A true horseman is authentic. The horse has stripped him of any illusion about who he is, what his intention is, what he knows and doesn't know.
A true horseman has a strong core... physically, mentally, spiritually. When the world comes apart underneath him, he allows it to happen "through " him not "to" him. Emotionally he is non-reactive. It is a requirement.
A true horseman is open and free. His body and mind have no resistances. He knows that his horse reflects his own state. This openness becomes a part of who he is with people and in life.
A true horseman is clear and concise, patient and generous. He is acutely aware of what suits him and what doesn't. At the same time, he goes with the flow. Asking the horse and life for what he wants, he , all the while, stays open and responsive to the wrong answer. He is accepting that things aren't always as the "should" be but never loses sight of the ideal.
A true horseman is realistic. He knows that both he and the horse are as fragile as they are strong. He proceeds with confidence and optimism, totally present in the moment. He knows that each day of soundness and health is a blessing, fully aware that this, too, shall pass.
A true horseman is not affected by an ego that has long ago been tromped, bucked, kicked and dumped out of him.
A true horseman sacrifices. He doesn't give power, through acknowledgment, to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, pain, or exhaustion. He has transcended the need to immediately fulfill each desire for his own comfort.
A true horseman knows fear. He knows what it can do. He knows what it can't do. His will does not let fear alter his course.
A true horseman is compassionate and soft-hearted. Love is not a strong enough word for the feeling he has for the horse. He has an appreciation and respect, beyond all words, that comes with awareness of the tolerance, willingness, generosity, and trust the horse embodies. He sees the suffering horses endure in service to our needs, and he suffers also.
A true horseman expects self-carriage and collection in the horse but, also, in himself. He doesn't weigh down another with his load. His being has been strengthened and refined, able to negotiate the undulating terrain of life with grace.
A true horseman trusts the natural world. The horse's language, rhythms, and intuitive abilities all become his own. The horse connects him to the earth and the stars. He is inspired to move beyond the cares that trouble other men, trusting, as the horse does, that all he needs will be available to him.
Through the horse he becomes more than a man. He becomes a HORSE / MAN.
Cindy Lippon
2009