print this articleHorse: The Perfect Energetic Mirror
I think all will agree that the horse is a wonderful or wonder-filled animal. They are majestic, strong, and functional and have been a companion to man and woman for centuries. I love working with my horses, as they are the perfect energetic reflection for an individual living a conscious life. They reflect to us our internal emotional world. They provide for us an opportunity to be bigger, move faster, and feel exhilaration and peace. Perhaps most importantly they create a context in which we can explore ourselves in relation to the world around us.
Fear almost always arises-in horse as well as in people-from concern about what might happen, and much more rarely from what is happening.
Mary Wanless, For The Good Of The Horse
The horse is a fight or flight animal but unless they are vying for top position in the heard they are pretty predictably a flight animal. Lets look at human character in relation to the horse. Humans are very similar but seldom admit it; WE ARE FLIGHT ANIMALS. We flee from love, we flee from success, we flee from the people around us, and we even flee from our own emotions. And very much like riding a fleeing horse it is a very dangerous way to live; physically, spiritually emotionally and is possibly most destructive bio-chemically.
When a horse is afraid, lets say you are riding on a beautiful trail and a harmless deer jumps out from the woods beside you, the horse will duck, perhaps spin and inadvertently send its unsuspecting rider into the trees above only to ultimately hit the ground below. Ouch! The horse is just being 'horse', its not personal its what horses do. It is the responsibility of the rider to be aware of their surroundings and in the case of; 'absolutely never saw it coming', to have their heels down and their seat in the saddle sufficiently to maintain their balance, calm their horse and continue their ride as if nothing happened.
You see your soul self is your rider. Your human self is fight or flight. The observer in you must be acutely aware of his/her surroundings, to be able to feel into her experience in order to know when the ego will show up. To catch the body going into reaction and leaving thoughtfulness behind is perhaps the most important skill we will ever develop.
We are fortunate in America, there are so few situations within our day-to-day living that truly require the fight or flight response. Yet we live in it day-in and day-out losing ourselves to our fears and burning out our adrenal centers in the process. This leads to acute stress and a depletion of the immune system. It leads to digestive disturbances, toxicity, chronic fatigue and depression.
You see the difference between the horse and us is once the danger is gone for them they 'let it go' and return to a balanced neurological state. Humans living in denial that this state exists and looking at it as productive, juicy adrenaline, never let it go. In fact many of us are addicted to the adrenaline of the fight or flight response and actually seek out conflict and stress to produce it, claiming to be miserable yet creating it again and again for our adrenaline fix (see adrenal burn-out).
What a horse does out of compulsion he does blindly...The performances
of horse or man so treated are displays of clumsy gestures rather than
of grace and beauty. What we need is that the horse should of his own
accord exhibit his finest airs and paces at set signals...Such are the
horses on which gods and heroes ride.
Xenophon, On Horsemanship, The Quotable Horse Lover
As we leave compulsion behind and develop our thoughtfulness skills we can observe our responses prior to them being released in an unconscious way. We can choose in any given momement if that is truly who we want to be. As we are able to practice this we will begin to trust ourselves, this trust will slow down the world around us and we, like the horse, will be able to maintain a healthy balanced neurological state and exhibit our finest selves.
Lets see what a day with horse can teach us:
- We must move slowly and thoughtfully around fight or flight animals so as to support their inner calmness. (Our spouses, children, family members and co-workers are also fight or flight)
- We must eat highly nourishing foods and target these foods for each animals individual needs. We must also receive our roughage and plenty of fluids to maintain our health and support our digestion. A horses system is very delicately balanced, just like ours
- We need each other. Horses are happiest when they are around other horses. You can remove them from the herd for exercise and work but once complete, they are most relaxed when they are returned to the herd that they know and trust. There is also a very definite pecking order in the herd. A horse is most relaxed when he knows where he stands in relation to the other horses. Each horse has a purpose and a place. Some positions are more demanding then others and the horses will determine who is best equipped to handle those positions. (sound Familiar?)
- A happy horse is playful. They can be full of non-sense. They can run full out. They can kick up their heels. They do it simply because it feels good. Freedom to BE is very healthy and balancing.
- We must earn the respect of a horse. Whether we wish to brush them, ride them or exercise them in a round pen we cannot invade their boundaries and we dare not let them invade ours. 1200 pounds of muscle invading your space quickly brings to light the importance of boundaries and respect. And remember no cuddling with those 1200 pounds until the respect and boundaries are in place.
- We must continuously remove our waste from our living space and our relationships or it becomes filled with parasites and dis-ease. One of the most calming and important things to do in the barn is clean the stalls. It is vital that we do this in our homes and our relationships as well.
As you can see horse has much to teach us about being human. We continuously explore our relationship to horse during our Four Season Retreats on My Hearts Desire Farm. We explore the horse and our own nature as we examine what happens to our body mind and spirit as the seasons change. Each Season is a very purposeful journey. Each year is a new adventure of self. If you enjoy nature in both plant and animal forms and have a keen desire to know your truest and best self then join us and lets explore your internal horse majesty together.
Go Well and God Bless
Dr Kathleen
