Food for thought

"My belief in life is that we can all get along together if we try to understand one another. You'll meet a lot of people and have a lot of acquaintances, but as far as having friends, they are very rare and very precious. But every horse you ride can be your friend because you ask this of them. This is real important to me. You can ask the horse to do your thing, but you ask him; you offer it to him in a good way. You fix it up and let him find it. You do not make anything happen, no more than you can make a friendship begin."
-Ray Hunt

"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control."
-Proverbs 29:11
Equus: emotional discipline can be difficult at times but as they saying goes - "there are only two emotions that belong in the saddle: patience and a good sense of humour."

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."
-Pat Parelli

"It's unreasonable to ask a horse not to be afraid. That's like my telling you to go into a bad area of town for a walk at two in the morning, and not be frightened."
-John Lyons

"A horse doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care."
-Pat Parelli

"Take the time it takes, so it takes less time!"
-Pat Parelli

"If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong."
-Pat Parelli

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Get your good better and your better best!"
-Pat Parelli
Equus: in my opinion, we should always be striving for better, for self-improvement.

"Savvy is knowing when to be, why to be, what to do when you get there and knowing when to stop! Being passively persistent in the proper position, also using No force, No fear, No intimidation and just taking what the horse gives you naturally."
-Pat Parelli

"Take all the ropes off and you find out the truth, you find out how much your horse likes you."
-Jonathan Field
Equus: take all the ropes off your horse and does he still stick around?

The 10 qualities of a horseman:
1. Heart & Desire
2. Respect
3. Impulsion
4. Flexion
5. Attitude & Focus
6. Feel
7. Timing
8. Balance
9. Savvy
10. Experience

The 7 keys to success:
1.Attitude
2.Knowledge
3.Tools
4.Technique
5.Time
6.Imagination
7.Support

The 8 principles:
1. Horsemanship is natural
2. Make & teach no assumptions
3. Communication is two or more individuals sharing in & undserstanding an idea
4. Horses & humans have responsibilities
5. The attitude of justice is effective
6. Body language is universal**
7. Horses teach riders & riders teach horses
8. Principles, purpose & time are the tools of teaching
**(yes, all horses know it!! Don't try to say Natural Horsemanship - working with horses using body language and instincts, "doesn't work on all horses"...all horses have instincts and use body language. It works on all horses, just not all people.)

The 8 Responsibilities:
Human
1. Act like a partner, not a predator
2. Have an independent seat
3. Think like a horse
4. Use the natural power of focus
Horse
1. Act like a partner, not a prey animal**
2. Maintain gait
3. Maintain direction
4. Look where you're going
**(this doesn't mean that you teach a horse to ignore its instincts, you simply teach it to become calmer, braver, smarter, and to follow your leadership - a better balanced horse with greater mental and emotional collection)