Horse Sense For Politicians John R. Killacky, Vermont There’s a tradition in the Vermont House of Representatives for someone to speak briefly at the start of every session with a few inspirational words. Recently I had that honor and shared some lessons I’ve learned: When I’m not at the Flynn Center in Burlington, you can often find me at a barn in Williston with my Shetland pony that I’ve trained to pull me in a cart. She’s boarded with thirty-three other horses. I thought I’d share some horse sense for your amusement and, I hope, edification. Equines are herd animals. Group dynamics and hierarchy are important to them. There’s always a top mare, and horses are quite content to follow the leader of the pack. However, reconfigure the group in any way, and leadership is up for grabs. Size, tenure, and age don’t matter; taking charge with a few nips and kicks delivers the appropriate gravitas. During the legislative session, many of you will be in a leadership position one day and a supporting role the next. Step up when necessary, even if you have to elbow your way in, for issues important to your constituencies. Challenge each other to accomplish even more. Horses have eyes on the sides of their heads and see the world peripherally with 350-degree vision. When driving my pony, I put her in a bridle with blinders to focus her on the work ahead. You will have your own blinders on dealing with the bottom line. However, embrace the periphery and don’t forget those that live outside this chamber. As you charge ahead, remember those alongside and behind you. Training a horse requires patience, consistency, taking the long view, positive reinforcement, changing patterns so as not to get stale, getting out of our comfort zone, and reaching for new achievements. Failure is an essential component of learning. Sound familiar? Many of you have toiled on bills for years before passage. Stay the course. Horse training used to rely mostly on domination, now we seek to learn the animal and understand how it perceives the world. With tough decisions ahead on balancing expenditures and revenues, remember these line items represent real people struggling with real concerns. Seek authentic input and dialogue, listen intently, and adapt accordingly, since your realities may be quite different than those of the people you seek to serve. A lot of my time with the pony in winter is drudgery: mucking out stalls, chopping ice in frozen water buckets, cleaning hooves, and exercising her in the unheated drafty barn. But, when I hitch her to the cart and our drive goes well, all the effort is worth it as we glide through space. My wish is that you find joy in your daily chores. I hope your efforts come to fruition, and more importantly, that they contribute to a just and civil society where all Vermonters can have safe, healthy, robust and expressive lives. Thank you for your good work.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:16:47 +0000
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