From essentialequestrian.wordpress.com:

I have always said people were the most difficult part about being involved with horses, and I stand by that statement. My dad and I have affectionately named this quirk "HPS," standing for Horse Person Syndrome. In a sport where so much emotion, pressure, money, fears, expectations, etc., are a part of the daily routine, it is not surprising that horse folk tend to be a high-strung bunch.

I have, however, learned that finding what makes a person tick can also bring great joy and satisfaction. A friend and I were just discussing how to motivate riders that do not have a clear goal or set of goals that continue to push them forward, such as competition. I can certainly understand how this could be perceived as difficult, but it also presents a challenge to instructors to dig deeper and, often through trial and error, push that rider to be better. For some, it might be improving their own riding to insure the horse is not adversely affected, for others, it could be understanding biomechanics, and for a beginner, it might be posting in rhythm 20 times verses the 10 she could do before.

Finding the motivation of a client can be enlightening and improve the instructor/student relationship immensely. Getting to this enlightened state, however, requires a great deal of listening, both literally and figuratively. Think of it as "reading between the lines." As horse people, we know all about body language and non-verbal cues, so it is imperative we put that into place in our human interactions as well.

Reading people takes practice, but in our daily lives, both horsey and non-horsey, getting in touch with the motivation of others can make a huge difference in how we get along: does she feel she has something to prove; is she intimidated; is she nervous or unsure; the list goes on.

So, I challenge us as horse people to not chalk it up to HPS and to strive to listen to our students (and our vets, farriers, saddle fitters, etc.!) - as thoroughly as we strive to listen to our horses.

I look forward to your comments! In the meantime, keep it classical.

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