ADAPTABILITY

ADAPTABILITY

When I first started my internship with Nate and Amy Bowers of Bower’s Farm, Nate looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’m going to ask one thing of you: I want you to be adaptable.” I thought at the time that I understood the full meaning of that request, but I was very wrong! Within the last six months, I have done everything from ride horses to doctor cows to rope sheep. I have learned from both a cowboy and a three day eventer while riding the same horse. My landscape for riding has been anywhere from a show jumping arena to a 10,000 acre ranch in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The art of “adapting” is far greater than I could have possibly imagined.

The Concept

              What does it mean to be adapted? Merriam-Webster’s defines it as “suited by nature, character, or design to a particular use, purpose, or situation. The idea that Nate was trying to get across to me with his request was that life never stays the same. Not only on the ranch but on a broader scale as well. If we aren’t always present in the moment we are living, we will get left behind, taken advantage of, or hurt. We can’t remain the same in changing situations and expect to always receive good results. It is up to us to meet the challenge and evolve our behaviors in such a way that we can maintain a standard of excellence.

How it Applies to Horsemanship

              In the world of horses, there are so many different styles of riding and training. In the last few months alone, I’ve ridden horses that are experiencing their first ride as well as horses that are completely broke with rides in the thousands. I’ve also gotten to see and ride many of the stages in between. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this: the way you ride a new colt is not the same way that you ride a broke horse, and neither of those ways necessarily apply to the stages in between.
              As the horse’s knowledge and maturity is evolving, so is the way you approach and handle it. But there’s a catch – when you have a ranch full of horses, not all the horses are at the same stage. In one afternoon, you may go from putting the third ride on a colt to roping off your broke horse to putting the first ride on a colt to training on a horse that’s still learning to be respectable. Each new horse demands a different style of riding from you, a different speed of communication and responsiveness. If you can’t be adaptable from one horse to the next, you will end up asking too much from a young horse or babbling like a toddler to your mature horse.

How it Applies to Relationships

              Another thing about being adaptable from one horse to the next is considering each horse's personality. Is the horse more extroverted and pushy? Or perhaps a little softer and on the introverted side? Your approach either of these horses may be a little different than to the other.
              In the same way, we should adapt our approach to our human relationships. I am a very extroverted person. I love being with people, often take charge, and can be overly confident. My husband and best girl-friend, however, are both very introverted. I’ve learned with them, as best I can, to dial back my overt characteristics to suit their needs a little more. They often need me to be quiet and still, something that doesn’t come naturally to me.
             The way I act within my role as an intern/employee in a learning environment is different than how I act with my husband, and I’ve found often that how I need to act with one friend or family member can be very different from how I need to act with another. My God-given traits are very useful in many situations and dynamics, but I need to be purposeful about when and how I use them.

How to Practice Adapting

              I'm learning that it is very important to place yourself in situations where you have to control your behaviors. The more self-awareness that you can build, the better you will know yourself and the better your mental health will be. Life, with its constant change, is a continual practice test for adaption.
              However, you can purposefully put yourself in situations to build your ability to adapt, since training and working horses is not something available or appealing to everyone. I find that yoga is very beneficial to me, because in it, you have to be mentally aware and connected to your breathing, all while maintaining physical postures. While I have not yet experienced it, I have heard that both golf and the martial arts require similar focus. Any time where you have the opportunity to switch quickly from one exercise to another, especially between being mentally focused to being physically focused, is good practice. You can even purposefully schedule two visits with friends, one after another, and see if you can affect your behaviors to be the person they need you to be.

A Final Thought

              Learning to be adaptable comes with a disclaimer. While I think it is important to adapt to each situation, I don't want people to become chameleons. Don't change your entire person to suit other’s wishes or needs. God created you how you are, and He views you as perfect. The entire concept of adapting is based upon the context of knowing that if you can help someone be their best self by modifying your behaviors, why wouldn’t you?
             Within my horsemanship habits, (some good ones I’m feeding, some bad that I’m slowly breaking) there are some things that remain the same no matter which horse I’m working with. There must be a few constants or everything else falls apart. Take for instance, Pat Parelli's mantra, “Pressure motivates, release teaches.” Adaptability comes into play when you ask "How much pressure? How much release? You must be grounded in yourself first, and then, beyond that, adapt to meet every new situation and challenge that you face!