Lessons I've Learned from the Horses I've Loved
© 2005 Sarah Palmero

We've all read those articles meant to give us inspiration and guidance. Everything I need to know I learned from reading cereal boxes in kindergarten. That sort of thing. We see a new title, we groan and roll our eyes. Smile knowingly. Skim it and move on.

This is another one of those lists. You're welcome.

Confession time: I was a horse-crazy girl. I can already hear the eye-rolling. Bear with me. I was horse-crazy. For a time, I was trained and groomed (not entirely willingly for some of it) to aim for the Olympics. I learned how to ride bareback and blindfolded, with no reins, no stirrups, how to jump (and not fall off!) and the whole ball of wax. I had show clothing. I won ribbons. I even did a stint, as a high school student, teaching other kids the basics of how to ride.

I still have horses. I'm nowhere near as active as I once was. I'm out of shape and overweight and riding my lovelies would amount to torture for us all right now. But, as I struggle with piecing a flagging writing career back together, I realized that I really had learned things that I could compare to writing.

Note: Wherever I say 'horses', please substitute 'writing'. Trust me, it works.

1. Horses are not plug and play.

No matter how many ads you read, no matter how many people tell you that you can just 'climb on' and go for a ride, it's not true. Oh sure, you may go for one ride, or a dozen rides, on the sweetest, gentlest, friendliest beast you've ever seen, but even the most well-trained horse has quirks. Eventually, you will come to the river he must roll in, he will be stung by the world's largest horsefly, or he just plain won't be In The Mood to Do What You Say.

1a. Plug-And-Play horses are boring.

Really. Who wants to spend all day on a horse that could rock you to sleep? Challenge and change are the things that keep us interested.

2. Horses are hard work.

There is no such thing as a horse that takes care of itself. You may keep them in a pasture and do nothing more than look at them. You may visit only to give apples, carrots and/or sugar cubes, but eventually, you have to pay attention to them. You will have to call the vet and the farrier. You have to comb the tangles out of manes and tails. You will have to repair fences and build shelters. If you wanted low maintenance, you should have bought a fish.

3. Pulling on the lead rope all day only gets you sore arms.

Horses require give and take. If you are asking for a particular response and not getting what you want, try a different approach. Come at the problem from a different direction. Doing the same thing over and over again when the beast won't budge is not going to solve anything, will irritate and frustrate both of you, and will lead to much swearing, stomping and unpleasantness.

4. A little fear is healthy. Avoidance is crippling.

Horses can be frightening, especially when you're just starting out, or when you've just brought a new animal home. You don't know them, they don't know you, neither one of you are sure the other can be trusted. Having respect for one another is only common sense. Don't let unfamiliarity keep you from spending time with your horse, though. You will never get to know him if you never get out in the field and get your hands dirty.

5. When you fall out of the saddle, get up and try again.

This should really probably be rule number one. The saying 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again' applies to horses just as much as anything else. You may fall once, you may fall a dozen times. No one is suggesting breaking bones or eagerly embracing bumps and bruises, but they're going to come. You're going to get kicked, stepped on and knocked down. You're going to have to learn to pick yourself back up and try, try again. Eventually, you'll learn how to stick the jump, you'll make it through the gate without scraping your leg or losing your hat. You'll get it right, but only if you get back in the saddle and keep on riding.

So that's the list. For now, at any rate.

I have a phone call to make.