Be Thankful for Something...

That's my catch phrase when I feel I'm getting frustrated with my horses, or anything for that matter.

"Be Thankful for Something."

And I find that something. We have so much, yet naturally for human beings once we recieve what we want, we want more and more and more. When I feel I'm getting frustrated with Pride, for example,

trotting when I asked him to walk.

There is so much to be thankful for even if he didn't do exactly what I asked.

*He put effort into going when I asked

*He responded

*He tried

*He went forward without bucking (Pride doesn't buck, something that I'm thankful for)

*etc.etc.etc.

There is so many things! Lets take a different senario,

I asked Pride to trot (from a walk) and he chose not to, so I'm starting to feel frustrated.

What should I feel thankful for? (I'm making a list of my thankful for's, not that Pride normally does these)

*I'm not making my horse into a puppet (I'm not going to be the puppet master) and I'm thankful he voices his opinion.

*He may not responded how I wanted, but atleast he didn't blow up.

*He let me know that I wasn't appropriate in asking him to trot, or he wasn't motivated to do so. Making me a better horseman.

*etc. etc. etc.

Grab a pen and paper and write down every senario you've had with your horse that frustrates (or frustrated) you. Now right down as many things as you can of how thankful your horse reacted the way he/she did. Yes, I know, I had to swallow my ego in this excersice too. ;) It's not always the horse, although, our human insticts tell us that when we feel frustrated. But I'm sure you already knew that.

Keep it natural and have fun :),
                                     Kaylee