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What is an Equine Experience?
Kathy Pike
I had the privilege of
working with a wonderful Percheron by the name of Kairos during a
workshop in Tucson this last February. Kairos is the largest horse I
have ever seen. He is well over 17hh and I am sure weighs over two
tons. His body is solid and massive and evokes a deep essence of his
blood lines and roots. The weight of his physical body alone brings
grounding and calming. His gentle nature makes time stand still while
his slow moving, solid black muscular mass calls you to him.
....Kairos
offered the participants at this workshop an equine experience that was
based on ‘being’ verses ‘doing.’ By simply being near Kairos, several
people reported a deep sense of communion and connection to something
that was beyond words. His complete focus and slow gentle gestures moved
people to the depths of their consciousness. While facilitating one
woman in a reflective round pen session, I shared the same experience.
My client was standing in
the round pen with Kairos. He gazed intently at her. In that moment, I
felt a direct stream of energy moving from him to her, centering in her
heart. This strong, clear, and pure stream of energy continued from her
heart straight into mine. Immediately I felt my heart expand and tears
came to my eyes. The tears were not of sadness or fear. The tears were
of recognition. In that moment, an unspoken word passed from Kairos, to
my client and then to me. The unspoken word felt like a complete book
of knowledge, a sense of expansion and depth much greater than anything
I have ever experienced with any other horse. Time stood still, there
were no questions to be asked and no answers to be explored. That empty
moment simultaneously contained all the wisdom of the universe.
You may have a sense of
what I am saying if you meditate or commune with nature. You have
experienced those delicious moments that are beyond words. The moments
when you feel you are one with everything while the wisdom of the ages
sinks into your cells. These are the moments of experience I seek,
moments that are bottomless, wide in girth, and endless in time. Kairos,
with his sensual, prehistoric, and calming energy, invited all of us to
venture into the infinite state of connection.
Many equine experiential
learning training programs focus on ‘doing’ something with a horse in
order to have an equine experience. I recently offered a presentation
in Boulder, Colorado. One participant criticized the equine-based demos
I facilitated. She claimed the session were not experiential enough.
This participant needed to touch or interact with the horse to have an
experience. I see value in physically interacting with horses, and I
also see the value of connecting through non-doing activities.
What quantifies an
experience? Do we have to touch or be physical to have an experience?
Must we play games, have goals, agendas and protocols, or even ride in
order to feel we have fully experienced the horse? An experience is
defined by recognizing and gaining knowledge or comprehension through
observation or interaction. Achieving an experience can happen by
simply ‘being’ verses ‘doing.’
In my humble opinion I
believe we can achieve deeper levels of experience by ‘being.’ It is
our doing nature that puts us into our heads, fills us with agendas and
removes us from feeling from the heart. When we chose to ‘be,’ we chose
to breathe, feel, observe and accept the moment as it is and as we
connect with another. There is no time for judgment or analysis.
When is the last time
you sat in the company of another being (horse or human) without an
agenda? What did you experience when you shared this moment in time,
breathing together, sensing the wind in your hair and the sun on your
skin? Are you more focused on making the experience happen, or are you
willing to let the experience unfold naturally, accepting another and
feeling in your heart the expansion and depth of the moment? Must you
always be doing, or are you willing to simply bond through being?
About Percherons
Originated
in Le Perche, near Normandy in France, the Percherons of that day and
time were used as war horses, carrying knights into battle. The breed
characteristics were light, sure-footed and spirited. As agricultural
pursuits began to take precedence over battles, Percherons were bred
more for size, weight and strength. Breeding records where not well
kept and the direct lines of breeding are unknown. As times changed
again horses were replace with machinery. In 1954 only 85 head of
Percherons were recorded alive! Since then they have made a strong come
back and have gained popularity.
Kathy
Pike offers 15 years experience as a professional coach, writer,
workshop leader and outdoor adventurer. She is the author of Pathways
to a Radiant Self, A Journey of Growth and Discovery with the
Chakra. She has contributed to several magazines and publications.
Kathy travels nationally and internationally facilitating workshops on
mind body connection and emotional intelligence with horses. She is an
Approved Epona Instructor. Several workshops are being offered in 2006.
Contact Kathy at
Kathy@coachpike.com
www.pathwaystoradiance.com/horses.html
or
www.coachpike.com/horsewisdom.htm
© 2006 Kathy Pike
See the
Workshops page for complete
descriptions of Kathy Pike's workshops for 2006.
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