Horse people (especially professional horse people) often credit their knowledge to the horses they have worked with. In my experience, this is mostly not true.
St Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican priest, scholar, and theologian who died in 1274 A.D.. Aquinas wrote (paraphrasing) that all animals were a gift from God for humans to exploit and use for their purpose.
I notice that very many schools of riding and training continue to focus largely on how a rider sits. If a rider does not sit well a horse cannot move correctly and can’t balance correctly. Almost everything that is wrong with a horse’s movement and balance can be corrected by how a rider rides.
Fear is not something to be ashamed of. It can be used to help our horses by turning it from a negative that interferes with our enjoyment and learning to a positive that keeps us safe and builds our confidence. But it takes a lot of work.
I think the video below is interesting and asks many questions that we all should consider. I post it here in the hope that it will help trigger people’s critical thinking skills when it comes to horsemanship and riding.
