I first learned the concepts of non-violence in my marriage. - Mohandas K. Gandhi
I think a partnership with a dressage horse is the only partnership in the world where trust is almost guaranteed to improve by going outside the bounds of the existing relationship. In any other type of partnership, outside influence would likely change the dynamics, and trust would diminish for a certain period of time, if not forever. For example, when businesses include an additional partner, the outcome is speculative at best. Sooner or later, someone is probably going to get pissed off, take their ball, and go home. Similarly, how many wives have wearily admitted to their best friend concerns of husbandly infidelity?
In complete contrast, one of the best ways to help a horse in training is to have as many “extra-marital” affairs as possible, gaining more experience with other horses, which seasons and deepens the existing relationship and illuminates the broader spectrum of colors that layer a horse’s personality.
To this end, I’ve started taking lessons on a 4th level schoolmaster, with the hope that I can improve myself more, which will help me train Nicole more effectively. Of course, Le Grand Olde Schoolmaster showed me every flaw in my seat, and thanks to Special K’s videoing, I now have evidence that my legs at the canter are every which way except correct. I’ve tried to rectify this when working with Nicole, and although I’m not always successful, I’ve found that at times that I interfere with her less, and when she goes to invert and pull, I’m able to better maintain my position and correct her. This advantage, coupled with her burgeoning self-carriage, is slowly transforming my horse into something pleasant to ride.
The additional advantage to my new relationship with Le Grand Olde Schoolmaster is that I get to practice higher level moves that I currently can’t work on with Nicole.
