I spend more time than I'd like behind a desk, a computer and all the trappings of modern office work in front of me. Winter's are the worst of all for long periods of confinement. I'm at my desk right now and at the moment looking out the window to my left and the snow level past the half way point of the window height. It's mid February and I've been dreaming of an early Spring. After two feet of snow the night before last I'm not so sure! We get blasted with winter weather up here at the ranch, which lies deep in the heart of the northern Rockies. But ironically, within a half hours' drive east and out of the weather capturing mountains that surround us I can find bare ground and a shining sun, even during the coldest days of the winter. I'll be heading that way tomorrow. I've got several horses to put shoes on for a good friend and a herd of my own to check. So I look forward to doing what I do best.
During the course of a winter at Bear Creek Ranch I do receive an enormous number of phone calls from folks interested in one of our many in- season events. Normally, those inquiries are directed at one of our horse oriented special events that we put on about every other week during a very busy summer. In many cases, as has been proven so many times over the years, that first call may very well lead to a booking, then a vacation and a friendship that may last a lifetime. We do some pretty unique and adventurous trail rides, cattle drives on the Blackfeet Reservation, and even lessons and clinics in our round pen and sand arena at our ranch. I've been at this business for a long time and if anything our existance here has always been a work in progress both from a business standpoint but also from a human service prespective. Let me explain;
One of the really fun and rewarding special events we offer is a week called "Pure Horsemanship." It's a week of intense and immense immersion into the world of horses. We train, we teach, we ride, we eat well, and we visit like we're long lost cousins. And we all have one helluva good time doing so. Our common interest during the course of that week is the horse. That's the thread that binds us and helps begin the relationship that will in many cases last a lifetime. Over the course of many years of teaching and demonstrating horsemanship skills to the public I've never encountered any blatant disrespect or disregard for my equine knowledge or teaching skills. I think one of the reasons I've managed to stay above the "fray", for lack of a better word, is because I'm pretty modest about the knowledge level I do have. Horsemanship is one of those disciplines that never ceases to remind you that the more you learn the more you realize you don't know. And furthermore, as I've said so many times, at about the time you begin to think you're pretty handy is about the time you end up on your back side! So I try to remain humble and instill that same level of modesty in any guest that enters our little universe at the ranch. That philosophy has worked pretty well over the years.
I did get a phone call a week ago from a lady interested in our week of "Pure Horsemanship." She explained to me she was interested in doing alot of outside riding and not as keen on the teaching and training we do during our morning sessions. After all, she was well beyond basic horsemanship and had been riding her entire adult life, or so she said. I didn't say a whole lot back to her nor did I find myself with an opening to respond so I let it be. I did very politely invite her to call back but rather doubt I will hear from her. Well, that very short conversation stuck with me for days and quite frankly, troubled me. I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what troubled me but I think I do know now.
You see, the world of horses and the people who love them for nothing more than what they are sometimes allow things to get a little more complex than what they need to be. In the equine world of today we've witnessed the introduction and immersion of television, video, hi profile personalities, and enormous marketing and advertising of those modern day entities into what should be a very simple, direct, and honest discipline. Before I comment any further about that specific subject matter I want to emphasize that learning how to ride and then getting in the saddle and riding is the only way to learn how to ride. You've got to give yourself, and give OF yourself the "want to" in the process of developing the mental and physical tools to get you started. And when I say "start" I mean that. I'm almost getting too complex at this moment and what I am wanting to tell you is that if you want to learn everything you can in the equine world the best way is to just plumb flat do it. With or without help.
I want to repeat once again that the world of horses is a big one and given time will take you in any number of different directions. You may start out trail riding in groups, then you'll begin to ride by yourself as your confidence builds. I rode trails for years and years, by myself, in groups, leading groups on hunts and summer pack trips. Developing that comfort level and confidence while
pounding out the miles in every type of terrain over days, months, and years isn't a bad way to get going. In my case I can't help but feel that having that type of background both to harden up mentally and physicall didn't hurt a bit over the long haul. When I started to rope, team pen, and even train my own and outside horses the time I'd put in and the experiences I'd had along the way, both good and bad, really cemented a foundation that I wouldn't have ever had otherwise.
Everyone takes a different path in their own equine education. Many riders will make that turn to more sophisticated disciplines in the horse world much quicker than I did. Some folks will turn to rodeo, some to polo, others to eventing, polo, racing, and the list goes on. But once again, the common thread that runs through every decent horse loving human being is their love for the horse itself and perhaps almost as critically, a respect for each others' humility in each particular field. Those two elements are keys to the kingdom as it were and one without the other defines the title of this piece, "horsemanship; an unfinished life."
As I look ahead to the coming season we do have a week scheduled that we do call "Pure Horsemanship." I'd imagine we'll bring together a group of perhaps a dozen guests. During the course of the "Pure Horsemanship" week we'll ride, ride, and ride some more. But we'll also spend time in the round pen and the arena both training young horses and then riding some of them in our large sand arena. And we'll all do our fair share of visiting, and most certainly, once again, the biggest single topic will be exactly why we're all together, and that is to learn not just more about each other but about the horses we're riding. I look forward to each week of Pure Hosemanship like a kid in a candy store. We'll cover a whole lot of territory both on the ground and during our visits with each other and in small groups. And one thing we'll emphasize right from day one will be the nature of the business and that is the humility and help we'll all show each other all day and every day. In the horse world, as I've always said, no one is made to feel superior, inferior, or posterior! We'll all make mistakes, look goofy from time to time, and even wish no one was watching, when in fact they were! But that's how you get better and grow not just as a horseman, but as a human being.
I can recall doing a half day riding clinic in our arena not too many years back with about a dozen guests from all over the country. About an hour into our morning event I began to recognize that the horse I was riding was acting a bit cold backed. Well, I didn't pay enough attention to that condition at that time and while completely surrounded by novice riders while talking about correct riding posture and stirrup lengths I found myself airborn and quite quickly on my back looking up. Was I embarrassed? Hell yeah! Talk about humility slapping you right in the face. But you know what? I brushed myself off, got off my rear end and mounted right back up. A good lesson for me and a better lesson for my guests in the "what not to do category."
So back to the lady with the attitude; I don't imagine she'd do real well here. She'd be a pain in my rear end I think and even worse, she'd quite possibly be the rotten apple that no one would want to be around. The flip side of that coin is she ain't gonna' be here and we'll all be the better off for it!
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