Never Grow a Wishbone Where a Backbone Ought to Be

Life has a funny way of testing whether you’re built for wishing or working. Around here, we don’t get much done with wishbones…. they break too easily. It’s the backbone that gets you saddled up in the morning, filling up water tanks when it’s ten below, or climbing back in the saddle after the horse just handed you your pride on a bed of dirt.

NEVER GROW A WISHBONE WHERE YOUR BACKBONE OUGHT TO BE. It’s an old saying, but it fits like a well-worn pair of boots.

It’s easy to sit on the fence and dream about the life you want… the well-trained horse… the perfect relationship… the shiny truck… the business that just takes off… the post that went viral. But wishing alone won’t get the arena dragged… won’t teach a horse to stop… won’t build a life worth living. Backbone is showing up when you’re tired. Backbone is saying yes to the hard work, and no to the shortcuts that don’t last. Backbone is riding through the buck, pushing past the fear, and owning your place in the saddle.

Unlike those wishbones, backbones are pretty hard to break.

One of my favorite things about horses is they don’t let you fake anything. A horse reflects the rider. If you show up with only a wishbone, easily broken and lacking strength, they will meet you there with no confidence and full of fear. If you show up with a backbone, steady and strong, they’ll meet you there too, full of confidence and strength.

Backbone isn’t just about grit for grit’s sake, it’s about growth. Every time you dig deep and show up with backbone instead of just wishbone, you’re building something bigger than muscles, you’re building character. That’s why here at Dead Broke, we teach more than just how to sit a trot or neck rein. Our whole program is built around horsemanship that toughens the mind and softens the heart. It’s about teaching riders to do the hard thing, to push past their limits, and to discover that they’ve got more backbone in them than they realized.

So next time you’re tempted to just wish for something to change… whether it’s with your horse, your work, or your life… remember: wishing won’t get the job done. Backbone will. Because around here, we don’t have time for wishbones in places where backbones ought to be. We’ve got horses to ride, lessons to teach, fences to mend, and lives to build. And all of that takes grit, grace, and a whole lot of backbone.