Let's go fly a kite

Your horse is too fresh to ride so what do you do?

Fly the kite. That's what you do!

Some people get tired of flying the kite, metaphorically speaking. They want a horse they can count on. Dealing with a fresh horse every day gets tiring and... wouldn't it just be nice if they didn't demand so much extra warmup from time to time?

I never tire of it, personally. In fact, you can always count on horses like this (a kite on a string) to entertain you. But... you do have to change your expectations. And you have to desire to meet me in this place. What I mean is, if you're set on riding then you'll always be annoyed by horses that need the extra warm-up. To meet me where I'm at in my career with horses, you'll have to let go of riding as your primary goal for your horse time. Make it a secondary outcome. Make the first outcome, simply enjoying the raw power of mother nature.

The term "go fly a kite" is a pleasant, childlike experience. If I've got a fresh horse, I love turning them loose to burn off some steam. I love getting the long rope out and watching them twist and dive on the thermals of internal excitement. To me, playing with a fresh horse makes me smile. I don't have to ride just yet and I don't want to diminish the experience of true horse time.  

Some people don't want a horse, they want a robot. I want a horse and that means he gets to be a horse part time and a partner the rest of the time.  I'll meet him in his world and he'll meet me in mine. That's true horsemanship if you ask me. 

Sure, there are boundaries, things you simply can't allow, like crowding you or tearing the rope from your hands, but don't get upset by anything else because that's the grand part of owning horses. Watching the horse in nature, it's beautiful. Participate on the ground and slowly guide the horse to calm down and find you as the leader again. I love it. I love horses. I love horse time. I love all of you who love it too.

So, in the simplest terms... enjoy the horse that shows up and don't expect anything else. You'll still get to ride. In the meantime, fly that kite with childlike enthusiasm, just like Marry Poppins suggested. 

Thanks for reading. See you all soon. 

Don Jessop

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