Emotions, The Body and Beliefs

Finding Harmony and Balance within yourself and with your horse

My interest in learning just about anything that has to do with horses as well as the horse-human connection goes back to a time when all I could do was dream about them, look at pictures in books and draw them in the sketch pads my Grandfather supplied me with. My “dance” with horses has been and remains a major part of my life.

Many years later when the opportunity came to apply to a School to learn holistic hoof care, I jumped in. I learned the power of using critical thinking skills at the beginning of my studies at the Equine Sciences Academy. When you use and develop those skills, reading information you may not necessarily agree with, gives you another perspective, and additional weight, to measure what you do believe and why. It opens you up to deeper lessons in life. Also, being willing to accept that learning is dynamic and life long, helps us to navigate the journey through a more tolerant lens. Every part of our Earth walk is a lesson. One thing is certain- if we do not learn the lesson before us, we generally get a chance to repeat it.

I learned from Cherokee Medicine Elder, JT Garret at Full Circle Gatherings in Cherokee, NC, that every day we can acknowledge the beauty of every living thing by taking the time to notice it. The same is true of our relations with other people. We should acknowledge the warmth and light in everyone. We can acknowledge the scared fire in every living thing. We all share much in common no matter who we are or where we come from. We are all part of the same family. Tolerance, acceptance and honoring each other’s journey no matter where it is, is essential to living in Harmony and Balance.

Our journey has a purpose. Learning comes from experience, and often it’s the unpleasant experiences we learn the most from. Those experiences along with relationships, not just with humans, but all who live on Mother Earth, shape our journey from beginning to end.

My perspective here is from Holistic Hoof Care, of course. One can look at just a hoof and say, well, I can do “this” with it and it will look great. But not acknowledging it’s connection to the profoundly dynamic being that it is attached to, is a recipe for uninformed decision making. As I have said for many years, the hoof is the newspaper of the horse above it. The body, mind, sprit and environment are the elements that contribute to the health, shape, strength and soundness of the whole being. And…each horse must be treated as a unique individual. Just because something worked on one horse does not mean it will work on another in the exact same way, or perhaps, not at all.

The trick is not in knowing what to do, rather in knowing when to do it. Everything works sometimes, but nothing works every time. If something fails on even ONE horse, then it must be considered a tool, not a rule…. Cindy “Hawk” Sullivan

What do Emotions, Body Imbalances and Beliefs have to do with soundness? Everything. Remember, hoof health is the END result. A reflection of balance or imbalance in any part of the body, mind, spirit or environment affects the whole. We have to look beyond just the physical.

Some common trapped emotions I find in horses come from forced weaning at a young age. Emotions like abandonment, betrayal, lost and heartache from separation from a horse (often their Mom), a human “friend”, moving, accidents, not being recognized or acknowledged for what they can willingly do with and for us. Often our agendas may not match the horse. They try to inform us the best way they can, and often we don’t see or hear it, especially when what seems more important is, what’s in this relationship for ME.

We all have to deal with body imbalances, horses included. The very fact that we are, to some degree, side dominant, Left or Right, again horses included, means we often favor one side. I remember being stuck in an airport for hours waiting for a connecting flight, so I watched people walking for two hours. In just a couple of examples…I could see a gait difference based on what side a man kept a wallet in his back pocket or which shoulder a woman had her bag hanging on. When you really pay attention, it is easy to see.

We can be born with inherited trapped emotions, imbalances and beliefs or acquire them on our journey. Beliefs are what we have learned to believe, or how circumstances shaped why we believe it. These too can, and may, show up as negative programs, limiting beliefs, faulty core beliefs and/or a faulty core identity. They can all, and do, hold us back physically and emotionally from reaching our potential.

Horses can sense these things because their mode of communication leans heavily upon the energy of everything in their environment. It’s a matter of survival. Even for a domesticated horse. A perfect example is what happens when the gate is left open, and they are free. I had this happen to me shortly after I returned home from Nevada after being among wild horses. In freedom they have something inside awaken. A posture, an awareness that is not there behind fences. You can read about the experience here.

Listen to your horse…If you don’t know how, ask silently with your heart. Dr. Bradley Nelson said it best, “Love and Intention can change the world”. Are you ready?

An article in this same vein found me (yes that’s right) that “dove tails” beautifully with these concepts. “When Belief Becomes Medicine and How Emotions Heal or Harm Your Body”

Let me know your thoughts or experiences…