"Riding a horse is not a gently hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seized a person whole and once it has done so, he/she will have to accept that his life will be radically changed." --RALPH WALDO EMERSON
"Horses are great bodywork teachers. If you do a stroke without being in rapport, if it’s too fast or too deep, something’s not quite right about it, they’ll give you immediate feedback with their mouths or feet. They force you to become aware of everything you’re doing. Whatever energy you bring to them, they reflect back to you. They won’t put up with deep bodywork that’s less than perfect so you really have to refine your quality of touch and presence. If you love them while you work they will give you the moon, but if your mind is elsewhere they’ll knock you over." --JOSEPH FREEMAN
"Admitting that a horse is a reflection of you, Never blaming the horse and understanding a horse is a much needed step to progress in your horsemanship. As Confucius would say, “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance." --UNKNOWN
"It’s only through feel that a rider can make use of the lightness in a horse without creating resistance. When you build that foundation through feel, it becomes possible to direct the horse in any maneuver, at just about any speed, anytime you need to – and have it weigh almost nothing in your hands. When you can direct a horse’s movements through feel, then there’s an understanding taking place between the person and horse. That is the sign of true horsemanship." --BILL DORRANCE
"Some horse owners and trainers quickly assume that when horses are resistant they are just being cranky, mare-ish, stubborn, stupid, lazy, or they just don’t want to work. More likely, however, resistance can mean their head, back, legs, joints, or feet hurt; their saddle doesn’t fit; they have no idea what you want; they are being told two different things at once; their teeth and hurting their cheeks; their muscles are not in shape for what you’re asking; and in the case of a mare, ovulation is making her back sore. And on and on." --RENEE TUCKER, DVM
