“Not everyone considers all that a horse must carry around: crooked pelvis, back pain, frustration with school or job, relationship issues, and extra pounds. Whoever takes the trouble to think about this can only marvel at the extent to which more horses make up for their rider’s deficiencies.” -Dr. Gerd Heuschmann
This has been a long-time favorite quote of mine because it forces us to reflect on our horse’s physical and emotional wellbeing and how we may not be meeting their core desires. For some of us, this may come naturally, but unfortunately, this seems like a trivial thought for many in the horse world. My question for you today is: What can you do to ensure that your horse doesn’t have to carry your emotional baggage alongside their own ailments? I’ve reflected on this question for myself and here’s what I’ve come up with:
- Clear your mind of all nonsense. I can almost guarantee that you don’t enjoy communicating with something who is in an iffy state of mind, especially if you haven’t been brief on their situation prior to the communication. Most of us have to prepare to absorb others’ emotional baggage, it can’t just be sprung on us out of nowhere without it having some sort of effect on our day! I’m going to let you in on a little secrete. Your horse feels the same way. And although we may not have this verbal communication with our horses, we definitely communicate through our body language and energies. Your horse knows about your frustrations before you’ve even made physical contact with them. Science has proven that they can pick up on your heart rate before you’ve even entered their corral or physically touched them. They can sense your energetic field and automatically attune to your state of mind. Absolutely mind-blowing, right?
- Don’t expect unrealistic results from your time spent with your horse. When we start placing high expectations on ourselves and in turn, our horses, we create an added stress that could have easily been avoided. Now our time spent during grooming, groundwork, or in the saddle, has a ‘pressure to succeed’. You may not have even realized that you have these expectations until your horse is struggling to get that flying lead change or a green horse is showing a sudden distrust with the curry comb. Then, suddenly, you’re frustrated with your horse and now you remember that you and your partner got into a disagreement early that day and now your horse is feeling the brunt of those emotions as well as their own. The truth is, our horses have off days too and what’s bothering them today may not have bothered them last week and that’s okay because you’re like that too. Remember to give yourself and your horse grace.
If you can remember these two simple but important reminders before your session with your horse, they will notice it and thank you. Please take this quote above, fold it up, put it in your pocket, or hang it in your barn as a simple reminder that your horse has so much more to carry than you may think.
I love hearing from all of you, your comments and messages brighten my weeks so please feel free to drop a comment below or DM me on my personal IG at @unbridledmama if this post has resonated with you.
