You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of creating a conducive environment for effective learning rather than simply trying to impose knowledge.
Monty Roberts highlights that as horsemen, our role is not to directly teach horses, but to cultivate an environment that fosters their ability to learn. This reflects a broader principle applicable to education and training, where the focus should be on setting the stage for growth and understanding rather than solely directing the learner.
In practice
This quote can be used in a workshop on effective teaching methods.
I had been riding horses before my memory kicked in, so my life with horses had no beginning. It simply appeared from the fog of infancy. I survived a difficult childhood by traveling on the backs of horses, and in adulthood the pattern didn't change.
A good trainer can hear a horse speak to him. A great trainer can hear him whisper.
For centuries, humans have said to horses, 'You do what I tell you or I'll hurt you.' Humans still say that to each other -- still threaten, force and intimidate. I'm convinced that my discoveries with horses have value in the workplace, in the educational and penal systems, and in the raising of children. At heart, I'm saying that no one else has the right to say 'you must' to an animal -- or to another human.
Across time and generations, books carry the thoughts and feelings, the essence, of the human spirit.
Education doesn't need to be reformed- it needs to be transformed.
I hope to instill, in every child I meet, my love and enthusiasm for reading and stories.
Studies serve for delight, for ornaments, and for ability.
Long live teachers of children, because they can show children how they can save the world.
Most of the time each person is immersed in the details of one special part of the whole and does not think of how what they are doing relates to the larger picture. For example, in education, a teacher might say in the next class he was going to "explain Young's modulus and how to measure it," rather than, "I am going to educate the students and prepare them for their future careers".
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.