Soft

The Opposite of Submissive

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My horses are my friends, not my slaves. ~ Dr. Reiner Klimke, Legendary German Master of Classical Dressage and Multiple Olympic Medalist

There are all kinds of schisms that run the width and breadth of the equestrian landscape, but perhaps none runs deeper than that of the debate of the how, if, when and level of severity of discipline in handling horses. Over the years I have so often found deeper meaning in these debates, for everything we apply to horses can be applied to everyday life, and when we talk discipline, really we are talking about the necessity of setting boundaries.

But if we are to talk about the necessity of boundaries, then we must also consider the ramifications of setting too many, or setting them too harshly or simply, unnecessarily. Are we to be, as one of my teachers put it, a benevolent dictator; or do we choose to be the tyrant for whom no level of control is ever quite enough.

When it comes to discipline and corrective measures there’s a philosophy for everything. The why and the why not and what to do instead. Join any equestrian tribe and you will find there are copious amounts of conviction that flows like wine at a Roman festival, and everyone has a story and a bruise to back up their particular theory.