Dangerous Patterns:
In Horsemanship & in the World, Harmony or Conflict Begins With Us

By Karen Rohlf

My reason for writing this article is to perhaps shift the way you think about how you are thinking about something. As I get older, more aware and (hopefully wiser), I search for ways to feel that I am contributing to the betterment of the world. Maybe there is something in what I am doing that can really help me contribute. One of the simplest and most profound ways is something we all can do. Ghandi said it best: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” There are lessons to be learned through horsemanship that go beyond horsemanship.

When you live with horses you get good at seeing patterns; at seeing how one thing influences another and how one little nuance can manifest in so many ways, often with greater consequences than we imagine. We can drop the lead rope and lose track of our horse for a moment because our liberty is good, so he usually comes back easily, it’s not a big deal.... But a habit is formed... And maybe last thing that happened right before a horse you were holding went into the road and killed himself and the family in the car was that you dropped the line. A small error of judgement that happened by allowing yourself to form a careless habit. You had no idea something so terrible could result from such a small assumption. Do I have your attention? Click here to read the whole article.