Insights By Steve
Light At The End Of The Tunnel ~Steve McClure (Reno)
Some years ago I was on a cattle ranch in Nebraska and on this particular day the foreman, Jeff, was showing me the various pastures and how to get to them. This was a relatively small ranch for the area, a mere 3,500 acres, but for me it was huge. I had been issued a horse, Pepper, and I was told he was familiar with the ranch and certainly more so than me. I could tell he was a little herd bound and was most happy trailing Jeff’s horse.
My job that day would be riding fence. Once Jeff showed me the “lay of the land” I would be left on my own and he would attend to his own duties. The ranch was bisected by a railroad line which I learned was heavily used and carried massive amounts of coal from the west to the east. Apparently this part of the track was the steepest railroad grade in the United States. The trains needed helper engines to make the grade and occasionally you could feel as well as hear the dull roar of the engines pulling the coal up that grade. It was really something to see. A half dozen engines pulling a hundred coal cars was quite a sight.
Being hilly country, a lot of the track was on built on huge earth berms which separated one pasture from another. To allow for passage of cattle and horses the railroad company provided culvert pipes at ground level through these berms. They were about 7-8 feet in diameter and except for the “light at the end of the tunnel” they were as dark as a tomb and as I later found out they were just loaded with blown in sagebrush.
Now I’m from Wisconsin but my horse was from Nebraska. I assumed Pepper was familiar with these passages because I was not, at least not leading a horse. We finally arrived at the opening of one and Jeff told me to go first. Now, as is often the case, the boss wants to test your competence with a horse and I thought “here we go again”. Pepper seemed happier with following and I was being asked to lead but you do as you are told. Now it's a round pipe so except for the very bottom the surface is curved. That forced me to lead directly in line with the front of the horse. This meant that if the horse bolted he would run over me. As I entered the 100 foot plus long tunnel I fell into complete darkness and began stumbling over the aforementioned sagebrush. I nearly bolted at that point but I controlled myself and tried to act like I do this every day on my way to work. In addition I could hear the rumble of an approaching train and I did not want to be in that tunnel when it crossed over us.
Every time I go out west I do things that I never have done or thought I could do. There can be many ways to do a certain thing and you can learn a lot by just watching and sometimes by pushing the so-called envelope. Stay safe but don’t close your eyes to a new experience. With some measured risk can come great reward.
~Steve McClure (Reno)
To read more by Steve McClure (Reno)--see below.
Insights By Steve -- Stoved Up
Insights by Steve -- Forever A Cowboy
Insights by Steve -- Horse Geology?
Insights by Steve -- Working Together
Insights by Steve -- The Circle
Insights by Steve -- Natural Horseman
Insights by Steve -- Saddle Tracks
Insights by Steve -- Harmony and Horsemanship
Stoved Up ~Steve McClure (Reno)
I’ve been a bit “under the weather” these past few years but as of the date of this composition I finally have a preliminary diagnosis and a surgery scheduled. Say a prayer if you’re got a mind to. Cowboys call this being “stoved up” but l know lots of folks have it a lot worse than I do. It’s a work in progress and we will see.
Now, unfortunately, we are all experiencing a pandemic and many of us find ourselves at home as well. During my own convalescence, I have found YouTube to be an nice diversion and horse training videos are at the top of my list. Besides my regulars, I have found a California buckaroo named Pat Puckett (Click or tap the name to follow the link) to be a knowledgeable and entertaining vlogger. He has cowboyed for over forty years and has very dry wit. He is also very interested in the history of the cowboy and how it all began in the new world. I highly recommend him. He has a great knowledge of making a ranch horse and he and his wife, Deb, do a fine job.
Being afoot this long is very difficult for me. I miss being in the saddle with all my friends both two as well as four legged! I sure miss my buddy Sherwin and admit that I occasionally dream that the two of us are reunited in the saddle. The two of us together are more than just our sum total.
I also think a lot about groundwork. It requires the same connection as riding and when properly done you find out once again that less is more. I enjoy groundwork almost as much as riding. Some folks I know, before mounting, will move the horse backwards or forwards to “untrack”them using the reins but I normally have a halter underneath the bridle attached to a long rope which I tie to the saddle. Ostensibly it is there as a “git down” rope and for that it is very handy but I also like to work the horse with it on the ground when he is saddled. That way I can check how they move as well as saddle placement and tightness. Its how we first communicate after he is saddled.
I’m intrigued by the comparison of groundwork to our present predicament of social distancing and staying at home. Maybe we can spend this time un-tracking ourselves and checking on our own well being as well as slowing down to be more attune to family and neighbors. Just a thought.
But in any case we thank those on the front lines as well as those who care for the livestock, grow the food, haul and stock. We are all living history now. We will make it through and be stronger for it. See you on the other side.
~Steve McClure (Reno)
To read more by Steve McClure (Reno)--see below.
Insights by Steve -- Forever A Cowboy
Insights by Steve -- Horse Geology?
Insights by Steve -- Working Together
Insights by Steve -- The Circle
Insights by Steve -- Natural Horseman
Insights by Steve -- Saddle Tracks
Insights by Steve -- Harmony and Horsemanship
The “Law”of Mushin ~Steve McClure (Reno)
There is a Japanese idea called “mushin” or the no-mind. This is a martial term and a concept which asserts that perfect action is derived from a “real time” reaction without thought. In other words if you have to think about a set of actions to respond, it will take too long and the action will get ahead of your response. This is somewhat similar to autonomic actions such as breathing or the beating of your heart. If you had to think about doing these things on a daily basis, it wouldn’t be long before you would have some serious problems. In addition, the process of diverting attention to those critical processes steals from being in the “now”.
How does one achieve “mushin”? The masters would tell you by practice, endless practice and striving to become one with the technique. This is why soldiers, police officers, fireman, doctors and the like train endlessley to react properly without thinking. I know it sounds trite but that is also true in horsemanship. But what philosophy? Who do you follow? What set of videos, instructor or clinician do you decide on? I was taught that instead of training for five years with any one instructor you are better off spending those five years looking for the right instructor. No matter how you do it, a gifted instuctor can break down a technique and impart it without losing the flow of the maneuver. Some of the most gifted atheletes fail as coaches because they simply cannot relate to another player how they themselves mastered a technique. They can do it but they can’t “break it down” without “breaking it up”. It is not always true that “if you can no longer do it – teach it".
I can relate an example of mushin that I witnessed some years ago at a clinic in Illinois that Steve Lundean was putting on. It was during lunch break and I was sitting with Lawrence Smoller (Law) a good friend of Steve’s who was helping out at the clinic. Law’s a cowboy, photographer, artist and a real good, experienced hand. We were sitting and eating our lunch next to a trailer where one of the riders had tied up her horse. I don't remember or maybe I never knew what caused it but suddenly that horse just blew up and began pulling, twisting and rearing. Short tied against the trailer, it was not a good place to enter but Law was up in a flash and reached for the end of the lead rope to release the animal. The lady and I were still processing what had happened because we were no longer in the “now”. The slip knot would not release and the horse was now in a panic. Law had his belly knife out and cut that lead rope faster than you could blink your eye. The horse was freed, backed up and thankfully finally stood. Law walked over to retrieve the horse and made sure it had calmed down sufficiently before bringing it back to the women. They exchanged pleasantries and then Law promptly sat down and finished his lunch. He didn’t even mention the incident. Now that was the “Law of mushin” in action (pun intended).
~Steve McClure (Reno)
To read more by Steve McClure (Reno)--see below.
Insights by Steve -- Imperfect
Insights by Steve -- Teaching An Old Dog
Insights by Steve -- Cowboy Lunch
Insights by Steve -- Light at the End of the Tunnel
Insights By Steve -- Stoved Up
Insights by Steve -- Forever A Cowboy
Insights by Steve -- Horse Geology?
Insights by Steve -- Working Together
Insights by Steve -- The Circle
Insights by Steve -- Natural Horseman
Insights by Steve -- Saddle Tracks
Insights by Steve -- Harmony and Horsemanship
Imperfect ~Steve McClure (Reno)
In one of my previous blogs I mentioned that “perfection” was always just “out of reach”. That applies to everything from a rope throw to the tiniest atomic interaction. Perfection is unobtainable. For the world to behave as it does this must be so. That thought was the single most important discovery of twentieth century physics.
Consider a referees call in football. Was the player in or out of bounds? One says yes, the other no. Even the video playback is inconclusive. As we zoom in the picture gets grainier and grainier and the answer leaps further from our grasp. The world, folks, is fuzzy!
Is there a perfect riding technique? You could describe one, I suppose, but in execution it would always fall short. English versus Western, Texas versus Californio style and so on. The list is endless. That’s why records are constantly being smashed and horse folks outdo each other on a regular basis.
There was a famous British scientist in the late 1800’s, named Lord Rutherford , who said that all the important scientific discoveries had already been made. Boy was he wrong! It is the hubris of mankind that they may think they have achieved perfection when in fact it is as distant from us as the farthest star.
Martial artists have known this for centuries. In their many disciplines they constantly strive for perfection knowing full well that its achievement is impossible. In the sword art of Kendo some practitioners spend their life simply drawing the blade or consistently make the same cut trying to achieve what they know is unobtainable.
That’s why we strive even though we are fallible. We all have that particular mammalian curiosity to constantly attempt perfection yet never reach it. You see it in all aspects of human endeavors, especially sports and the arts. In our own small way we come back to the barn hoping to feel, however briefly, that less was more and that we and our mount were closer to becoming one.
~Steve McClure (Reno)
To read more by Steve McClure (Reno)--see below.
Insights by Steve -- Teaching An Old Dog
Insights by Steve -- Cowboy Lunch
Insights by Steve -- Light at the End of the Tunnel
Insights By Steve -- Stoved Up
Insights by Steve -- Forever A Cowboy
Insights by Steve -- Horse Geology?
Insights by Steve -- Working Together
Insights by Steve -- The Circle
Insights by Steve -- Natural Horseman
Insights by Steve -- Saddle Tracks
Insights by Steve -- Harmony and Horsemanship
Teaching An Old Dog ~Steve McClure (Reno)
It seems like every time I talk to Steve Lundean and relate a “horsey”experience that I’ve had he says, "you know Reno, that would make for a good blog piece". I should know better by this time and keep my mouth shut because that remark has accounted for more than a few of my submissions. By now I'm sort of primed to recognize an experience and I jot it down before Steve bugs me to do it.
One of my"experiences" occurred, some years ago, during one of Steve’s clinics. I was trying to be both photographer and videographer which are jobs, like writer, that I am not really suited for. Even though I was consumed with my digital tasks I was also listening and processing the presentation that Steve was making. As always, Steve was prepared, clear, on point and involved with his students.
It got me to thinking. In my more than forty years of martial arts training, I have been exposed to the instruction of some of the greatest martial artists in the world. Most of them achieved their rank not just because of skill but by having the ability to impart their knowledge to others as well as improving the art itself to some measurable degree. I remember a discussion I overheard with a master instructor when he was asked for his advice on how to best train in his particular martial art. His answer was simply to “not train until you find the right instructor”.
I have taught martial arts to my own students so I know a little about it. I know when an instructor is out of ideas or interest, loses their students attention or is at the limits of his/her knowledge. Teaching is not easy. It is a reasoned, methodical process but ever changing depending on conditions and is time constrained. It takes more than knowing a subject. One needs to continually improve their own understanding and have the ability and passion to transfer it, with ease, to an audience of varying experiences and aptitudes.
My son Corey (SFS alumnus and a fine instructor in his own right) and me attending a tournament (late 90’s).
I am fortunate that I have found real teachers in my “horse” journey. Jennifer Gaudes–Raemisch of Sun Fire Stables has had me under her “wing” for many years. Her passion for “all things horse” is infectious and I consider her a true master of her art. She still puts up with me and considers my ongoing attempts at horsemanship her “job security”. Nice!
She knows the subject matter and teaches it without criticizing and corrects without admonishment. She can both break concepts down to understandable steps but then connect them into a smooth skill set and that ability is a gift. When I run out of things to teach or reach an impasse in my classes I just give push-ups to my students and regroup. I am used to the rapt attention from my students because of the martial nature of my particular area of expertise. In her case, only an ongoing connection with her students insures that she is teaching efficiently. She is both approachable and attempts to expand your abilities with humor and all without sacrificing safety.
You can’t be a phony and connect with people for long. I guess all this accounts for the loyalty of her students, who return time after time. They see the genuine article, a real teacher who has something to offer and is passionate about what they do. I highly recommend her.
~Steve McClure (Reno)
To read more by Steve McClure (Reno)--see below.
Insights by Steve -- Cowboy Lunch
Insights by Steve -- Light at the End of the Tunnel
Insights By Steve -- Stoved Up
Insights by Steve -- Forever A Cowboy
Insights by Steve -- Horse Geology?
Insights by Steve -- Working Together
Insights by Steve -- The Circle
Insights by Steve -- Natural Horseman
Insights by Steve -- Saddle Tracks
Insights by Steve -- Harmony and Horsemanship
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