Henry David Thoreau and Horsemanship

Few people know of Henry David Thoreau, that is unless they were forced to read about him in a literature class or stumbled upon learning about him by chance. For those of you that don't know, Thoreau was a transcendentalist. Yes, big word, but don't bother defining it because the definition will only confuse you more, trust me. It was a philosophical movement in the 1800s, which took place during the time of slavery, the Mexican War, and right before Lincoln would become President.

But, what does transcendentalism and Thoreau have to do with horsemanship? It is was Thoreau and his philosophy stood for. These things we can apply to our daily lives with our horses.

One of Thoreau's first believes was that you shouldn't follow the dictates of society. In horse terms: you don't have to do what everyone else is doing just because everyone else is doing it. Dare to be different and stray from the pack. They aren't always right. In some countries trainers tie barb wires from one stirrup, across the chest and to the other stirrup so that they can train the horse to stop by putting the stirrups back and apply pressure to the chest. It isn't just a few though. An entire culture trains that way just because everyone does it. Do not be afraid to be different. If you see everyone using cruel devices on their horses and you would be the only one who didn't use it, then GOOD for you! It is better to be different and right then accepted and wrong!

Another principle is to do what YOU think is right. Not what your best friend, or an older horseman. You yourself. Of course, take advice into consideration, but ultimately it is YOU who is in charge of you. So if a more experienced horseman tells you the best way to cure a lazy horse is to hit him over and over with a whip, but you don't think it is right, then don't do it. Many people you respect may not always do what you think is right. By all means still respect them, but do not mock them in all their ways.

Thoreau also believed it was essential to simplify your life. I believe it is essential to simplify your horsemanship and training. When you get stuck on all the complicated things, the simple things (which are also the most important) tend to slip away. Some people when they ride spend ridiculous amounts of time tacking up because they have to put on a saddle pad, throw the saddle on, tighten the cinch, tighten the flank cinch, fasten the breast collar, attach the running martingale, put on the bridle, put the reins through the running martingale, make sure everything is fitting correctly, re-tighten the cinch. Most of this is unneeded. It's possible to train a horse with just a halter and lead rope. However, many people enjoy their equipment. I am not saying not to use equipment, but that simplifying your horsemanship has it's benefits.

Another example of simplifying horsemanship is in the training process. Training advanced things seem complicated, but can easily be simplified. A side-pass quickly becomes preventing movement forward and giving to pressure applied to the side with the leg and the neck with the rein. The trick behind simplifying advanced moves is to break them up into smaller and easier parts. Teaching a roll back would be a stop, giving to pressure applied by leg, and then a lead departure. It's easier to break it down and get it under control before the elements are blended together to create a complete roll back.

Time is another important matter. Thoreau believed that time didn't matter. Better things are created when time is forgotten. This is very applicable to horsemanship. Do not be in a rush to get what you want out of your horse. If you go too fast you will skip something or not cover something enough and things will fall apart later. Instead don't worry about time and do things how they come along and don't move on until you are sure you are ready. This way you and your horse will be better off in the long run. Your horse will have a better foundation and will understand everything else better because of it. Every person/horse has their own rate to progress at and he/she should progress at that rate and not any faster.

Finally, Thoreau believed that you should advance toward your dream. If you do this then you can do good things and everything will be less complex. So find your dream and take steps toward it.