| A Horse Named Pete |
| ...My expectation, when I started this class, was to learn about caring for and driving draft horses. I have. However, I did not expect how spiritual working with these creatures could be. Draft horses are not tractors. They are intelligent, sensitive, living creatures, that don’t stop running when you turn the key off. They require care and attention every day, year round. They depend on you for their health and wellbeing.
Horses don’t pull any punches. If you make a mistake they let you know right away. If you’re harnessing a horse on a cold day and you try to shove a freezing cold steel bit into its mouth the horse will let you know you’re doing something wrong. In that way, horses teach you to be mindful of the needs of others, to have good manners, and to be sensitive. However, as in any functional relationship, the door of courtesy swings both ways. You must demand respect from the horse. You must be assertive and confident. Never let the horse have its way with you; otherwise, the horse will develop bad manners, throwing the whole human-horse relationship out of balance. It is the development of this human-horse relationship that for me has held the most profound lessons. When working with horses you must learn how to give and receive respect. To do so requires confidence, poise, strength of character, and acute awareness. I know that every time I work with a horse I have to bring my focus and awareness up a notch. There is something about the immediacy of strapping two tremendously powerful 1500 lb. animals to a cart and driving them into the woods that makes you pay attention. Horses have taught me a lot about my place in the world and how to be a respectful leader, whether I’m driving a team or participating in a class discussion. I am now more ready and able to communicate, be patient, give respect, and be a leader. I feel no embarrassment when I say that one of my favorite professors in college was a horse named Pete. |
