The Importance of Being Forward

Not To Mention, Earnest

Forward is a concept happily tossed around as a technical term in horsemanship, and applied to the horse as a measure of obedience as well as the energy and speed he brings to the situation, but at its heart, forward isn’t in the least bit technical, nor an expression of physical speed or prowess. In fact, very often a horse pushed to move too fast is unbalanced, tense and closed off to the very things the rider hopes to accomplish.

We describe that as ‘the horse is being run off his feet’ or is ‘ahead of his tempo’, and experienced horse-people understand that in physical terms, a forward horse can be moving very slowly, or even backwards, and still be described as forward. The right tempo is the one that allows the horse to comfortably adapt and redistribute weight in response to the challenge at hand.

So if forward isn’t really about how fast the horse is in a linear fashion, what is it about?

Forward can be described as an inner attitude expressed outwardly as activity. An excellent example of activity in horsemanship is when a horse performs the piaffe, in which he trots in place with exquisite balance, power and expression.

At its heart, forward is about openness and adaptability, embracing and nurturing an attitude of confidence and trust. A willingness to proceed evenly in the face of uncertainty, hazards and outright fear. Forward means to put one foot in front of the other no matter how tired, how awkward, how befuddled and off kilter we may feel. Doing what we can, with what we’ve got, from where we are, today. Being proactive in the face of confusion and indecision. Forward is about having and expressing what we call ‘try’.

As an example, it is the opposite of what a horse is expressing when he rears up in fear, anger or confusion. As horse-people, it is our job to develop the relationship and abilities of the horse in such a way he trusts us to never ask him to do something he is not capable of. It is our job to reward and nurture the try, to gain his trust to the degree he opens his heart, mind and body to us and allows us to influence and direct him freely. That is then, a forward horse.

So forward is an expression of trust in the overall friendliness and rightness of Life itself.

Forward, though often confused with fast, is no such thing, and more often than not, fast leads not to power or success, but to chaos, confusion, fatigue and failure in the face of loss of rhythm, balance and connection to the task at hand, on horseback and in life.

Forward, then, is also about activity, not speed, and indeed, horse-people talk about the horse being active when he is well balanced, organized and expressing his power in harmony with the rider. As hinted earlier, in humans, we tend to call it being pro-active.

Forward is knowing preparation can take time, alignment with intention and destination comes before success, and adding power to a poorly prepared action is like baking bread before it rises. It’ll be hard to chew and even harder to digest, and inevitably, leads to discontent and long faces.

Forward is to be friendly, forgiving even, with Life, and trust that whatever lies behind, the best is yet to come, and will move towards us if only we will move towards it. That a place will be found where balance, suppleness and alignment of mind, body and soul will result in an agility to which power may be added without loss of equilibrium.

Forward requires us to look up and out at life for stability and perspective, to trust we will be made welcome, and given a soft place to fall if necessary. Forward is what Winston Churchill was talking about when he said: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Get those legs moving and keep going, even if the going is slow and heavy. Pray and move your feet.

Forward is knowing that sometimes, just showing up is all you can do, and so it will be enough. That there is always more to learn, try and taste, so keep calm and kick on, step by step. Get off your bum, get your nose out of your belly button and check it out. Face it head on with pricked ears and know you will figure it out; that while having a plan is a good idea, it’s not nearly as important as knowing your intention and being led by that knowing.

Forward is knowing the road will rise up to meet and greet your blindly fumbling hooves, feet and hands.

Forward, when all is said and done, is an inside job, facilitated by a flexibility and suppleness with circumstance, a willingness to forgive and forget the past so we can be free to greet the future with open arms, uncluttered mind, and a resilient heart, earnestly applying the wisdom of lessons learned. (You know I had to get earnest in there somewhere.)

Forward isn’t always easy to attain, but it is necessary if we are to enjoy the ride.

Talk To Me!

Do you have a favorite equestrian principle you’d like me to talk about? Do you have a favorite saying you’d like me to look at through the eyes of an equestrian life coach? Or do you just have a great question or idea for a subject matter you’d like to see me write about? Then drop me a comment below and let me give it a go, I love a good challenge. Credit will be given for source of inspiration!