We’re about a month into the new year, and while I’m not one for resolutions specifically, I love to go into the new year intentionally. I set time aside every winter to think about the space I’m in, my day to day, and an outlook into the future… also helpful for motivating during long days in freezing temperatures!
This year, I’ve found myself craving more growth and learning. I’ve found an outlet through a Master of Arts program in Humane Education through Antioch University.
It’s only a few weeks into the semester, but I’ve already enjoyed diving in, getting to know my cohort, and finding a balance between working full time and studying in between lessons and rides. My hope for this program is to continue building a network and approach that emphasizes kindness and consideration in all that we do.
And with that, I felt right at home as our advisor quoted Parker Palmer in The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. Palmer stated, “We teach who we are”. Palmer’s statement has since played over and over in my mind as I engage with the horses and riders in my program.
I spend most of my time learning from horses, but also striving to engage in a conversation with them to clarify our communication, and find a language that works well for both horse and handler. In our training, I strive for patience, softness, and connection. But if I’m not patient, soft, and connected within myself, how am I to expect such an approach from my horses?
I have a young thoroughbred mare, who is wonderfully curious, naturally soft, and kind to her core. She’s been developing nicely, and I’ve sought out help as she continues to grow to ensure my training is the best it can be for her. In one session, a slight brace was noted in her neck, causing some inconsistencies in the contact. The trainer suggested I should respond with the same – if I increase the pressure until she softens, the brace will leave. While it did address the brace in her neck when I attempted that approach, I realized I created an undesirable outcome: by becoming braced myself, she became guarded and braced in her mind.
Horses mirror us, and are amazing teachers for self awareness, and in being intentional. I quickly realized that changing my mindset to meet a brace with increasing pressure created a mindset in my horse that formed a struggle between the two of us. I quickly returned to a commitment to the approach that encouraged my mind and body to carry the patience, softness, and connection that I so want in my interactions with my horses. I found new groundwork techniques to find ways to stretch and move her body in a way that encouraged softness under saddle – I introduced some of the work from Equine Tensegrity Balancing Therapy, clarified some lateral movements in hand and slowly under saddle, and focused on my own body position to better support her biomechanics.
By maintaining my commitment to a mindset and living the example I want to set, and by holding myself accountable to being the patient, soft, and connected horsewoman I want to be, I was able to guide my horse into the same feeling, and seek out harmonious moments and flow in our movement.
Who and how we are influences how we feel, the energy we give and attract, and our interactions with our equine partners. As I continue in my training, in this program, and in my interactions with people around me, I’m going to strive to be intentional in how I show up, the values I hold, and the energy I carry to teach who I am.
To read more from this series, click here.
