Do You Have a Plan?
- October 4, 2014
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- Rachel Larsen
Posted in: Horse Training, Ranch Life
After a little wheeling and dealing, my son and his Grandpa Rooster, negotiated a pony riding deal. They sealed their contract with a handshake and we brought home a Shetland. Joe is a gentle pony, a bit of an easy keeper, who needs experience and exercise. He is also my 9-year-old son’s first project horse.
It is difficult for me as a parent, to determine how much involvement in my son’s projects is too much. I want him to have a positive experience, while developing a sense of personal responsibility. So I find myself asking, where does one draw the line between helpful assistance and potentially debilitating over-involvement?
I’ll be the first to tell you, I haven’t figured that parenting dilemma out. I have learned my first impulse, the gnawing urge to boss and holler, is almost always the wrong one. I rein myself in and come back to one simple bit of wisdom someone once shared with me, “Always have a plan.” Rather than nagging about hand and body position, I ask my son, “Do you have a plan?”
The more I bite my tongue, the more the boy and pony seem to learn and grow. He knows how many times he will take the pony around the corral during a ride, how many steps he will ask for when he backs the pony up, and which direction he will turn around the hay feeder. A plan requires a certain degree of mental and physical preparedness on the rider’s part. A prepared rider, unlike a passenger, is a safer rider. The next time you saddle up, ask yourself, “Do I have a plan?”
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Posted in: Horse Training, Ranch Life
About Rachel Larsen
Rachel Lohof Larsen is a fifth-generation rancher, mom, wife, cowgirl, and blogger. Originally from Montana, Rachel has a BA in Environmental Science from Colorado College. She and her husband, Guy, bring a sense of integrity and a strong interest in sustainability to all their pursuits....