the time I did with him, because he still taught me a lesson. I hope I did right by him in the time I had him, and he remembers not just the training he had here but also the kindness and love he received, and hopefully he has faith in his next home as well.