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These five ingredients are part of the 10 qualities of a Horseman according to Pat Parelli and they are major guidelines in Horsemanship.
~ ATTITUDE ~
If you approach your horse with an understanding attitude and the intention of creating a relationship to develop a partnership, you will be able to identify what is essential in your horse.
~ FOCUS ~
If the attitude is positive, the focus will come. Focus is your ability to concentrate your attention and intention. It's useful to stay aware of the horse's whole body to analyse his attitude, but as soon as you ask for movement, you need to be conscious about where you are directing your energy and what exactly you look for.
~ FEEL ~
Attitude and focus give you feel. If you develop your focus, you can pay attention to the quality of the feeling. It's a difficult concept to explain, one that I continue to research and never stop improving. Doug Jordan, defines the feel as "a sensitivity to the partnership with the horse". To interpret the FEEL concept according to Tom Dorrance, I would say that it is the capacity to (re)adjust the body, the tools, the demands, the energy in ordre for the horse to respond with the least possible opposition.
~ TIMING ~
Attitude, focus and feel give you timing. I would define timing as managing demands/movement in time. What to do and where to be? When to quit what you are asking? When to adapt your approach and try another technique?
~ BALANCE ~
Attitude, focus, feel and timing give balance. Horsemanship is all about balance. There are many balances involved in a good result. Balance is the ability to adjust different parameters to fit each situation and find the center. PEACE is for me the word that goes with this balance.
I often see people who are too extreme. As Pat Parelli explains, there are people who put as little pressure as possible and prefer to settle everything with time and others who show the horse who is the boss, go fast and put a lot of pressure. Both of these extremes are wrong always staying in the same range of attitudes. To develop Horsemanship is to understand that getting yourself more in the center allows you to be fair and effective. This is kind firmness. That's a nice way of explaining it.
I think one of the most striking characteristics of a Horseman is the ability to adapt to the situation and the amplitude of his energy & intention. Very few people are able to do that and very few people are willing to work very seriously on it. It can be as gentle and slow as possible, but as firm and fast as necessary. You might be surprised how quickly you have to move from one to the other sometimes. In life, and especially with horses, everything can change very quickly for better or worse. You must constantly be ready to act in order to respond appropriately and rebalance.
It seems to me that in the public mind, Horsemanship is a method to do everything gently, slowly, without pressure and without rushing the horse! OR! a method to get quick results with firmness and a lot of pressure. Still too few people know the true value of Horsemanship, that of shade.
It is to be able to share this with you that I dedicate my life to the horse and Horsemanship.
Colin
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