A Moment of Discomfort
An Influence That Lasts in Your Absence? To teach the thing that’s easiest, or to teach the thing that lasts the longest? They’re not always opposites, but they’re often not the same. I yearn to learn not what gets me through the moment, but what’s going to last me a lifetime. What can I put in my toolkit for the next horse, the next rider? When I’m teaching, I wish the same for my clients. I’d love if what was easiest was also what was best, and exactly what the rider wants. But often I have to be the one who pisses on their parade and helps them find what the horse needs most—most often, most urgently—to sustain them long term. That just translates to what needs to be fixed most now, so you don’t get bucked off later. Of course, if it’s something that has been routinely missing, it’s going to be difficult, uncomfortable, and even nerve-making for the horse. That quiet neglect that led to the threads coming apart. The comfort of fixing minor rips and tears while the seams s...
