What do you want to accomplish with your horses before time runs out?
Holly Clanahan
In between the spam, the mindless chain-letter forwards and the routine interoffice communications, every once in a while, you get an e-mail that’s pretty special. One came in this morning, the tale of three women who wrote up a horsey “bucket list” and proceeded to fulfill it with a weeklong trip down the California coast, riding on the beach, on the trails at Pebble Beach Equestrian Center and visiting wineries along the way. I’m only mad that I didn’t get to go along!
Look for a story on their adventure in the November issue of America’s Horse, which is the issue we’re working on now.
And … more importantly … why don’t you join me in cooking up your own “bucket list.” If you’re not familar with the term, it’s the title of a 2007 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two men who are dying of cancer. They come up with a list of dreams and goals to accomplish before they “kick the bucket.”
The ladies’ story inspired me to think, what do I really want to accomplish with my horses before my time runs out? Lately, my mind has been stuck on just one topic. It’s a path I’ve already started on, but it’s a long road. Actually an unending road, and one I’m happy to be on. The road sign reads “horsemanship.”
The reason I’ve been dwelling on this more than usual, the October issue of America’s Horse features the late Bill Dorrance on the cover and a story inside by Bill’s protege, Leslie Desmond. The two of them wrote “True Horsemanship Through Feel,” which is the bible of feel-based training methods, and it’s an important book. Leslie has two more books due for publication this fall that will continue the explanation of these concepts.
So, getting back to the story here … that’s what my bucket list is all about: feel-based horsemanship. That’s what I want to master, although I know I’ll never be able to cross it off my list Jack Nicholson-style. It’s a continual learning process, and I’ll never hit the destination. But maybe, eventually, if I live long enough, I’ll get close.
Bill, in the prologue to “True Horsemanship Through Feel,” wrote at age 93: “Whether we’re riding horses or just handling them, I think we’re all after the same thing. We all want our horses to be responsive to us. It’s just a matter of how we go about getting it done, and I almost didn’t live long enough to get this sorted out in a way that was really fitting to the horses.”
Now, truth be told, Bill Dorrance had long been a master horseman. Even in his later years, he could accomplish more with a horse than most people decades younger. But he was humbled by the vast amount of knowledge and skill — and feel — that is out there, still waiting to be discovered.
“I realized a long while ago that I was never going to get it all on my own,” Bill wrote. “There isn’t enough time. And that’s why I like to help people learn how to feel of the horse.”
And that piece of sage advice does give me some concrete goals to put on my bucket list: I want to study with people like Leslie and Joe Wolter, another student of Bill Dorrance’s, and spend more time with Brent Graef, who also teaches feel-based horsemanship.
A little sidenote here: In case you’re wondering what feel-based horsemanship is all about, I’ll try to summarize it. Bear in mind that it took Bill a lifetime to learn and almost 400 pages to explain in his book, so this is a very boiled-down explanation, based on a demonstration Brent showed me.
Let’s say you’re leading a dance partner. Do you guide your partner with pressure, by pulling on his arm? That would work, I suppose, although it wouldn’t look very graceful. It’d be much more seamless to direct your partner with suggestions — using body language and “feel” rather than pressure to guide him. Your partner, if he wants to, can intuit what you’re asking. We’re blessed with four-legged dance partners who are such willing creatures that, provided they understand our suggestions, will gladly respond.
So there’s probably more than you ever wanted to know about my horsey “to-do” list. Now it’s your turn: Use the comment function below to get in on the conversation. Are there specific locations you’d like to see on horseback? Training or competition goals you’d love to cross off? Breed your dream foal? Build the ideal barn? Let’s hear it!
Happy riding!
Holly Clanahan
Editor, America’s Horse magazine
Don’t miss the fun, educational and heart-warming stories in the print version of America’s Horse! It goes to all members of the American Quarter Horse Association, and it’ll also keep you in the loop on Association news. We want you to belong!
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