appreciating Control

By Ted Howard, Production Animal Consultation

This article is being brought to you by the letter “C”. As I write this piece, I have spent the last few weeks at home, due to my visits being slowed down in respect of social distancing. This unusual abundance of time has me thinking of a “C” word. No, it isn’t corona, COVID, chaos or even cattle. The word is CONTROL.

If we are in control of ourselves, we are therefore in control of the situation and can help our horses and cattle to be successful.

We tend to spend time focusing on those things we cannot control. For instance, the weather, the cattle market, coworkers, family members and even COVID-19 are all things we cannot control. Focusing on these items can be exhausting, frustrating and sometimes even depressing, because we do not have much influence on the outcomes.

However, when I shift my energy to concentrate on what I can control, I look directly into the mirror. I can control how I feel, then how I think and finally, how I act. Once you can master controlling yourself, the doors that will open to you will be unlimited.

When I am in control of myself, that confidence sets up my day for positive interactions with my horses and cattle. Even if my day starts with a flat tire in subzero weather, I can control how I approach my horse for the day. I can choose to be calm and quiet as we prepare for the day and not let any other issues create a negative experience.

Sometimes we have pens of cattle that require more time in acclimation so we can handle them quietly. If we can stay in control of our emotions and remain patient while we acclimate them to their pen, the cattle will benefit as will our horse.

I have seen stockmen in frustration blame their horse when cattle do not respond how they wanted. They will spur, whip or even jerk on their horse’s mouth. I have seen stockmen chase cattle around and around in a pen. This behavior does not demonstrate control and is very negative to our horses and cattle. When we are in control of ourselves and not placing any blame on our horses or cattle, they will respond appropriately.

When our horses and cattle do not work like we want, we need to realize this is not their mistake. If we are in control of ourselves, we are therefore in control of the situation and can help our horses and cattle to be successful.

Being in control of ourselves is also important in regards to our working relationships. We cannot control how our co-workers show up. We can only control how we show up. Rising above any negativity allows us to stay focused on controlling our own behavior for the sake of our horses and cattle.

Control is a very powerful “C” word. Perhaps the next article will be brought to you by the letter “E” for essential worker, energy, excitement, engagement… or epidemic (just kidding).