My first young horse was difficult in many ways. I didn’t know he was going to be “mine” in any sense of the word, I was just doing my job. I was there when he was born. I was up until 2am to make sure he could stand, pleading with him to nurse. I was the one who halter broke him, who taught him to lead, who was unlucky enough to try to medicate, deworm and groom him.

In the very beginning, right out of the pasture, consistency builds trust. Before a horse can trust you, it can trust the routine. It can trust that it will do the same thing and it will experience the same treatment. That is the first step. Kindness and consistency. It may not seem like it at first, but it is kindness that is harder to manage on a daily basis than consistency.

If you sit down and think about it, we humans ask a lot of horses. We take so many things for granted, that is, right up until the moment you start a horse. You realize that what you are starting out with, and what you need to end up with, are miles away from each other.

You will catch them as them come into this world. You will teach them, give them skills, directions, manners. You will give them a purpose and work for their best life possible. You will see your work undone, you will see it and them disregarded, and it will hurt. You will care for them as if they were your flesh and blood, not of your flesh and blood, but your actual body.