Look Up, Sit Back, Go Forward

All these boys are retired or gone but remain here in our hearts!

Dressage to life mantra.

“When your horse has reached his potential, leave it. It's such a nice feeling when you and your horses are still friends.” - Dr. Reiner Klimke

How many times have you pushed a horse to “live up to its potential” knowing that the horse was struggling? The horse doesn’t care about your version of its potential. It just wants safety… something to eat, shelter, and trust in its surroundings. Look up at the animal in front of you. Notice its behavior, its physique, and its reaction to you. Sit back and decide if you have this horse working on an achievable goal. Go forward with a revisited and well thought out plan for its future. Be a good horse person. “My horses are my friends, not my slaves.”Reiner Klimke

“Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” – John Wooden

Not everyone is a lifelong teammate who will join or delight in your adventures. Look up at the person in front of you as they engage with you and others. Sit back and decide if the character traits they display are those that are important to you. Go forward with empathy, compassion, and let each person choose their own path with or without you. Be with those who lift you up. Do the same for them. Be a good human. “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are” John Wooden

“Every man dies, not every man truly lives.” Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

There is no denying that this is absolutely one area where we are all the same and yes, we are all currently dying. Look up and see if you are on the stairway to Heaven, highway to Hell, or in the void. Sit back and decide where it is you would like to be and how this may be worked out. Go forward remembering that forward is not a speed but a direction. It may be straight or curved or bending but your path is yours to choose. Choose wisely and keep looking up, sitting back, and going forward. “And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here…” Mel Gibson In Braveheart. (As he talked to his men about making the choice to fight or walk away)

In my dressage training for both horse and rider, I have always said that “go forward” is the one non-negotiable. Just remember this clearly… without looking up and sitting back you may bull dog yourself onto a path that is either empty of lessons, unfulfilling, or even detrimental.

Look up, sit back, and go forward. Create the artwork of your life and the world around you.