For three decades I’ve been in the business of sharing insights and principles of horsemanship. These guiding principles help me as I help horses be the best they can be. I also compete in the National Reined Cow Horse Association. Like everyone else, when I compete, I want to win. When I step into the arena, my goal is to show my horse to the best of our ability and hopefully rise above the other competitors.
Now it gets tricky. I have principles and I have goals. The challenge is to not let my personal goals of competitive success get ahead of my horsemanship principles that I teach and try to exemplify. Do I allow the pressure of the event or my own desires for success get ahead of my principles? I hope not. This is a question that I need to continually ask myself. Living a life of consistency in and out of the arena is not always easy. I want to make sure that I don’t only talk the talk, but that I “walk the walk.”
Belt buckles and trophy saddles come and go. In the end they really don’t mean all that much. Working with horses and living a life of consistent integrity – now that’s a win!
Richard Winters
Horse Department Director