Being around horses is life-changing. Through our heart and soul we are drawn to them, and when we connect with a horse we truly feel the beauty in all of life.
Individuality, a love of life, strong spirit…to see horses as our equal within this is to open every door to what’s possible. They live by a nature that is pure and honest, and they care about their lives just as much as we do, living from the great instinct that life is now, in the moment, in the daily love of it all. The first way we must see them is simply with love, and from there, with honor and respect. Connecting with horses this way leads to something very powerful–a friendship that will change our lives.
Caring for them…
Caring for horses is a noble opportunity to give to them in the most meaningful of ways. Horses have developed a way of living within their nature that has evolved over sixty million years, and the more we can understand their nature and create a home for them that meets their needs, then the more safe, relaxed, and happy they will feel. In the daily care of our horses we can also spend time with them, sharing space together, and become friends. This time spent together out in the pasture and in the barn is where humans and horses get to know each other and learn about each other. It goes a very long way in helping to lay the foundation for the relationship and it paves the way for the future. A happy and well-cared-for horse is more relaxed and confident in their interaction with humans, and a person that has lived among horses will learn their ways…
Working with them…
When we begin working with a horse we can think of it in a very simple way–we are connecting and working with them from the inside-out in our understanding of their thoughts and feelings, who they are, how they see the world, and how they live in it. So while leaving them freedom of choice and expression, we ask them to be present with us. We look for their mind to be with us. We then communicate with them through presence, energy, and body language in a way they inherently know. Horses know this feeling in a person, this realness and clarity, and they feel at peace in the presence of it. They are with someone who speaks the language of all life.
And when they choose to be with us…when they choose to follow our guidance and it feels good to them to the point where they seek it, look for it, flow with it…then their whole body comes with that in the most beautiful of ways. They have balance, grace, strength, and pride in their body and how it moves. Natural collection. Their body simply takes the shape of their thought and feeling. To see a person and a horse moving together in this way is a thing of beauty. Everything slows down. The feeling gets lighter, and everything goes deeper. The horse offers all they can. And the connection and what’s good for both horse and person leads the way, and we feel one moment together like this is worth everything. And we don’t have to tell the horse this is right, for the feeling of it tells them it’s right. The feeling of being with us and moving with us is the reward in itself. And when anything gets challenging the person and the horse look to each other, to the home between them, and they rely on it, deepen into it, and the challenges only end up bringing them closer, tighter together, and more knowing of themselves and each other.
Each horse has a soul all their own, just like us, and when the human and the horse come together in spirit that’s when it gets exciting. Here there are no rules and no boundaries as to where the connection between them can go. It is specific to them and them alone. This is where the connection that develops can be the springboard for many things changing for the better in both their lives. Pains are understood, hardness fades, joy rises, and new ways of being emerge. A relationship has been created that ignites the joy, confidence, and deep knowing within them, and will inspire their souls to shine.