I think I fall somewhere in the middle.. it's possible for someone to feel a "rush" when they are working with a horse in harmony, whether the horse is calm and relaxed or feeling excited. I'm no fantastic rider, but I think one of my best "skills" is really more of something one has or doesn't have, and that's that I can be calm even when the horse isn't. I have been around zillions of people who make horses nervous either on the ground or in the saddle. I feel nervous around those people. Their horses have no confidence. They could have never done what I did yesterday... which was to take a green 4yo with limited experiences out on a trail ride through a more suburban/metro environment, navigating traffic and more. We did it by ourselves because I never have anyone around to ride with... safety wise I knew this was a risk, but I took other precautions to deal with that. I obviously didn't think it was a super dangerous thing, or I wouldn't have gone, but I knew it was more than many people would feel comfortable doing... especially on a really forward greenie.

For me, my goal is to work with horses and become a team. Together, the big goal is to compete in a traditional sporthorse discipline, and do well because of our partnership. I think that if you find a horse who enjoys this work, there is a "rush" there for them, too, as well as the "rush" of just progressing through training together in a partnership.

That said, some horses are just more dangerous than others in my mind.. these are usually ones who have been ruined by some person in the past, and they make me more nervous than unspoiled horses. I tailor my personal safety to the specific situation.

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