Being perfect isn't what it's cracked up to be

Don Jessop

Nothing is truly perfect by everyone's standards so you don't have to worry about being perfect. You can mostly, just be you. That's not to say you shouldn't improve and work towards higher standards, but I will tell you there is one secret downside to being perfect with horses. One that's never really expressed and it deserves a moment in the spotlight. 

Here it is:

As the horse trainer improves his or her skills, each new horse they work with begins to understand things faster, yielding better, safer results in general. However... if the trainer becomes so competent that almost all basic problems are avoided with good feel and time, they often miss a crucially important aspect of the horse's learning. I call it the "cope with novice" learning curve. Let me explain.

Example:

Horses are naturally afraid of plastic. Great trainers, with good feel and timing, introduce the plastic slowly, gradually teaching the horse to cope with the plastic. As time goes on, the trainer is able to demonstrate waving the plastic all over the horse without a reaction. He is literally able to "finesse" the horse into feeling good about the experience. A less qualified trainer or horse owner doesn't have the perfect feel and timing and often upsets the horse with novice, poorly timed hands. So it stands to reason that you should always be a good trainer with perfect feel and timing right? Wrong!  

Here is where having imperfect timing is the best thing compared to being perfect. Wrong timing will certainly bother a horse at first, but it can also prepare the horse to deal with poor feel and timing. A horse that can cope with poor feel and timing is a safer horse for a novice or beginner rider.

Think of it like this. A horse that's non-reactive to bad feel and timing shows more patience. If you have to be perfect not to upset your horse, you're not really training him to cope with newbies. Take the example of the plastic bag. If you wave it quickly and too soon, you'll upset your horse. But if you do that often, you'll actually train your horse not to be upset by quick things happening too soon. In other words, bad timing can help the horse learn to be okay with bad timing.

I'm not saying you shouldn't practice good feel and timing. I'm saying that sometimes, bad feel and timing is exactly what the horse needs to learn to cope with, in order to be a safer, more reliable horse that won't react if some new rider accidentally gooses the horse or pulls too hard or introduces something in a not so perfect manner.

Now think of your horse. If you can ride your horse but someone else can't, it's partly because you're practicing being perfect for your horse all the time. You know what I mean... You warm up just so, you give him his special moments to chill, just so, and so on. To be clear, that's exactly what I do for my horses. So I'm not criticizing anyone. What I'm actually saying, is being perfect for your horse doesn't prepare him for others. If I want my horse to be okay for a novice, I literally have to practice being imperfect, with poor timing, and bad feel. Of course I'm smart enough to make sure the horse ends in a nice emotional state each time. 

I will tell you this much. It's not easy to pretend to be a novice after so many years of practicing higher standards. However, it's often worth it. All my horses, as a result of not being perfect all the time, are happier, more equipped partners for anybody who takes lessons on them.

In summary. Being perfect is nice, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's useful to be imperfect at times. And in reality, since it's impossible to be completely perfect, I find it useful to trust it's okay when I'm not, which diminishes any pressure I put on myself to get it right every second of the day. It helps me trust that even when I'm not perfect, my horse will learn to be okay with my imperfections. I find that to be a useful thought. I hope you do too. 

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