Tough Love

A Mare's Powerful Example of Tough Love

 This morning at 3:00 am, our entire family, including our youngest, ages 6 and 8, gathered around the corral to see the birth of a beautiful colt.  We are all still dragging today, but it was a magical scene, especially since we were joined by our eight other horses, who stood silently watching for hours outside the corral as the drama unfolded. 

For me, the highlight was watching the little foal and take his first steps.  We captured the moment in this video.  My attention was fixed on the Mare during this amazing process.  She had just intensely suffered giving birth but now immediately turned and started prodding the colt to get to his feet.  You can hear us ignorantly chiding her to stop pushing the newborn so hard.  She knew what she was doing and demonstrated the perfect balance of 100% supporting and 100% demanding leadership.   Christine Porath, a professor at Georgetown University's School of Business, said, "When you build a relationship on trust, then the majority of people are OK with tough love, and they will rise to the occasion." Including rising and taking their first steps.