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Horses and the Power of Thought
Leigh Shambo,
MSW
It is sometimes said,
and always true, that it is not WHAT we think but HOW we
think that makes the difference. In this new age of
horsemanship, where we can learn to work with the
horse’s mind instead of forcing their bodies, the value
of this statement is proven time and again. The art of
“horse whispering” is really the art of accurately
perceiving and creatively thinking about a particular
horse in a particular moment, letting intuition guide us
in choosing actions and methods that gently guide the
horse into a collaborative training experience. This
art depends just as much on letting the horse teach us
what he needs, as on communicating to him what our
desires are.
...... Horses are so
sensitive to and perceptive about our non-verbal
thoughts, intentions and values, that in many moments it
truly seems that they are reading our minds—often even
better than we know our own! The following story
illustrates simply and clearly the power of our thoughts
to change the training equation.
My riding student
Becky had been working with a quick, expressive and
impetuous Arabian named Jazz. Becky had a bit of
fearfulness about riding Jazz and liked to check out his
compliance level by longeing him prior to riding. Becky
is an experienced horsewoman and her longeing techniques
were well-honed. On this particular day, Jazz was
responding to all of Becky’s signals with
accuracy—changing gaits and making turns precisely on
cue in response to Becky’s well-practiced methods.
However, his defiant head tossing and an occasional tail
swish made Becky wonder if things would go smoothly once
she mounted and began her ride.
I could see that
Becky’s technique was effective, so I began questioning
her about what thoughts she was having as she longed
Jazz. She reported, “I want him to do each thing I ask
and to do it promptly when I ask. I want him to accept
me as the leader.” When I asked if there was anything
else, she said, “Well, I want him to be… happy about
it!”
I asked her to
observe Jazz and tell me what he wanted from her. A
long pause ensued as she watched him. Finally she said
just one word—“Harmony.” I suggested that Becky not
change her actions or her method, just hold the word
harmony foremost in her thoughts, just ahead of
accuracy, timing and obedience. Almost instantly, Becky
was rewarded by Jazz’s relaxation and a softening in his
eye and facial expression. On his now quiet head, she
could observe his ear rotating toward her in eagerness
for her next command. His tail no longer swished in
irritation, it lifted a bit and swung gently in rhythm
with his gaits. Within moments Becky said eagerly, “Now
I know—I feel—his readiness for me to ride!”
Even I was amazed at the power of one thought, held
firmly in the rider’s mind, to produce such a dramatic
change in this horse’s attitude and demeanor,
instantly!
This experience took
place several years ago, and since then I have pursued
training and education about the mental, emotional and
energetic aspects of our bond with horses. When we
deepen the bond by affirming and attending to the
horse’s ability to know what is in our mind, we become
aware that our own barely conscious thoughts and values
impact the relationship. When we learn to work
creatively with this knowledge—magic happens. In fact,
the magic is so palpable, so profound, that the effects
extend well beyond the horse arena and into all of our
relationships and even our dreams for ourselves. By
attending specifically to the invisible reality of our
thoughts, feelings and unconscious conditioning we
create a bond of understanding that enhances and
illuminates whatever actions, methods and techniques we
choose.
Author
Leigh Shambo,
MSW is a
clinical therapist and educator whose
first career was horse training and instruction. Leigh
is widely recognized for her articulation of the
horse-human bond and its application in therapeutic and
learning programs. She is the founder and lead
therapist for Human-Equine Alliances for Learning, a
non-profit charitable organization that supports
equine-assisted services and programs for healing,
personal growth and riding/training. Her website is
www.humanequinealliance.org.
More information and educational opportunities are also
available through Epona Equestrian Services,
www.taoofequus.com
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