Sometimes we can feel stuck between the effortlessness of our old habits and the knowledge of how we can be wiser, more classical horsemen. This post is meant to validate sentiments I’ve seen in many students, friends, colleagues, and in myself, while also offering a different way to look at horsemanship and training that honors where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we’d like to go.

The last 2 clinics I attended— the first as a participant, the second as a clinician, changed me. I grappled for an explanation of what happened there and within me and within all of us who shared those spaces. And this poem came through me.

What are you supposed to do when you’re experiencing normal human emotions, beyond the mindful calm I’ve described in other posts as a key to connection? How can we realistically get along with ourselves and our horses despite the normal stresses and events in life? This post describes emotional regulation skills with and without the horses for healthier coping and personal development.