How to communicate effectively - Shut Up

"Never miss a good chance to shut the hell up." - Can't remember where I read this.

Let's talk horses.

1) Comfortable Silence.
The 100+ degree weather has recently pushed some of my riding into the early morning hours. And when I throw my leg over the first one and sit there... God is with me. I fit. That's where I exist.

Comfortable silence.

During this silence I reflect upon what was done last with this horse. There's only one thing to do with a horse every time you mount up - prepare the horse for next time. That's it. You don't have to get that turnaround just right today. Just prepare your horse to do that turnaround better tomorrow.

This quiet pre-ride lasts ten or twenty seconds these days. But it has a resounding affect on every ride.

2) Inquisitive Silence
"My horse just won't take that right lead."
"My horse just won't stay calm when we go in the arena."
"My horse just won't cross over."
"Man, I wish my horses were that nice. They'd be easier to train."

That last one is my favorite. Especially since I think that J.M., Morgan, Mick and Dick really are raising nicer horses than half the market. But my foolish pride still let's it get under my skin a little too much. ;)

Anyway, all of those quotes go back to the same problem. Too much telling and not enough listening. Not enough preparation. Every time anything is done with your horse, you should be listening for it's response. And sometimes it is SO subtle. You can miss it. Sometimes, we may not even know we asked what we asked. ;)

It's the same as the lesson any good English teacher told you about your writing:

1. Tell them what your're going to tell them.


2. Tell them.


3. Tell them what you told them.

In the horse world it translates to:

1. Preparation
   • Teach a subset of what you will ask them to do.
   • Anticipate the horse's possible wrong moves.
   • Teach corrections you can use to correct those anticipated incorrect moves.


2. Ask the horse for the maneuver (Listening to it's response! The horse will tell you what to do next!)


3. Repeat subset quickly and rest - Or correct and repeat.

Too often its more like this:

1. Tell the horse to do something they've never done before.


2. Make life miserable for yourself and your horse.


3. Tell the horse to do that thing you told him to do that the horse didn't do. (Be sure you do it the exact same way you did it the first time)


4. Repeat

What's the biggest differentiator?

• Preparation
• Listening

And I don't have to tell the horse folk how big of a difference it makes.

Isn't life just like this? Rest and reflect wherever you exist. Prepare yourself for what you're headed into. And listen while your there. God is in the mess telling you what to do next. Communication is more about preparation and listening than it is about communication.

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Further Reading:
Communicate Effectively: A story about John Moon

Hot Thursday

It was ten after 6 and I was finally headed to the ranch. I used one of the little two-year-old fillies to pen the roping cattle this morning and then cut the calves out. They were staying here. But the steers, they were headed back south. I was going to swap them out for some more roping calves. The penning and sorting went quickly, even in the dark. The loading was the hard part. The only loading chute of any kind is what is formed by one panel and the trailer gate. No problem most of the time. Not this time.

There's always one in the bunch. This one was actually a heifer, and she was white with some brendal stripes. She had screwing my early morning efforts up down to a fine art. She had two moves (1) Be the first in the trailer, wheel around and hook the other steers on her way back out while taking at least one with her (2) refuse to go in at all until the steers that were loaded decided to come on back out.

Enter Gus. Gus is my right hand man and appears in the top right hand corner of this website every now and then. He's worth his weight in gold. (even though he was half asleep in the truck bed this morning and i had to go get him) Anyway, once Gus realized that today his work day was going to start before we got to the ranch, he got after it. I just loaded the cooperating steers and let him have that d@&mn heifer while I went to pen the roping calves.

The calves were re-penned in no time and thrown in with the steers. The ones in the trailer were dropped back out and by this time, that white heifer was wanting to be somewhere else. I just loaded them all and cut the calves back out from inside the trailer. Done. Finally. Ridiculous. It's 5 freakin 30 in the morning and I'm soakin' wet. The dog days of summer are upon us.

So I head inside to change clothes. I load up Bugzy and Senorita and head south.

I was a little late so Morgan had already gotten everything fed up at the house. We finished up the feeding rounds and then penned a set of bulls. We were branding again. Mick and Dick had a set of replacement heifers to be branded as well. We were going to try and get them all done before lunch. After the irons were hot (one Jh, one number 8 and one O-B) we started the machine. If you don't know what machine I'm talking about check out this post for pictures and this post for a description.

Anyway, we got it done.

After lunch we caught up the '08 fillies from the Murphy. It was time to brand them as well. There was just one problem.

They were a little wet.

The news said 105 with a heat index at 115.

Well, sweat, or rain (which we haven't had to worry about) creates a problem when branding, especially with horses. It's also more of an issue when you're dealing with barely halter broke yearlings that you know are going to fret a little which will cause them to sweat even more. The brand won't run, but when first placed on the hide, the iron will slide putting the brand where you don't want it. Or worse, burning a spot here and there. So we decided to wait until it cooled off a bit.

One hour later, it's 102. It's not going to get any cooler until midnight. Our breeze just wasn't coming.

We went and got them and got it done. Slowly. When these kinds of situations come up, and they come up ALOT down south, you can't just wait. Hell, we'd never get anything done. You just have to slow down - Calm diligence.

Always press the limits - But at a walk.

It's OK - How to live stress free

It's OK.

Don't Worry About It.

Forget About It.

We all do stupid things. If you're thinking that you don't, you're do. And it will probably happen before you go to bed tonight.

Anyway, We all do it. What's important is what you do afterward. Now, if your stupid thing is forgetting to put the lid on your pink lemonade from DQ (they're awesome by the way) and you sling it all over the truck when some teeny-bopper whips their soon-to-be-destroyed-if-they-keep-texting-while-they're-driving-new-car, then it's usually not that big of a deal. Some of us hot-heads and worry warts may feel differently, but all I can tell you is life's too short. You're the only one mad. How does that make you feel? More mad? ;) That's the point. You have a choice. You don't have to be mad.

So on to the real deal. Your mess up may be bigger than that. You may have purposely decided to delay marketing a particular horse for one reason or another. And the next thing you know, you're underneath a $6,000+ property tax situation that has a serious effect on real life. (you know, hypothetically ;) ) This problem could be huge for some, and might not even make some blink when they consider their problems. (infidelity, fiscal irresponsibility, etc., etc.)

How do you handle that if you're the one who screwed up? How do you handle it if you're the spouse of the person who screwed up? Or the son, daughter, mother or father?

It's all the same. We should all try to exist in the current moment. Where do you exist? Truly Exist?

Is it:

In a war that was fought decades ago? In a business dealing that happened years ago? In an argument that you don't even remember that well? Where? Where do you exist?

If you don't know, find out. Now.

This shapes your reaction to everything. As soon as you know where you exist, you'll understand your reactions so clearly as well. But I can't answer it for you. And neither can your spouse, or anyone else. If it doesn't come to you immediately, bow your head. Ask Our Lord. Seriously, He'll let you know right quick.

So, about that reaction - how can you handle it? With humility and dignity. It doesn't matter which side you're on. That's how you handle it. Regardless of how bad you screwed up, somebody somewhere has screwed up worse than you. And no matter how small of a screw up you may think it is, somebody somewhere could make your little mess look like Katrina. So be humble. Be apologetic. But don't continue to EXIST in that screwup. It's a poison. Move on.

And if you're the one who got screwed, same thing. Be aware, but be humble, you're not perfect. And do not continue to EXIST within that situation. Move on.

Does "It's OK" mean no one cares? Hell no it doesn't. The real world doesn't forget. But that's not the point. The point is that the past is poison. Good pasts can paralize you into not progressing. You think you've already made it. Bad pasts can do the same thing. They can create a "Why should I even try?" situation.

Guess what. Tomorrow is the same way. Poison. Is that a little drastic? Nope. If you cared about losing one pound today, or making one dollar today, what would happen? Success. But we're not doing that. We want to make a million... Eventually. What the heck kind of timeline is that?

Mathew 6:34

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Amen.

Good, bad, happy or sad - Live for the people in your life right now. The opportunities in your life right now. The love in your life right now. Let the rest go. You ask Our Lord and He'll tell you what to do next. And don't be surprised when you end up exactly where you wanted to be. In shorter time. And after having more fun. ;)

Here's a little aside. There's a whole theory behind it as well, but this post is getting a little longer than expected. Think about grandparents. Why do they love those grandchildren SO much?

It's a clean slate.

Wipe your slate clean today and start over. What if everybody was your grandchild? You'd be broke ;) , but you'd be happy.

---

Further Reading:
Here are several other posts on forgiveness and stress free living.

By the way - Bugzy is my heel horse that's for Sale: $7500 (Yea, um, it wasn't hypothetical. ;) )

Crazy Catholics: A tradition explained

First, the readings from today are pretty good. You should check them out.

But, today I became acutely aware of something during mass. I'm not sure why it came to my attention, but I'd like to share it here.

If you're not Catholic, you may have wondered what the heck everybody is doing right before the priest reads the gospel, or New Testament reading. Even if you are Catholic, you may be wondering the same thing. (Us Catholics have a little bit of a rep. for going through the motions and not knowing, or asking, why) If you're not Catholic AND you've never been to a Catholic mass, then take my word for it when I tell you that everybody looks like Tony LaRussa for about a half second.

See, the priest lets everybody know what he is about to read to which the congregation replies, "Glory to you Lord." Basically, the congregation is proclaiming that the words to be read are for the glorification of Christ's name. That's not the interesting part, though.

Usually, while we are saying "Glory to you Lord", we also make a tiny sign of the cross on our forehead, over our lips, and over our hearts. It's just a little plus sign motion with the thumb. Why?

Well, it's a prayer. And just like most of the things Catholics do, if you get past the stereotype and get some actual information, it's a beautiful little gesture.

All we're doing is asking Our Lord to help us keep His Word in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts. Until the next time we hear His Word again, we should all be so diligent as to influence our daily activity with the bible verses we last heard.

The next time you get a chance to spend time in your bible, or the next time you hear verses read at church, say that little prayer. And think about what you're asking Him to help you do. Trust me. You'll notice the influence in your daily living.

---

Further Reading:
- Pray More talks about influence
- How to make better decisions

Rein, Rain, Reign

Rein

Let him feel my calm confidence. OK, more face, Wimpy. Get your mind on your business. This is the big show. Let's bring it in and get settled before the lope off. OK, we're going to be headed left. Give me that hip and here we go. More speed guy, come on, I know it's in there.

Nice, now come on back and slow down for me. Perfect. Whoa.

So far so good.

Now, let's show them a little bit of what makes you, YOU. To the left first. Now, more speed . . . Awesome.

We're going to be headed right now. Move that hip over a bit... aaaannndd, here we go.

There's that speed a little quicker this time. Good job, let's keep it under control though. Now, ease back down. Still going well. Whoa.

Whoa indeed. Little off to the left there Wimp. Let's settle a bit.

OK, now to the right. Show me what you've got. Wow. That's the stuff.

Now, let's finish this thing. Here we go to the left first. Nice speed, hold that hip. And, to the right. Fantastic. Let's get around here... hold that hip, and back to the left. Awesome.

Now for the close. Stay straight. Whoa. Nice, but I'm going to need you to stay in the ground more if you're gonna win this thing. Let's regroup and I'll draw you in just a bit more... Now, Whoa. Better. Hittin' a little in front now though.

Let's get turned around and I'm going to let you have the reins a bit more again. Whoa.

Now THAT's what they came to see. THAT's what I'm talkin' about. We'll get a "THA! SCORE!" for sure with that. Good job Wimpy.

Rain

The gospel from Today's Readings is probably a familiar one for most of you. Christ and His disciples are caught in a great storm. The disciples grow worried and wake Jesus from His nap. He rebukes the wind and sea and then turns to the weak faith of His followers.

This story is probably familiar to you for more than one reason. At least it is for me. We all have storms throughout our lives. Can't pay the bills. A death in the family. Even a birth can be an unexpected storm for some families. And that's just it.

It's unexpected. We tend to think that the unexpected = a storm. Just like the disciples, if we think we're out of control, we freak. This story is about trusting in Him and relinquishing control. Only then can we find our true purpose. And feel REAL control.

Trusting in Him transitions us from 'Shawn' in life to 'Wimpy'. From using the reins to listening to them. And the rain, thunder and lightening is what gets us there.

Reign

Man, there's alot of people here. This sure isn't home. I guess this is my new home. The work area is a little smaller. But I guess this is cool.

Where are we going? This little alley is making me a tick nervous. Holy Moly! There's alot more people in here. What's that over there. Easy does it. I guess this guy knows what he's doin'. OK, OK. I guess I'm going to get to work in here all by myself.

Well, this isn't so bad. Dang, already. I guess it's time to go. I'm going, I'm going. OK, I guess He likes this speed. I'll keep it right here. Wow, slowing down already. OK, no problem I guess. You better make up your mind though.

Whoa. That caught me a little off guard, but I think I nailed it. Did I nail it?

Crap, to the left already. No problem. Check this out. AAaaannnndd .... Done.

That should earn me a little brea... Nope, OK. Here we go. You ready for this.

Slow down again. Come on. OH, dang. wasn't thinking we were gonna stop there but, OK.

To the right, no problem. Check it.

That's right. Can you even ride that spin at that speed? I freakin' nailed that spin. Didn't I?

Off we go again?!?!

That wasn't good enough? That's cool. Let's go then.

Oh, man, I feel a run down comin' on. Yes! Here we go...

And, Whooooooaaaaaaaaa. Damn, that was good. Is this over yet? No? OK, fine I came out a little at the end, but I'm pretty sure it was pretty darn good. Whelp, here we go again.

And Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. .... Crap, that just didn't feel right. Let me try it one more time. I've got it now. This new place just isn't the same as home, but I'm ready now.

Yes! One more time. Whhoooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. SUH-WEET! That's how we do it. OK, OK. I'm backing. Man, I've done, like, every single thing you've ever shown me. When will this end? That may be everything I've got. Phew. I need a breather.

What's that sound? Oh, yea. There's all those people again. And they're right. I am great. Truly I am. Thanks everybody.

---

The first part of this post is a silly interpretation of what was possibly going through the head of Shawn Flarida as he was showing Wimpy's Little Step in the 2002 NRHA Reining Futurity. Everything revolves around what Shawn has to do next to be successful. Shawn's next set up. Shawn's next move. Shawn's plan.

The second part of this post is an equally silly representation of what may have been going through the three-year-old Wimpy's Little Step's mind at the same show. In this case everything just revolves around the moment. Although sometimes curious, the unfailing trust and drive to accomplish whatever was asked next existed at all times.

Well, I can guarantee you that there were storms between the day Wimpy was born and the day he performed for Shawn at the Futurity.

And it's the same with us. We have to weather those storms. Trust in our Most Holy Trainer. And anticipate the day that He asks us to perform just beyond our current abilities. If we'll just listen to the reins instead of insisting on directing them, He can show us how to perform.

To show ALL just how GREAT we really are.

---

Further Reading:
- Wimpy's Little Step You can here, "THA! SCORE! at the end of this video on Wimpy's homepage.
- Shawn Flarida Shawn Flarida's Web site.

Sacred Hearts

Well, the Little Fat Monsignor struck again. If you don't know about the Little Fat Monsignor, read this post.

Anyway, today over at the church-house we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most of you know the drill - it's the religious devotion to the physical heart of Jesus as the representation of divine love for humanity. If you want to learn more about it go to this Sacred Heart of Jesus page on Wikipedia.

- Jesus' Compassion
- Jesus' Unconditional Love
- Our Adoration of Jesus
- etc., etc. . ...

I'm by no means discounting the Sacred Heart, but what hit me today was something different. It was the placement of the Preface Prayer that occurs at the very beginning of the mass. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is right in the middle of this huge book sandwiched between the Preface Prayer for the Annunciation (revelation to Mary by the angel Gabriel that she was to conceive Christ) and the Preface Prayer for Christ's Triumph on the Cross.

That placement is BIG. The Little Fat Monsignor knows his stuff. No doubt.

So, everything between the announcement of Christ's arrival to Mary and Christ's death on the cross can be summed up by His Sacred Heart. It's the representation of His life.

Our own hearts can be sacred as well since Christ lives within us. The question is:

What will the page between our birth announcement and our obituary have to say about our own heart?

The Path

First, two short stories:

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New Believers: Story 1

There's a village in Africa. OK, so there are probably thousands of villages in Africa. ;) But this story only deals with one of them and I don't know it's name.

Several missionaries were tasked with visiting this remote area and introducing the tribe there to Our Lord. It turned out to be a successful effort and the majority of the villagers were lead to Christ. As you can imagine, the village was set in a remote area far from the things we take for granted every day. Most were barefoot. They all lived in huts. But now, they knew The Lord.

Well, every home had a specific prayer place that they would go to to pray. Due to traditional values and the distance between homes, they didn't all go to a 'church' to worship. They went where they felt lead to go. But, they always went to the same place.

A worn path began to develop. Some paths were more worn than others. And almost as a way to enforce accountability, the paths became a sort of moral ruler for each household. Inevitably, they began to show up - That individual asking you why grass is growing over your path. Do you punch them in the face, or thank them for the reminder. ;)

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do. What you do know is that it's always good to be on the path.

---

Old Hands: Story 2

... Afghanis use donkeys to get supplies up, over, and across mountains. No surprising fact there. What is interesting though is that the “Donkey Trains” are self guided. That’s right; no people guide the donkeys across the mountains.

They have walked the path so many times that the Afghanis load the donkeys down with fresh supplies, and send them on their way. The donkeys start walking through the mountains and know exactly how to get back to their owners house tens of miles away.

Can you imagine it? You’re trying to bake a cake and need a cup of sugar, so you send jack across the mountain to the general store with a note on his back along with a hundred-spot of Afghani dinar, “more sugar please.” And good ole jack is back at your house the next day with the bag of sugar. For real though, they pack the donkeys down and just send them on their way. I guess it’s not that surprising after all.

---

The first story above comes from Gregg Matte. I first mentioned Gregg in a post a couple of days ago called Pray More. This story is a summary pulled from a podcast he does. If you want to hear the whole thing, click Purpose People: 2nd in a series about finding true purpose. If you want to hear all of them, or subscribe for free, go here.

The second story comes from Stoney Portis. Truth was the first post I mentioned Stoney in. He also left a great comment on The Journey. Check them both out to learn a bit more about this inspiring gentleman and soldier.

Now then, on to the point.

If only we could all just be a bunch of jackasses.

How's that for a point?

First, we're thinking, "Stupid donkeys... Could go wherever they want and no one would know. No one could find them. They wouldn't have to work. They could do whatever they wanted."

And there it is. We're SO much smarter than all else aren't we.

And yet, here we are. We go wherever we want - Sometimes no one can find us. We don't have to work - And we accomplish nothing. We do whatever we want - And do nothing. No one truly knows us - Not even ourselves. ... and we go nowhere.

Those donkeys are on to something. There's no grass on their path. Well, there's probably no grass in Afghanistan at all. ;) But that's not the point.

They get fed when they stay on the path - As do we.

They are appreciated when they stay on the path - As are we.

They are safe when they stay on the path - As are we.

They have purpose when they stay on the path.

Is there grass on your path?

Greed Begets Greed

I'm in San Diego working with an impressive group of guys on their horse software so there won't be a long post today.

Here's a great read indirectly related to the Texas Equine Incentive Bill:

An exodus of horses from the Bluegrass.

Kentucky has had an incentive fund in place for several years. And mare nomination fees are supplemented by taxes on stud fees. And yet, this article still exists. Owners are still wanting more. Now they are complaining about not obtaining a new system of incentives coming from slot machine revenues.

Beware Texas Horse Professionals.

By all means, utilize your new-found incentive program. BUT, do not depend on it. Do not be crippled by it. Run your businesses with integrity and efficiency. This should go without saying, but the real world just doesn't operate that way. It should be the icing - not the cake.

Pray More

A recent post here on SpiritualHorseman.com talked about influence.

When young horseman desire to be professional trainers, what do they do?

They go ride with professionals.

What do soon-to-be-CPA's do? They intern with a large firm.

Essentially, they surround themselves with what they desire to become.

Our spirituality is no different. Only two choices exist. Be influenced by those around you, or influence those around you.

How can we be the best 'influencers' we can be?

By surrounding ourselves with what we desire to become.

Here's something for the readers:


Here's something for the listeners:
Gregg Matte: Yes, the Gregg Matte that started in College Station
Don't Have iTunes: You can listen hear, too.

And one more thing. Prayer. Who better to surround ourselves with than our Heavenly Father? Do you pray on Sunday's, every night, before every meal or is every day a prayer? If He is always on our mind, His wisdom will be our wisdom; His purpose will be our purpose.

Prayer will show you that we are called to use His power to accomplish our purpose. True freedom comes when you know you are called to do what can only be accomplished with divine intervention.

Try it. Cut off the T.V. Or turn away from the computer and pray. I've often been disappointed with the time I've wasted by watching a television program, or surfing the net, etc.

But I've never finished praying and thought, 'Man, that was a waste of time'. Never.

Reminiscent Thursday

Ben Cumpean got married a couple of months ago. Those of you who know Ben are laughing. For those of you who don't, he's a 60+ Mexican man with what seems to be 70+ years of ranch life riding his bones. He's lived with his new wife for around eighteen years and they were wed about six months ago.

Well, this morning Morgan and I got everything fed up and were headed to pick up an air compressor from the shop. We had to air up the tires on the mobile pens. They'll hold 40 head of wild, fightin' crossbred cows, but what they won't hold is air. Go figure.

While we were at the shop Ben stopped by. He had pictures from the wedding. One for Dad, one for Mick and one for Dick. If I could only have heard the stories the group in that picture had been through. Ben was in the middle. He arrived at the O'Brien ranch when he was nineteen. He worked the Berclair country for years until he was moved to Quincy where he still lives with his wife.

To his right were Nick and Midnight Rivas. I knew Midnight from when I was a boy. He has since moved to town along with his brother Nick. But at one time they were both fighting the South Texas brush just like everybody else in that picture.

Then there was Fino. I'm pretty sure his proper name is Delphino, but I'm not certain. He wears his buckle on the left side of his pants and always has. Some say it's because it pinches his belly, but Dad said he was a skinny youngster when he was working at the ranch and he wore it just like that back then as well. I don't think he even knows why he does it.

And the twins. Los cuates was probably the more common terminology for them in this group. They'll say that they call Mick and Dick that because it's Spanish for twin, but I'm pretty sure they just can't tell them apart at a glance. And "Hey cuate, ..." gets the same quick result as actually knowing who they're talking to. ;)

Albert Ramon was to Fino's right. He is close kin to Richie, who has since passed on, but whose saddle I still use when I'm starting colts. I wish I could put it up on display and take care of it, but I need it. And they don't make 'em like that anymore. Well this young Albert is also kin to another Albert Ramon my grandfather told me a new story on this Thursday. It goes like this.

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I was visiting with Grandpa out at the Melon one day. That's the place I was born 'n raised up near Refugio. Well, I was raised right across the road from where we were but it's all on the same place.

Anyhow, while we were standing there ol' Albert got dusted off of one pretty good. (he was thrown from a bucking horse) Then he wandered around that trap for a minute and back on he got. She rode around for a second or two and then swallowed her head and let him have it again.

That's when Grandpa told me to go help that boy catch her. See, he was off in that little trap there. Small enough I guess, but just big enough to have a hard time catchin' a horse that didn't want to get caught. [Especially when you've just been round housed twice. ;)]

Well, I was just a little fella. I didn't know what the hell I was doin'. But when she came my way, I just threw my hands up and sent her the other way. Well, Albert got her caught. And by then Grandpa had sidled up along side the fence to try and find out what the hell was goin' on.

Albert eased her around some more and then directly she let 'er rip all over again. I'll say this, she had some try to her. Well, this last time Albert wasn't having it. He was determined to stay up there. And don't get me wrong, he could ride the hell out of a bronc. But just about the time he got settled in up there she throwed him, the saddle and all.

There he sat in the dirt right in front of us. Square in the middle of the saddle with both feet still in the stirrups. He looked up and Grandpa and said, "Boss, I just don't see how I can set her if she's gonna throw saddle and all. You can fire me if you want to, but I ain't gettin' on that mare no more."

With a half chuckle Grandpa told him, "Hell son I ain't gonna fire you. If she can throw that saddle, I don't see how you're gonna stay up there."

---

I just loved this story. I know everybody has plans in life. I also know that sometimes we don't consult our Heavenly Father when we make those plans. I know I forget pretty regular. But even though we create circumstances we can't possibly make it through due to our stubborn blindness, I gotta believe that He's up there smiling when we have the guts it takes to "Ride the saddle to the ground".

Further Reading:
Know When to Say When

Jane Ann "Jou Jou" Husbands

It may seem discouraging to have a remembrance of the recently passed meet you here every time you visit SpiritualHorseman.com. It's not pleasant, but it's necessary. I've been blessed by a vast array of beautiful people throughout my life and when one of those leaves this earthly life for their eternal home I owe you the pleasure of getting to know them. Even if it's just a glimpse of what made them great.

Jane Ann "Jou Jou" Husbands was one of those great people. She died June 9, 2009. The obituary for Jou Jou can be found here. She was every bit of 5 feet 1 inch tall . . . maybe, but she was a firecracker. And the epitome of elegance. Not many women I know are capable of being a firecracker and elegant. Nowadays, there aren't many capable of being either one. No one has the backbone it takes to stand for something and voice their opinion enough to be considered a firecracker. And elegance... forget it. Every one is too busy typing on their Blackberry/iPhone to even fake elegance, much less master the forgotten trait. Well, Jou Jou did.

Here's to her plucky love for life, her passion for art and her singular ability to maintain her late husband, Hal. ;) He was a towering man. He was the warden at the penitentiary in Huntsville and he looked the part. His compassion was heaven sent. But his discipline and intimidating stature kept the place in check. And then there was Jou Jou. The one place in his life where order was not up to him. She was his release, his rest from the structure of things, his authority (sometimes ;) ), and now they're together again. The husbands are a beautiful example for the world. God Bless You All.

How to make better decisions.

It was SO hard to push the girls down the page, but people were beginning to wonder if the blog was still going. ;) Well, it is. You can still see the Triple Threat if you scroll down far enough.

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Now, on to the anticipated follow-up to our Ask the Readers Poll.

Are you familiar with driving under the influence?

You don't have to have been arrested for D.U.I. to be familiar with it. Your family may have been affected by someone else's D.U.I. You may have done it and never gotten caught. You may have just had a drink or two and driven home "just fine".

The point is that just about everyone understands what driving under the influence means. Technically, it is the act of operating a vehicle (including bicycle, boat, airplane or horse) after consuming alcohol or using drugs.

Now that you see that the law includes horses, do we have a few more affirmations on the first question? ;)

Basically, you are not you when you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Therefore, you make driving decisions different from those that you would normally make

Enough about DUI. What does this have to do with people who visit www.SpiritualHorseman.com?

You are under the influence EVERY DAY.

It's a different kind of DUI. We are all Deciding Under the Influence.

Last week's Ask the Readers Poll posed the question "Where do you find inspiration?" This is the follow-up post.

As of Tuesday, June 9, 28 votes placed Nature on top with 10 votes followed by Other People with 8 votes. Well, everyday we make thousands of decisions. And you haven't made even one of them on your own.

Humans don't really make decisions. We make comparisons.

Let's say you went looking for a house/car/horse and the first one you found was perfect. What'd you do? . . . Go look at another one. Why? You had to in order to make a comparison. If you didn't have to go look at another one, you were subconciously comparing to some other baseline representation of what you were looking for - Something you had an experience with in the past.


Here is an image from the book Predictably Irrational that comes from the excerpt found here. It would really be worth a read, but here's the gist:

Dan Ariely, the author of Predictably Irrational, gave these options to 100 MIT students. (MIT is a prestigious university in Massachusetts known for it's brilliant technical students)

The result:

• 16 students wanted Internet-only


• ZERO students wanted Print-only


• 84 students wanted Print-and-Internet

Then, Mr. Ariely gave 100 students these choices:

Do you think the results were the same? I mean, no one chose Print-only so everything should be the same, right?

Nope. Here are the results:

• 68 students chose Internet-only: Up from 16


• Only 32 chose Print-and-Internet: Down from 84

The mere presence of the decoy Print-only option gives us something else to compare. And we go for the better deal EVERY TIME.

Predictably Irrational really is a great book packed with interesting stuff like this. It's an easy read though, so if you want to know more about why we make irrational decisions over and over again, you'll have to buy it and read it for yourself. There's simply not enough room here to share all I gained from reading this book.

So why is this relevant to SpiritualHorseman.com readers?

How can we make better decisions?

Good question. It's obvious that we are all influenced by something. And since you read SpiritualHorseman.com, you are now more aware of this fact. Now you know that everything is a comparison to something else. If most of your day is filled with negativity, you'll tend to be more negative. Do you think most ranchers are conservative because they own land, pay property taxes, inherit estates? Nope.

Life-long ranchers are more conservative because the behavior they witness every day in cattle, horses, nature, etc. is a survival of the fittest type of behavior. If something is weak, it dies. A momma cow earns her keep by having calves or she goes to the packer. Everything has a purpose. And a natural, logical path delivers that purpose or changes will be made. And so ranchers are logical. They are usually conservative, and they are probably the ones voting for nature as their inspiration. Plenty of wealthy individuals obtain property and animals and don't have conservative values. That's because they are not continually exposed to those kinds of values. They don't have those to compare to. And they are probably not inspired by nature.

Of course there is a difference between inspiration and influence. Inspiration usually leaves you with a sense of awe. Influence usually leaves you with a sense of 'I'll take this rather than that'. Our sources of inspiration, however, shed a great deal of light on what influences us. If you chose Other People as a source of inspiration, you probably are blessed with at least one person you know you are influenced by and whom you model your decision making after. But, know this - You are also influenced by many other people in your life.

So now that we know that we aren't in control of our decision making, we can make better decisions. Just like the Print-only decoy that the Economist marketers presented, life includes decoys every day. Certain circumstances, weather, people, etc. Think about them independantly and then make choices. Find positive sources of influence.

Be the influencer.
Do you make choices as a money influenced person of a particular profession (teacher, rancher, banker, lawyer, doctor, etc.)?

Or do you make choices as a Christian influenced child of God?

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Further Reading:

• Ask Readers: Where do you find inspiration?


• Dan Ariely's blog about the hidden forces that shape our decisions.


• Get Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Triple Threat Thursday

He was always Mr. Doug to me. And before Thursday's ranch trip gets retold, I want to remember a this man. His name Douglas Franklin. Below is the obituary.

Douglas Franklin Passed Away Sunday, May 31, 2009.

It's a kind re-telling of Mr. Doug's service in the army, his church and his community. But, it left out a very important detail. Doug Franklin worked at the O'Brien Ranch for many years. And when I say worked, I mean it. I always new him as an elderly man, but that didn't stop him from going to work cattle, working gates and getting in the crowd pen. In fact, he conveniently misinformed us of his age a couple of times just so he wouldn't be told to get out of there. Or worse, to stay at the pens.

There are many stories about this man, but the best one I heard, was short and it didn't even happen until June 4. That's right, yesterday.

A pastor for his church stood and with the fervor that can only come from within a black southern baptist congregation, he said, "You all can cry if you want to... But you ain't cryin' for Doug. You cryin' for yourself. 'Cause Doug's in heaven."

And so he is.

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Now, about that Thursday trip south. What a day. After getting everybody fed, I hooked up the Big Tex and off we went. South bound I-37 without horses for the first time in quite a long time. See, some how my Dad's Big Tex flatbed trailer found it's way to my house. Marvin Tavarez, a good friend of mine and agent for the Horse Insurance Company we use, borrowed the trailer to haul a 100 or so bales of that hay we unloaded on Mr. Miyagi Thursday back to his house. He gave Morgan a ballpark time for when he'd have the trailer back, but Dad told him he could just drop it at my house to save him a trip. No problem.

So I call Dad just before 8:00 am to ask if he wants his trailer back at the Murphy or over at the main pens. The Murphy. I pulled in and dropped it off and headed over to the morning meeting.

The morning meeting isn't a meeting at all but it is where an unbelievable amount of scheduling goes down. Plans aren't made ahead of time down there very often. Not because they aren't planners, but because if a windmill breaks, cows get out, someone else's cattle get on your place, gaps are down, etc. the plan changes anyway. Well, today was one of those days that would have changed plans. Mr. Douglas Franklin had passed away and most were headed to the early afternoon funeral.

Morgan and I caught up some of the elder green geldings I re-started a couple of weeks ago. Two had already been picked up, but a replacement gelding that fit the mold (older and still green) had been moved from the rope horse trap to this teach-them-a-weeks-worth-in-a-day group.

It's a great challenge since you have to push the limits of what you can show one when you can only ride them once a week. However, these horses are mature enough to handle much more pressure than a two-year-old and they are progressing very quickly. It's alot of fun.

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Speaking of fun - After the geldings were ridden I went to get my truck over at Mom and Dad's and guess who is there.

Taylor, Trinity and Taryn.

My nieces were ready to ride. So that's what we did. The rest of the afternoon was pure goodness. Here's a taste.

First, we had to go see some of the horses:





Then, it was time to mount up.





Warm-up time didn't last long.





It was a hot day so we had to take a time-out every now and then.

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All of this was fun, but there was one event that unfolded both beautifully and quite comically this Thursday. It's the perfect way to remember that preparation is important. And sometimes, even though one may be a wonderful, positive leader, our follower may loose the way. We have to keep a smile on our face and trust in our walk. And remember that sometimes you'll need more than your own strength to get the job done.

Texas Equine Incentive Bill 1881 PASSES

Just wanted to pass along an exciting update regarding the equine incentive bill (1881). SpiritualHorseman.com has been following it's progress for a while. If you'd like the whole story, you can catch up with the following posts:

• Kentucky-Like Equine Incentive Program in Texas


• Urgent: Equine Incentive Program Information


• Opportunity Doesn't Knock. . . It Grows

Well it's official, the bill passed!
So get your $30 ready and get your babies into training early. This thing is going to pay like a slot machine for at least a few years anyway. Read the following press release from Diane Chilton of RadicalRodder.com for more information.

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Austin, TX May 31, 2009

Texas has a heritage of bravado. Everything is bigger in Texas. Texans don’t believe they can be second in anything. Our heritage has always included cowboys, horses, western lifestyle that makes Texas the Lone Star State. However, in the past decade, our horse industry has diminished—and more markedly since Kentucky launched their successful breeders incentive program. Breeding, racing and show horses migrated to Kentucky, lured by the financial incentives that were not available in Texas.

On May 21, 2009, the Texas Equine Incentive Program was passed, marking the beginning of an exciting new program for horses bred and exhibited in Texas. Texas Bill HB1881 had broad, bipartisan support. Possible because it did not involve gambling or new taxes, the bill was essentially unopposed, passing both the House and Senate by a landslide.

House bill HB1881 provides for the creation of a Texas Equine Incentive. The fund will be administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture under the auspices of Commissioner Todd Staples. The fund will benefit Texas bred Quarter, Paint and Appaloosa horses. The rules of the bill will be determined by an industry panel representing the three breeds. The intent of the bill was that each association can determine its own rules to better suit their needs.

The program will have eligibility requirements that require the stallion to live in Texas and the mare to be bred and foaled out in Texas. The bill is very similar to the one passed in 2005 in Kentucky, except this is not funded by taxes. Initial funding will come from nomination fees from owners of the mares and stallions, and resulting offspring. Texas bred mare and stallion and show owners will be required to be a member of the state association as well as the national breed associations in order to nominate foals or receive funds.

The minimum amount each in state bred mare owners will contribute is $30 with the final amount still to be determined by each breed. Stallions and mares can opt out if they do not wish to participate. This is a voluntary program with nomination fees paid into a fund similar to the American Quarter Horse Association Incentive Fund, American Paint Horse Association Breeders Trust or Appaloosa Horse Club of America Breeders Trust.

Payouts will occur for foals of nominated stallions and mares when they compete in Texas equine events and earn points in their respective breed association shows. This program in anticipated to motivate more Texas bred that are sold to other locations, to return to Texas for events, thus growing our in-state events.

This is start of widespread legislation to retain horses in the state of Texas. The program in Kentucky started with only 8 stallions and has become an exciting program that motivates horse owners to move their horses to Kentucky during breeding season so they may participate in the incentives once that foal is old enough to show.

This bill is the first step to breathe new life into the Texas horse industry, and the program really has unlimited potential. Already, there are plans under development to enhance the program.

Once the bill has Governor Rick Perry’s signature, it will become law on September 9, 2009.

Breeders and exhibitors can assist the growth of this exciting program, by ensuring that their representatives know how important this program is to our industry, and thanking those who worked hard to get this off the ground. The bill was introduced into the Texas House by Representative Sid Miller (R) of Erath. Other Representatives that joined the bill as authors are Representative Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) of Alice who is also the Chairman of the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee, Representative David Leibowitz (D) of San Antonio, Representative Ryan Guillen (D) of Rio Grand City and co-Author Representative Tan Parker (R) of Flower Mound.

In the Senate the bill was sponsored by Senator Craig Estes of Wichita Falls (R). Senator Estes is the Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Senator Estes was joined on the bill by co-sponsors Senator Glenn Hegar (R) of Katy, Senator Carlos Uresti (D) of San Antonio. The bill was also supported by Rob Werstler of Texas Quarter Horse Association.

Plans are being made for the 2011 legislative session.

If you can find a minute to thank everyone for all their help, it would be greatly appreciated. Don’t forget that Representative Sid Miller is a roper and shows in Quarter Horse shows. Thank him in person.

Representative Sid Miller
sid.miller@house.state.tx.us

Representative Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles
yvonne.gonzaleztoureilles@house.state.tx.us

Representative David Leibowitz
david.leibowitz@house.state.tx.us

Representative Ryan Guillen
ryan.guillen@house.state.tx.us

Representative Tan Parker
tan.parker@house.state.tx.us

Senator Craig Estes
Craig.Estes@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Carlos Uresti
carlos.uresti@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Glenn Hegar
glenn.hegar@senate.state.tx.us

Todd Smith of Impact Texas Communications
tmsgop@austin.rr.com

Leigh Ann Schroeder
leighann@theshortround.com

Rob Werstler of Texas Quarter Horse Association
rwerstler@tqha.com

Contact for more information
Bill sponsored by Texas Bred Horse Association
(a 501c3 organization for education of the purpose of horses in the Texas economy)
11547 Dane Rd
Pilot Point, TX 76258
214-223-4188
940-440-9650 fax
rrodder@aol.com
www.TexasBredHorse.com

Executive Committee
Diane Chilton – President
Leigh Ann Schroeder – Vice President
Dr Howard Harper – Treasurer
RD Schroeder – Secretary

Ask Readers: Where do you find inspiration?

Update: How to make better decisions, the follow-up to this post is now available.

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Many times I find myself wondering how some people can be so *&%$#! cheery ALL OF THE TIME.

How are some others SO WISE?

Or why are some SO NEGATIVE?

The bottom line is that we are all influenced by someone or something. No person is above influence. Well, a book has recently come to my attention and since I have been in jury duty, I've already completed it. ;)

There were many "secret" concepts regarding how our brain works. You've got to hear this stuff, but before we get started, please vote in the poll below. You select up to two choices but you can select only one if you wish.


[poll id="2"]


If you wish to share a different source of inspiration than those that are listed, feel free to do so in the comments. Poll voting is anonymous. Even if you leave a comment, please vote in the poll.

The follow-up post is going to use the data from the poll so please vote. It's anonymous so please be honest. I know everybody doesn't read their bible every night. ;)