Horsemanship
At the heart of Refined Horsemanship is the goal of developing horses who are the Ultimate Partners ... willing ... prepared for life ... refined in their responsiveness and confident in their abilities.
Refined Horsemanship has it’s foundation in the following principles as the means to creating rewarding, safe, lasting partnerships with the horse in all endeavors:
- To work the horse in biomechanical correctness in order to develop the horse’s athletic ability, and maintain it’s physical well-being.
- To work with the horse in a way that is mentally stimulating and builds confidence.
- To support the horse in feeling secure in the world in which we have placed him.
Stewardship is a part of horsemanship. Through understanding the true nature of the horse and the mental, emotional, and physical aspects therein, a steward is able to make informed decisions regarding the welfare and comfort of the horse, in addition to choosing appropriate training methods and activities, both competitive and recreational.
“It doesn’t take just years but decades to gain the necessary knowledge and ability to be a good horseman or horsewoman. What we learn from working with horses brings us further along as a rider and, perhaps, also as a person. It’s not just that horses learn from us. When we are ready, we can learn much from them. This is a great opportunity!” Dr. Gerd Heuschmann
Who knows whether our love of horses is programmed into our genetic coding or we acquire it along the way?
All we know is that our lives would somehow seem incomplete without them. We have arranged our lives to include them. The sacrifices have been long and hard at times.
Why, we ask ourselves, couldn't we just be happy doing something simple like playing golf or tennis? The answer is we just can't and we don't try to justify it. Our paths were meant to be intertwined.
- L. Hoover