Think Like A Horse - Natural Horsemanship

• When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or man, don't be surprised if they learn the lesson. 

• It is easier to acknowledge your horse's faults, once you have acknowledged your own. 

• Just cause trouble comes visiting doesn't mean you have to offer it a place to sit down. 

• What this country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.

• You can’t weigh the facts if you got the scales weighed down with your own opinions.

• If you want to liven up the conversation, just say the right thing, the wrong way.

• Don’t make a long story short just so you can tell another one.

• If you are riding a high horse, there ain’t no way to get down off it gracefully.

• However one sided a man may be, he will have other sides if you look hard enough.

• My treasurers do not twinkle or glitter, they neigh in the night and glow in the sun.

• If you always do what you have done, you will always get what you have got.
  

• Man, I will never forget old what's her name.

• A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something.

• Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

• Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

• A gun is a tool, no better or worse than any other tool.  A gun is as good or bad as the man using it.

• In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is King.

• Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.

• You can have horses or you can have money, but you can't have them both.

• Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid.

• If it doesn't seem worth the effort, it probably isn't.

• If you think you can or think you can't, you're are probably right.

• Don't mess with something that isn't bothering you.

• What a horse does under compulsion - is done without understanding and it is done without understanding and there is no beauty in it....  anymore than if you took a spur or whip to a dancer.

• It is hard to make a comeback, when you haven't been anywhere.

• Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

• There are three kinds of men: the ones that learn by reading; the few who learn by observation; the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.

• Life ain't so short that you can’t take time to hear a man out.

• When you get bucked off, the easiest way to explain it is you dropped your hat and got in a hurry to pick it up.

• Nothing keeps you honest more that witnesses.

• There is a high cost to low living.

• A week spent around the campfire will tell you more about a man than living next to him for 10 years.

• Going fast while you are lost won’t help a bit.

• You are not being diplomatic just because you put “please” in front of  “Shut the hell up.”

• There are rules about riding a horse, but the horse won’t necessarily know them.

• You generally learn the value of money from the lack of it.

• A horse ain’t being polite when he comes to a fence and lets you go over first.

• Most anybody can be a cowboy, but it takes a damn genius to make money at it.

• The bigger the mouth, the better it looks shut.

• When your head is in the bear's mouth, it is not the time to be smacking him on the nose.

• If there is a hole in your story or your fence, something you rather did not get out, will.

• Just because you are traveling a well marked trail, doesn’t mean whoever made it knew where they was going.

• Whether the glass is half-full or half empty, depends on whether you are drinking or pouring.

• Money may buy you a dog, but only love can make him wag his tail.

• The quieter you are, the more you can hear.

• Never believe anybody that says their horse doesn’t kick.

• There are lots of reasons to love a horse, sometime it’s no more than the sweet little way he stepped on some asshole’s foot.

• Don’t name a pig you plan to eat.

• Trouble is a private thing, don’t lend it and don’t borrow it.

• Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps

• Quit spitting on the handle and get to hoeing.

• The fights you avoid do you far more good than the ones you will win.

• A bumblebee is faster than a tractor.

• Stuff tends to break when it is loaned or borrowed.

• Don’t gobble in the woods during hunting season.

• Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.

• Country folks will help a fella who is down on his luck, but they got no patience for freeloaders.

• Going to bed angry ain’t no fun, but it is better than fighting all night.

• Don’t sell your mule to buy a plow.

• Folks don’t change, they just get more so.

• Don’t corner something that is meaner than you.

• A gentlemen will not shoot a roosting bird and will only fish with a pole and not a net.

• Man is the only critter who feels the need to label things weeds or flowers.

• It don’t take a very big man to carry a grudge.

• The best sermons are lived not preached.

• You cannot blame a worm for not wanting to go fishing.

• Don’t sneeze behind a skittish horse.

• A smart horse makes you work harder, but gives you the gift of knowledge.

• A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor, a perfect horse never made a horseman.

• Being neighborly don’t mean sticking your nose in somebody’s business.

• Don’t ride a new path at a full trot.

• An ignorant fella is hell-bent on proving his limitations.

• Do not follow a path, go where there is no path and leave a trail

• Small minds and big mouths have a way of hooking up.

• Firewood warms you twice, when you cut it and when you burn it.

• A mule can’t help it if his daddy is a jackass.

• Don’t stand behind a coughing cow.

• The difference between young liars and old thieves is just a matter of time.

• An ounce of doing is worth a pound of talk.

• Some folks have 20 years of experience; others have one year of experience 20 times.

• It is easier to patch a broken mirror than a reputation.

• You can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking you used to create them.

• There are lots of country jobs, but few positions.

• Some fellas have more wishbone than backbone.

• Necessity is the mother of invention.

• If wishes were horses, some folks would need a lot of hay.

• In your walks of life you will come upon piles of horse droppings, you can walk around them or jump in the middle of them; the choice is yours.

• A shallow brook is noisiest.

• If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.

•  There is nothing like facts to mess up a good story.

•  It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog.

• War is young men dying and old men talking.

• A man is more than just the worst thing he has every done.

• Things that annoy us about our horse, can help us learn about ourselves

• Not know some things is a normal milestone on the way to knowledge

• The greatest change will occur when we stop believing we need to change

• Forgetting and laughing is better than remembering and being sad

• The things we think we know keeps us from learning what we should know

• Quit spitting on the handle and get to hoeing

• Great minds talk about ideas, average minds tail about events, small minds talk about people

• Sometime Silence is the best answer

• When you lose, don’t lose the lesson

• Man often meets his destiny on the path he chooses to avoid it
  

• Sometime not getting what you want is a stroke of luck

• The blue-jay doesn't scream without reason

• Cobwebs across a hole mean nothing inside

• The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated

• What weighs an ounce in the morning, weighs a pound at night

• Ducks flying overhead in the woods are generally pointed for water

• If the turtles on a log are dry, they have been there half an hour or more, which means no one has been near to alarm them

• The worm don't see anything pretty about the robin's song

• Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once and a while
  

• Even a broken watch is right - twice a day

• Sometime the memory is worse than the actual event

• Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it

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The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow, 1934

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,

And the world makes you King for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,

Whose judgment upon you must pass.

The feller whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,

For he's with you clear up to the end,

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,

And think you're a wonderful guy,

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But your final reward will be heartaches and tears

If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

• To err is human, to blame the horse is even more human.

• A Horseman should know neither fear, nor anger.

• The most wonderful thing about riding, is getting off and knowing you've both enjoyed it.

• A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you.

• Care, and not fine stables, makes a good horse.

• Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!

• The horse stopped with a jerk, and the jerk fell off.

• When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.

• I have seen things so beautiful, they have brought tears to my eyes. Yet, none of them can match the gracefulness and beauty of a horse running free.

• The horse you get off is not the same as the horse you got on; it is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible the change is for the better.

• All horses deserve - at least once in their lives - to be loved by a little girl.

• If you take the time it takes, it will take less time.

• Horse's need a strong leader, not a rough and tough leader

• A poor craftsman blames his tools; A poor horseman blames his horse.

• In tug-of-war, the dumber animal always wins.

• Ask not what your horse can do for you - Ask what you can do for your horse.

• A young trooper should have an old horse.

• No one can teach riding so well as a horse.

• If anybody expects to calm a horse down by tiring him out, riding swiftly and far, his supposition is the reverse of the truth.

• Riding:  The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground.

• A horse's performance will always be enabled, enhanced or limited, by the skills of it's human partner.

• How do you catch a loose horse?  -   Make a noise like a carrot.

• No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.

• Every time you ride, you're either teaching or un-teaching your horse.

• A horse need direction, not correction.

• A horse loves freedom, and the weariest old work horse will roll on the ground or break into a lumbering gallop when he is turned loose into the open.

• All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day.

• There is as much horse sense as ever, but the horses have most of it.

• In riding a horse we borrow freedom and share it with the Horse. 

• Riders who force their horses by the use of the whip only increase their fear; for they then associate the pain with the thing that frightens them.

• God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses.

• Wherever man has left his footprint, you will find the hoofprint of the horse beside it.

• The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.

• Feeling down?  Saddle up.

• Do unto your horse as you would have your horse do unto you.

• One man's wrong lead is another man's counter-canter.

• One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.

• Horses lend us the wings we lack.

• If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong.

• Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, He kept it for Himself. 

• The daughter who won't lift a finger in the house is the same child who cycles madly off in the pouring rain to spend all morning mucking out a stable.

• If you don't know where you're going, the horse will decide for you.
   
• A horse doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care.

• Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

• Horses are the dolphins of the plains, the spirits of the wind; yet we sit astride them for the sake of being well-groomed, whereas they could have all the desire in the world to bolt, but instead, they adjust their speed and grace, only to please us, never to displease.

• There are only two emotions that belong in the saddle; one is a sense of humor and the other is patience.

• What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age.

• A horse is like a violin, first it must be tuned, and when tuned, it must be accurately played.

• Without the horse what would have become of man? It has served us for transport, in agriculture and industry since the dawn of time.

• The eternal and wonderful sight of horses at liberty is magical to watch.

• A horse is an animal not a machine and is only as good as it's rider.

• Never drink down-stream from your horse!

• Good horses make short miles.

• Riding is not a sport, it is a passion. If you do not share the passion, you do not know the sport, and therefore you are wasting your time.

• Amazingly fast, incredibly strong, tirelessly proud, fantastically gentle, he is a huge dark beast that touches the hearts of all who meet him.

• Do not underestimate a horse's pride, or he will dent yours.

• A horse has so docile a nature that he would always rather do right than wrong, if only he could be taught to distinguish one from the other.

• The history of mankind is carried on the back of the horse.

• No heaven can heaven be, if a horse isn't there to welcome me.

• There are no problem horses, just problem riders.

• When will they make a tractor that can furnish the manure for farm fields and produce a baby tractor every spring?

• A horse in the wind -  is a perfect symphony.

• Drumming hooves, quiet ground... nature's song of joy. 

• PLEASE don't feed fingers to the horses.

• Horse Woman’s rule:  If it has tires, testicles or hooves, you are going to have problems with it.

• The world is best viewed through the ears of a horse.

• Definition: Gallop - The customary gait a horse chooses when returning to the stable.

• He knows when you are happy, he knows when you are proud, he also knows when you have a carrot.

• Where would a rider be without a horse?

• Horses can't talk but they can speak, if you know how to listen.

• He who needs a mounting block to get in the saddle, had better not fall off in the middle of the field.

• Give a horse what he needs and he will give you his heart in return.

• If the horse does not enjoy his work, his rider will have no joy.

• A good horse is never a bad color.

• Use your head, not your spurs. 

• Put some excitement between your legs; ride a horse.
  
• To understand the soul of a horse is the closest we humans can come to knowing perfection.

• There ain't a horse that can't be rode; there ain't a man that can't be thrown.

• God held a handful of ash, blew into it saying "Let it be the purest of creatures." Out of His hand galloped the horse.

• As his ungrateful rider whips and spurs, the horse thinks an important warning, "I can run faster without you!"

• On horseback you could ride through the cattle and they would pay no attention; but the minute you dismount, you become a threat.

• My horses are my friends, not my slaves.

• The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable, and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.

• Experienced riders are not prone to brag. And usually newcomers, if they start out being boastful, end up modest.

• The golden rule in dealing with a horse - is never to approach him angrily.  Anger is so devoid of forethought that it will often drive a man to do things which in a calmer mood, he will regret.

• The size of a horse has nothing to do with the size of his heart. 

• Small children are convinced that ponies deserve to see the inside of the house.

• Poverty is another word for owning a horse.

• For what the horse does under compulsion, is done without understanding; and there is no beauty in it, any more than if one would whip and spur a dancer.

• The knowledge of the nature of a horse is one of the first foundations of the art of riding it and every horseman must make it his principal study.

• In order to have good hands, they must be light, gentle, and firm.

• There are times when you can trust a horse, times when you can't and times when you have to.

• There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.

• A little horseplay is the best way to enjoy a summer day!

• A horse is an angel without wings

• A good rider can hear his horse speak to him, a great rider can hear his horse whisper, but a bad rider won't hear his horse even if it screams at him!

• The hardest thing about learning to ride is the ground.

• The wagon rests in winter, the sleigh in summer, the horse never.

• A man of kindness to his horse, is kind, but brutal actions show a brutal mind.

• It is the difficult horses that have the most to give you.

• You cannot train a horse with shouts and expect it to obey a whisper.  

• In training horses, one trains himself

• No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. 

• A horse is an animal not a machine and is only as good as it's rider.

• It is a poor horseman that blames his horse for mistakes.

• Be wary of the horse with a sense of humor.

• Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul.

• Amazingly fast, incredibly strong, tirelessly proud, fantastically gentle, he is a huge dark beast that touches the hearts of all who meet him.

• The history of mankind is carried on the back of the horse.

• What the horse does under compulsion, is done without understanding and there is no beauty in it.

• Even the greenest horse has something to teach the wisest rider.

• Green on green equals black and blue.

• They say he rides like part of the horse, but they don't say which part.

• Give a horse what he needs and he will give you his heart in return.

• A horse in hand is worth a herd in the hills.

• Use your head, not your spurs.
  
• As a horse runs, think of it as a game of tag with the wind.

• To me, horses and freedom are synonymous.

• A horse can lend it's rider the speed and strength he or she lacks, but the rider who is wise remembers it is no more than a loan.

• A lovely horse is always an experience; It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words. 

• Many people have sighed for the "good old days" and regretted the "passing of the horse", but today, when only those who like horses own them, it is a far better time for horses.

• Horses change lives.  They give our young people confidence and self-esteem.  They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls-they give us hope!

• May your belly never grumble, may your heart never ache; May your horse never stumble, may your cinch never break.

• Life is good; a horse makes it better.

• A horse already knows how to be a horse; the rider has to learn how to become a rider. 
  
• A horse without a rider is still a horse; a rider without a horse is no longer a rider.

• You can tell a gelding, you can ask a mare, but you must discuss it with a stallion.

• Home away from home, is on a horse's back

• Horses are a lot like nuts and bolts - if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts

• A hot horse and a hot head don't mix.

• You know you love your horse when your mouth waters at the sight of a wagon-full of hay.

• Ways To Get In Shape To Own A Horse:

• Drop a heavy steel object on your foot, don't pick it up right away and Shout "Get off, Get off!"

• Leap out of a moving vehicle and practice rolling lightly into a ball and spring to your feet.

• Learn to grab your checkbook and write out a $200 check without even looking down.

• Jog long distances carrying a halter and holding out a carrot.

• Practice dialing your chiropractor’s number with both arms paralyzed to the shoulder and one foot anchoring the lead rope of a frisky horse.

• Borrow the US Army slogan; "Be all that you can be, add bitten, thrown, kicked, slimmed, trampled.  Lie face down in the mud and repeat to yourself: "This is a learning experience”

• It is not enough that a man know how to ride; he must know how to fall

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