Ray Hunt’s Wisdom

I’ve been enjoying an email exchange with Rich, a new horseman from Canada. We’ve been discussing the approach to horsemanship that has become known as natural horsemanship – the practice of understanding and working with the nature of the horse rather than trying to dominate the horse. I’m a huge advocate of this method and a huge fan of the grandaddy and daddy of this modern movement – Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt.

It took this exchange with Rich to get me to pull out an old favorite, Ray Hunt’s Cowboy Logic. It’s a very small and simple book, consisting of just photos and quotes from Ray. But what a gem of a book it is. Anyone familiar with Ray Hunt knows that his quotes are easy to read, yet can take a lifetime to truly understand. Here are a few gems from Ray for you to ponder:

• "I don’t ride my saddle, I ride my horse."
• "The horse is a reflection of the rider’s ability."
• "Believe in your horse so your horse can believe in you."
• "If the horse is right on his feet, he’ll be right on his head."
• "Let your idea become the horse’s idea."

This little book belongs in every horseman’s library. Cowboy Logic