Desperation is poor horsemanship

WHEN I TALK TO AND INTERVIEW people, I nd so many in our community to be desperate. Desperate for di erent things—money, health, time, relationships, wins, sales, friends, clients, and more. Given the percentage of people in the sport who feel and then act desperate, we are seeing so many consequences of these actions pop up. O en when we are desperate as a community, the ones who su er most are our horses.

We see parents so desperate for success that they do not require their children to learn horsemanship and responsibility. We see trainers so desperate to keep clients that they allow them to move up to divisions before they are ready. We see individuals so desperate and haggard by demands and life that they fail to hold themselves to a standard of discipline to serve their horses. We see desperation in horse shows and associations wanting people to stop complaining so badly that they tell judges to in ate scores. We see judges so desperate to not be bashed that they do it.

How do we solve desperation? We come together. We help each other. We work hard, we volunteer, we live simply, and we focus on the horses. We include and invite others wherever we can. We share what we have. We don’t put arti cial things ahead of what matters. We know what matters—our horses and our humans. We know the right thing to do. Let us all come together in 2024 and do it!

Piper Klemm, Ph.D.

TPH PUBLISHER

Follow me on Instagram at @piperklemm