History – what we can learn from it, how “grandpa did it”?
“The old way”
seems to carry a derogatory tone in many of today’s horsemanship circles, whether it is from a science or hands on training perspective, and even in the high performance world, as if we need to leave it all behind and find a better way. I don’t believe this to be true across the board. If we can understand why they did or didn’t do certain things, we might learn to refine, and what to do and what didn’t work.
One of my favorite take aways from Tom Dorrance is “try to see things from the horses perspective then you can understand why they do what they do”. I try to apply this to my cattle work too. They have senses that we don’t even have. A lot of people don’t want to dig that deep, it’s to much work and it might get ugly.
Today’s teachings can be just as harsh, and often harsher, than yesterday’s teachings. Today
people believe they can speak into a little box and find at a moment’s notice the “latest and greatest” for their horse, especially if there’s some emotional feeling along with it, no facts or reality, just feel good. But from the horses perspective, there can be a lot of ugly.
I look at this photograph of this horse having two feet worked on at the same time, it is important to notice that the horse is comfortable, relaxed, nobody holding his head, while having his feet done. How many horses today can we find with the lead lying on the ground with even one foot being worked on? How did they get things like this done in the old days, before the latest and greatest teachings of today, showing casing, science studies, glamorized acts in front of large crowds, and all the wrecked horses that are cast aside?
We can learn a lot from those who went before us, those who used their horses for modes of transportation, to complete a day’s work, who relied on them to make a living for their families. Not all things from the past are bad and not all things taught today are good. It’s only new information if you’re just discovering it, doesn’t mean you, or the person teaching it necessarily invented it.
My grandfather told me about growth plates in young horses when I was a child, decades before I heard it from any modern experts. But now there’s more horses crippled in the arenas than the old timers ever did working them, and it’s acceptable. Education from experience, with the horse, while doing a job, spending hours of time working with them, being with them and most importantly communicating with them can have the highest value of learning.
We can find good and bad horsemanship in every discipline, every breed, around every corner, whether it is from the “Old Way” or the new improved “Modern Way”. Choose wisely.