Responsibility. It’s a big part of life. Jane tells her students that their horses should be responsible for their own gaits. They shouldn’t repeatedly ask or nag at their horses, or they’ll just get tuned out and ignored. She says your horse should respond to the first request, and should maintain his or her gait until asked to do something else.

It’s pretty easy for me to get lazy about being responsible for my job. How about you? Have you ever avoided doing those things you know you should be doing? Perhaps it was because you became lazy, or because no one seemed to care one way or another if you got it done? This tendency is why we have leaders or bosses. We often need someone to keep us on track.

A good leader or boss is someone who inspires you to do your best without nagging or shaming. A good leader finds ways to help their subordinates feel important and valued. A poor leader uses punishment or embarrassment to force compliance. A good leader creates a desire to do well. A poor leader makes people unhappy, and is often looking for replacements when their subordinates leave or quit.

Which kind of leader are you for your horse? Do you intentionally create desire to be good, or do you inspire fear of doing poorly? What kind of leader are you with other people? Are you an uplifter or a tear downer?

I’m so glad my person is an uplifter! Jane makes me want to be the best I can be. She makes me feel good about myself. There’s nothing more important than that. I’d do anything for Jane, because it feels so good to please her. She makes me feel good about ME.

How about you? Do people feel good when they’re around you? Remember, molasses horse cookies catch more flies than vinegar!

Love, Moshi

From Indy:

I got in trouble today. I was home alone when I smelled the most wondrous smell! I know I shouldn’t, but I put my paws up on the kitchen counter and there it was! An entire chicken! It was frozen, but it smelled so good! Before I could stop and think about what I was doing, I grabbed it and pulled it onto the floor. I shredded the plastic and was chewing that luscious cold meat apart when I heard Jane’s car pull up. I panicked! I realized I was going to be in big trouble!

I left the mangled bird on the kitchen floor and ran for the bedroom. I hid under the bed, hoping Jane would think the cat was the one who ruined dinner. She didn’t fall for it. She called for me in a really LOUD voice. Then she found me with my head under the bed. She ordered me into the kitchen and scolded me severely. I kept telling her that the cat did it, not me, but she didn’t believe me. In fact, she told me she was very disappointed in me, that I was trying to get the cat in trouble for my mistake. She told me it was very childish of me to point my paw at the cat. She was right, of course. I apologized and promised not to do it again.

Jane thought about it, and told me she realized she was responsible for keeping such tempting things out of my reach. She took responsibility for her mistake, and vowed to do better. She forgave me, but also told me not to do any more “counter-surfing”.

I was very impressed with her willingness to take ownership of her part in the situation. I decided right then that I want to always be as mature and honorable as Jane. After all, most people aren’t fooled when we try to blame someone else anyway. It just makes us look silly. I realized I’ll never lose as much respect by being responsible for my own actions, as I will by trying to point my paw at someone else.

Say, do you have any frozen chicken you could bring over? I’ve developed a craving for fowl popsicles! YUM!

Love, Indy

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com