Another snowy day off. Tomato sauce is a great snowy day activity. It usually leads to Lasagna. I might not be the greatest of cooks, but I make one heck of a lasagna....
Sometimes when you make sauce, you make "mistakes". Other than burning the danged stuff, mistakes in sauce aren't fatal. I think for this reason alone, I can do both things well. I can be a little off, and go back and fix it. The important thing is seeing the mistake, acknowledging it, correcting it, and learning from the process.
So what does this have to do with training young horses?
I see so many riders afraid of making "a mistake". But from a trainers perspective, and even that of a mom, dog owner, or wanna-be chef, I look forward to the mistakes as learning opportunities. I point them out not to belittle, but rather to educate. For example think of the rider who's afraid of pulling too hard on the reins. With contact, you are constantly going back to your sense of feel. With a good sauce, you're always going back to your sense of taste! Unfortunately the analogy isn't quite perfect, because with cooking you can only add more. If you make too many mistakes you might wind up with one very very large pot of sauce.....We're luckier with the contact analogy as we can walk a teetering balance between too much and too little, and go back and forth until we find true elasticity. If you're not getting the desired result, never be afraid to experiment with a little more or less. The horse will tell you if you've taken too much. The important thing is to learn from whatever mistake you make whether it be sauce or contact and move on. No regrets. No looking back!
From the training perspective I look forward to the little "mistakes" my horses make as learning opportunities for them as well. He needs to drop behind my leg on occasion in order to learn to stay consistently more in front. Or the corrections via my half halt to help him stay more balanced up hill. Or if he should spook, it's an opportunity to teach him to stand quietly and listen and trust me. I think I actually like mistakes. Without them, I think my job would be pretty dull.
It even stands true from a child rearing perspective. I once had a woman drag me by the ear and tell me that I should never ever point out the mistake in judgment her daughter made because she did not want her to ever regret a decision she made that almost cost her horse her soundness. I found this a bit shocking, and later sad. The point was not to regret the mistake, but to learn from it. I am so fully aware of some of the newer and sometimes shocking theories in child rearing. And while I so totally agree that we must cherish and nurture our children to help grow a healthy ego, they also must learn respect and how to embrace their mistakes, lest humility become a thing of the past.....
Having raised to great and well adjusted kids, as well as countless equines, dogs, and other assorted animals, I got to say...I make one danged good tomato sauce...yes...I do!
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