Horsemanship — it's a noble calling

The ethic of good horsemanship encompasses much more than merely knowing about horses, handling them competently, or riding well. It involves excellence, but it goes beyond being a good technician. Think about musicianship. Music isn't great just because it's being played note-perfect. There's a quality inside the musician that is expressed through music, and the world is the better for it.

God put a certain nobility inside horses, and as we interact with that, our own nobility comes to the surface. The ability of horses to mirror us allows less-than-noble stuff to surface, too, and dealing with that is part of developing good horsemanship.

As we become better horsemen, we become better people, and that's the real value in working for better horsemanship. It's not about ribbons or fame. It's not about success in the show ring. It's about success as a human being, about bringing out the best in ourselves and others. And good horsemanship does that for us and the people around us.

There's a responsibility that goes with the privilege. Naturally, being knowledgeable is part of it. Good horsemen are secure enough to be always learning. We depend on the most current, most reliable information about horses and training, whether that's age-old wisdom or new research.

I've been fortunate to be able to rub shoulders with really top horsepeople, some famous and some never heard of, and through these pages I'll bring the best of that to you. I invite you to both enjoy what's written here and to participate by sending me an email about matters you'd like to have a voice in or you'd like us to cover.

Remember, when in doubt, good horsemen take the high road. Your horse will help you do that, even if the rascal runs away the very moment you want to catch him. What do you do? Get mad and throw something at him, or thank God that he's sound enough to run and you have the joy of training him to come to you on cue. Remember to keep it joy-filled as you're inspired by horses.