‘Unscheduled Dismounts’

On Inexperience

Yes, unfortunately I’ve had my share, probably more than my share, of ‘unscheduled dismounts’ over the years, most attributed to my inexperience and/or lack of awareness of where my horse’s mind was. No excuse for lack of awareness but when it comes to horses, I don’t consider inexperience necessarily a bad thing. Coming to the Horse World late in life with little experience I instead brought an open mind, always searching for information, techniques, and ideas, without prejudice.

This approach seems to have served me well. Before our first vet appointment I was cautioned that the vet the barn used was impatient and could be harsh and bristly. Seems she had many dealings with horse owners who were very opiniated and argumentative, often sure that they knew more than she. Reacting to these attitudes had given her a reputation.

However I never had a problem with her. Maybe I was over naïve back then but I’d started the relationship with a sincere confession: I was inexperienced being new to horse ownership, not entirely certain of what I was doing, but eager to learn and welcomed all the help and advice I could get. Judging by the manner in which she treated me during our relationship it was evident she appreciated the fresh approach.

That wasn’t the last time I asked for help/advice because of my inexperience. I’m still open to learning all that I can. They say “you catch more bees with honey”* and I’ve yet to be stung with a rude or snarky response.

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*In popular imagining…bees, wasps, and flies are attracted to honey… Hence the saying “You can catch more bees [or wasps or flies] with honey than with vinegar.”  Source: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/429714/what-does-showing-as-much-interest-as-a-bee-shows-in-vinegar-cruet-mean