Getting back on
You remember me telling you about my student who fell off his horse a few weeks ago?
Well he came back and…
…you know what they say, “If you fall off your horse, you get right back on.”
He did it!
I was so proud of him. He did a great job during our lesson. I kept it pretty low key, reviewing some of the patterns we had previously been working on like a serpentine pattern, figure 8, and a half circle reverse. He rode independently (which I was actually a little surprised about) but then halfway through the lesson he asked me if he could ask me a question.
I said, “Of course!”
He replied, “I think I need someone to clip me back up.”
It was so sweet and of course I had a willing volunteer right there to clip back up to his horse’s halter and lead him around the arena for the rest of the lesson. My student was still able to do his own steering and execute the things I was asking of him, but it just made him a little more comfortable knowing someone else had his horse if he needed it.
I was proud of him because he doesn’t always express what he wants to me verbally. He usually does a lot of nodding or deep sighing (if he is frustrated) and even an occasional growl, but this time he very clearly stated what he wanted.
I felt proud to reward him for that.
I think when he comes for his next lesson, he will be even more confident and ready to even do a little trotting and get back to where he left off before his fall.
Couldn’t we all learn a lesson or two from this…
When we fail, even if it takes a while, just get back to it, and if you need help – ask for it.
You just might realize you are capable of more than you ever thought you could be.
