Jill Davis long time horse owneralso known to many of us as "Beeswood" a very well known and talented Artist as a leather tack painter.
The post below was one that Jill wrote and posted on a forum, the subject being " Do we over analyze our horses".
I loved it and found her insight was so worth sharing with others so I asked her permission to post it here.
By Jill Davis
Many who now own horses have their 1st horse 'later in life' - when they have finally been able to afford their dream. I am so NOT KNOCKING this, but it's fact. Along with that first horse thrill AND being a wiser, more 'responsible', educated adult, comes the desire to it all "right". We have awesome clinicians these days that offer a huge leg up on understanding the equine thought-pattern, we have excellent saddle makers/fitters who offer close-to/custom saddles for pretty fair prices, and everyone is concerned about health and safety - so riding helmets, 'perfect pants', etc. are all part of the package. People do their best to set up a Win/Win situation from the start. Nice idea, commendable... ...Then the over-thinking comes into play, and at times the Little Girl Who Communes With Horses fantasy edges in - because having the chance to LIVE your childhood dream is AWESOME! Only problem is, it doesn't always work the way we "dreamed it" and we are so accustom (as adults) to being able to buy/get exactly what we want when we want it, that we have forgotten the all important ingredient of TIME with PATIENCE. We don't want to admit we don't know it all...or can't DO it all...yet. There is an ENORMOUS learning curve with horses - each one is different in some way, so what one may learn in theory doesn't always 'fit', and you have to improvise. If your knowledge is 'just book', not experience, it's going to be frustrating. Bottom line is that THERE IS NO SHORT CUT. But so many don't want to see that, they just want to buy the next video, go to the next clinic, get the next gadget that promises "success". If people would just chill out, quiet down, and be patient (I think) they might begin to learn stuff from the source itself..the horse. I also think a lot of folks are over mounted - be it out of vanity or honest ignorance. No one should be embarrassed or ashamed of a 'less than perfect' horse, because THAT horse is going to teach you things like trust and forgiveness...be it you to them or they to you. Everyone thinks they 'need' a young horse to grow old with, when often times owning a steady-Eddy 15 y.o. for a few years could build confidence, teach you so much, and set you up for someday choosing that long-term horse. It's not a bike, and activity or a sport that we can control 100%, EVER. Nothing is perfect. Your Lifetime Horse is probably NOT going to be one of the first ones you own, so get that straight right off the bat, and you're that much closer to it. Anyway, I know there are those who will 'beg to differ' with me, and that's fine, but I've been watching this for about 50 years. In that time I have had 3 'nearly perfect' horses for those times in my life. Currently I am fortunate enough to own #3, but it wasn't without many, many others in between!!
