Harmony – A Poem

Written by Chip Mandeville photo by Susan Stone

Starting horses is a favorite chore
An occupational decision that I made.
Lord knows it’s not a job
You do for what your paid

It used to be I’d ride them hard
At best I’d try to win
Then I met a wise man
Who put that thinking to an end

Ray Hunt , was his name
And his words rang true
He’d take the toughest bronc around
Make him want, to work for you

He talked about things like harmony
And the way that things should be
Like try to think like Them
So they can think like We

Remember the child and how they learn
Mistake upon mistake,
Maybe it all seems right to them
To them it’s the only road to take

Your very best deal do offer them
It’s a thought that they respect
A soft feel for a soft feel
Is the best to redirect

Whether you have them stop,
Turn back or Run
Work to keep it interesting
Always make it fun

If he try’s and you slap him down
He may not try again
It’s not so much what he does today
It’s what he learns in the end

It’s not aright we sit astride
This steed we call our friend
It’s a privilege to respect
A rule to never bend

The smallest change the slightest try
Is the thing that we should see
It tells his life is changing
He’s looking for Unity

We cannot make the thinker think
Or make a river run
But if we teach the things we’ve Know
The thoughts will surely come

Like notes upon a music sheet
We learn them one by one
Until we practice long enough
The song should not be song

It’s the satisfaction,
Of a job we feel well done
That makes us always practice
To sing the songs we’ve song

So if your horse tries
The hardest that he can
It beats any ribbon
That they slap upon your hand

It’s the foundation you build upon
The little things each day
Then when the job gets tough
Your horse will Want to stay

To think like One’s the goal
That we all should seek
So always respect the feelings
Of this mount between your feet

It’s Attention , Timing and Balance
That gives us Harmony
To sit the ride the Cutter makes
Is song enough for me

The End
Written in 1987