Wisdom from Bruce Lee

 

It might seem strange to some people to apply Bruce Lee’s philosophy to horsemanship. But horsemanship and martial arts are both ways of life. He describes “feel” quite well. One philosophy that Bruce Lee had (simply stated) was to “be like the nature of water.” We should flow with whatever is happening. Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu observed that nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Many know this to be true, but few can actually put it into practice.

 

Bruce Lee also noted that gentleness and firmness are always part of one whole and are equally important, as well as unavoidably interdependent on each other. Be soft, but not yielding. Be firm, yet not hard. He also said it is easy for some people to have “paralysis by analysis.” When this happens, just redirect your thoughts and your horse’s to where you want to go.

 

Finally, Bruce Lee also stated, “Knowing is not enough, we must apply, and willing is not enough, we must do!”

 

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Wisdom from the Bible

 

Numbers 22:28-33

Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."

 

Job 12:7

       “But ask the animals, and they will teach you...."

 

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"Heart"

by Monte Baker

 

 

I talked to a friend just the other day

Who's got lots of opinions and plenty to say.

We discussed what we both like to see in a horse.

His requirements and mine were different of course...

He likes a clean throatlatch and long skinny neck,

and prefers that their hocks are set close to the deck

short backs and hard feet and clean slopin' shoulder,

and a gaskin that looks like it swallered a boulder.

He likes a short face and big ol' soft eye,

and says these are the horses he’s likely to buy.

And when he'd completed his lengthy discourse,

on all of the attributes of the quality horse.

He asked my opinion, and where do I start?

And I said that I... just want horses with heart.

I said I want heart above all the other.

I don't care if he's Smart Little Lena's full brother

or just how much money that his grandmother won,

or whether he's roan, palomino or dun.

But give me a horse with some grit and some try,

and some heart and some guts and that's one that I'll buy.

And I've found it's the same with a woman or a man...

the good ones won't quit you when the shIt hits the fan.