Perfection vs. Excellence

I have always been a perfectionist. The LBE in me screams "Let's do it my way...now". I want everything to be just the way I want it all the time. Thankfully, my LBI is teaching me it is not always my way or the highway. If it was, he would have never left the highway.

As I start to prepare myself for the fast track, I keep getting caught up in "I have to be able to do this now and it needs to be perfect". Of course, it won't happen over night. So, I have been setting little goals for myself and trying to work on them a little bit everyday. The amount of progress I have made so far has even surprised me a little bit.

For instance, at least every other day I get out my 45' rope and carry it around with me. Then, I throw it and and bring it back into to me 5 times with each hand. Along with that, I have been playing with Quick Draw and working on my accuracy. In the beginning, I couldn't even catch my carrot stick. By day three, I could hit the same target (an old show number), up to 5 times in a row.

My goals with Sonny have been just as simple but will go a long way. Our catching game is a huge one. He has no problem coming to me when I call him from out in the field, but anywhere else he is great at ignoring me. So my plan was to let him loose in the fence in area behind the barn (that isn't his field) and groom him out there. I can only take one tool with me at a time. Every time I go out there, I play the catching game before I groom him with that tool. By the time I curry, brush, pick feet, fly spray, and sunscreen him, that is a ton of catching game. This is maybe day 3 or 4, and he is started to walk over to me from over 20 feet away. Awesome!

Another thing that I have been trying to improve on is him only eating grass when I allow him to. I think he somewhat gets it, but the problem is I am not consistent enough with it for it to really mean something. But, it will come.

What I am getting at is this:

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence".

                                                                  ~Vince Lombardi

Even if things aren't perfect all the time like I expect them to be, if I put the effort and dedication into aiming for it, then I can still achieve excellence.

Normal is Natural

It has recently been brought to my attention that things like 4-H are no longer what they used to be; everyone is out to win, even with the expense of their horse. If younger generations are learning that 'to ride a horse' means to use a big bit, jerk on the reins, and win, what is horsemanship going to be like when those kids grow up? It is a scary thought that now haunts me every time I go to the barn.

My best friend, Melissa, just posted this on Parelli Connect and I feel the need to share it because it gave me goosebumps and coincides with everything I have been thinking about lately. A lot of people have no idea what natural horsemanship is and only know how to interact with horses from watching what their trainer do. With that in mind, I encourage everyone to share things like this, but more importantly to share your horsemanship. I really hope I live to see the day when normal is natural.

I dream of the day that "taking riding lessons" means learning to ride with fluidity and to work with the horse instead of against it. I dream of the day that "joining a 4H group" means being involved in a group of individuals who learn natural horsemanship together and who are like minded in their views about horsemanship. The day that "going to a show" means going to a venue to demonstrate one's excellence and skill while valuing the relationship above any ribbon. I dream of the day that normal IS natural.