I want my interactions with my animals to be light, responsive, and fun. There are times when it isn’t that way or there are some pieces missing – some times an animal is used to being heavy with people and we have to teach them to be responsive.
So here is what I keep in mind now when I work with animals: My end goal is to be able to do everything that I am doing with this animal as an old, arthritic lady (or man), too.
I want it to be so light that I can ride my horse all over the place, without hurting my “arthritic joints”. Or walk a pack of dogs without them pulling and hurting my shoulders. They are imaginary arthritic joints in my case, but I imagine that I have them. This just reminds me that I don’t want to be holding the horse’s or the dog’s weight in my hands. How little can I do? How light is my animal and how light can I be to get what I’m asking for? Am I sore from brace after I work with them?
I work with my animals so that even a much older person with joints and a body that aches much more than mine does, can work with them just as well as I can because they are THAT light.