We can a learn a lot about trading from cowboys and horses…

Monty Roberts, the great horsewhisperer whose autobiography I am currently reading, talks about how horses are “lean into” animals.  That is, they lean into pressure.  You want a horse to turn left, you don’t get a team of wranglers to push him on his right side — you can simply, by yourself, usually get him to go left with a simple couple hands putting pressure into his left side.  Think about how you can make a horse turn left by applying pressure to his ribcage with your heel while you’re riding him.

Now think about how that applies to your trading.   Are you a “lean into” animal?  I would think great traders are a lot like horses, in that they lean into and go counter to whatever direction the pressure is coming from.

Meanwhile, on another but perhaps similar saddle, the only fish I caught the whole weekend while spending a magical weekend with my father on the mountain rivers of southern Colorado, was one single 19″ rainbow trout. Fish are not “lean into” animals.  No pics this fishing trip — it was just for memories.

Oh, the markets’ action today, you ask?  It was a big day for any us longs left who remained in this arena after that wild mustang, Mr. Market, had bucked most of the weaker-handed cowboys out of this market.

We can a learn a lot about trading from cowboys and horses.  Seriously.

Here’s a great example of Monty Roberts’ magic with horses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dx91mH2voo

Monty breaks a horse and saddles him and gets a rider on him in less than thirty minutes