I believe that training and being with horses can be a powerful source of personal growth and many happy moments.
I believe that your horse can bring to your life a lot of happiness, knowledge and achievements. I also believe that horses in our lives shouldn’t be the source of troubles, problems, fears and worry. This is not an utopian idea, but this is the reality accessible to all of us. I think that this should be a requirement and the first thing that every horse owner should be able to experience.
The liberty training from the ground that I’m teaching here is not the trick to show off to your friends or to amuse some people. This is the way to change your life and your relationship with your horses to bring more happiness and achievements, both for you and for your horses. And the goal of this training is to build the real partnership between you and your horse.
This partnership requires the Real You to be there.
If there is no Real You, nothing real can happen. All changes that you will try to make will be only in your head and will not really exist. To find the Real You, you can use your time you spend with your horse. This way your horse will cooperate with you, showing to you who you really are. If you can be open for this and observe what your horse is telling you, without judging through your past experiences and future expectations, you will profit from this cooperation.
And this will allow you to find the Real You.
The horse will help you if he wants to help you. This means that your horse has to be consciously engaged in whatever you are doing together. He has to be there and he has to want to be there with you. This engagement is not possible without a choice. Your horse has to choose to be with you and to help you.
And that means that your horse has autonomy.
Autonomy is not possible and even can be even dangerous if you don’t respect each other. And respect requires communication. To build this communication and respect you and your horse have to be calm and without any fear or pain.
And that is why we need calmness first.
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I hope that you have already read our PreClinic Materials. I know that it has been a lot. And I understand that you may think now: “How to apply this knowledge in my everyday life?”.
When you are without your horse:
- Take good care of yourself. Being in a good mood and happy whenever you are about to spend time with your horse is your responsibility. Sleep well, eat well, be well.
- Stop the negative thinking. Don’t judge others, and stop judging yourself. They did, and you did and do the best you can. If they or you could do better, you would have done that.
- Observe your thinking habits. Are you unconsciously conducting internal dialogues all the time? If so, are you an observer of those dialogues or are you carried by them, from one dialogue to another? Your thinking habits are consuming much of your good energy.
- Exercise at least twice a week to relieve stress and to get rid of any compulsive thoughts that may consume your good energy.
- Smile a lot. To others and to yourself. And, of course, smile to your horse.
When you are with your horse:
- Try to see and feel as much as possible. Be aware of what is going on. If you find yourself being carried away by internal dialogues – STOP THEM. The simplest way to stop them is to focus again on the reality. How? Count your horse’s steps till you feel that the internal dialogue vanished. Start singing till you feel uplifted and your head light again. Observe the reality in detail – see the dust on the riding arena’s walls, watch the texture of the ground in your riding arena or outside. Re-connect with the reality.
- Consciously feel yourself with YOU, like water fills the jag. Be more in yourself. Feel your toes and feet, feel how your knees moves when you walk. Feel if your centre of gravity is located in your pelvis or between your shoulders, around your solar plexus.
- Don’t judge your horse when looking at him. Don’t scan his body for irregularities and confirmation errors. He will feel judged and feel vulnerable to present himself to you as he really is. He will pretend, in the same way we pretend to be better, wiser, prettier when we feel watched and judged by others. Instead of judging your horse when you look at him observe him with acceptance and love.
- Regularly remind yourself about all the things you love about his looks and his confirmation. Horses are part of nature, and nature is always beautiful.
- Remember that we can only live by each second. If you did something you immediately regret – stop yourself for a while. Start singing. Start to observe the world around you in detail. Start to count your horse’s steps. Reconnect with the reality. And start your training all over again.
GOOD LUCK!
I hope everything is clear to you by now. But please remember that I am here for you and I will happily answer all your questions. You are more than welcome to post here, in the comments or in private conversation with me through the OneHorseLife Intercom chat all your questions and reflexions about all Pre-Clinic Materials.
See you soon!
