That is a direct quote from a 5th grade student in my class after experiencing live, the . I find this very interesting, because it came from a student with a definite attitude that teachers prefer not to have displayed in their students.
After studying natural horsmanshipfor almost 5 years now, I am finally beginning to make significant changes in my attitudes. Since the beginning of my journey I have been trying to transfer the horsemanship principles that I have been learning into all areas of my life, with very little success. I was having great success with my human/horse relationships, but not much improvement in my human relationships. I kept telling myself that horses were just easier and less complicated than people. In reality it was just an excuse to not change my own undesirable attitudes.
I was introduced to natrual horsemanship by a colleague when I was on the spiraling path of teacher burnout. I was very frustrated with the education system and with my students as well. It seemed like no matter what I did it was a failure, and I wasn’t doing much better with my horses.
I was a bit of a skeptic when my teacher friend invited me to a clinic. I went as an auditor the first couple of times. I was so surprised by what I was seeing that I was hooked immediately. It all looked so magical. However, I found out that attitudes don’t change easily or quickly.
It was difficult to let go of old habits and ideas. For example, I rode with the rope halter over the top of my bridle and bit. I simply didn’t trust my horse, myself, or the validity of the principles that I was learning. After a couple of months, I realized that I hadn’t needed the reins that were attached to the bit one single time. My actions seem so silly to me now. However, it was a necessary step in the process of changing my attitude to “TRUST THE TEACHER.”
Over the past 5 years I kept asking myself, “when are the love, language, and leadership skills I seem to display so easily with horses going to start transferring to my human relationships?” I finally realized that it wasn’t the skills that I was lacking, but the attitude!
It was easy for me to have a good attitude with horses, because I love them so much. They are a deeply imbedded passion in my heart. Plus I had an empathy for horses that I realized I didn’t have for people. Now that I have begun to soften my attitude, the love, language and leadership skills that I have developed with horses is finally beginning to transfer to my human relationships!
The students in my class learned so much about themselves as learners and teachers by participating in the “pop bottle communication experiment”. They discovered that they have to go through some negative feelings as well as positive ones in order to be successful learners. We came up with a slogan from this activity to hang on our wall:
“You must actively participate with energy and curiosity to learn, but
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!”
It has taken commitment, persistence, perspiration, and trust in natural horsemanship principles, plus a few horses and a 5th grader with an undesirable attitude to give me the courage to change my attitude and finally transfer love, language and leadership skills to all areas of my life.
I know that I have not arrived yet. I do know that it will always be my attitude at the beginning of any difficult task, which more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.
This article was published in Savvy Times, However I am not associated with the Parelli's in anyway, other than I highly admire and respect all that they do.
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