Insight Equine

I think a lot on the differences between attachment and connection. Of how living a connected life in right relationship entails not only noticing our attachments but freeing ourselves from them.

Am I connected to the people and places of my past or am I attached to the nostalgia, trying to recreate a good feeling that once held me up.

Am I connected to the path I am walking, or am I attached to outcome- attempting to spin a web of predictability in rejection of chaos and in fear of the unknown.

Am I connected to those around me or am I attached to the way I want them to be.
Am I connected to myself or attached to an idea of who I am.
Am I connected to reality or attached to a story.

When we are not connected to self, this is when we might find that we begin to believe the stories that other people tell us about ourselves. We might find that we write people off not because they did anything intentionally or truly harmful but because they did not conform to the story we told ourselves about them. We might find that we are consistently disappointed by our actions or the actions of others because we are too busy arguing with reality to see things how they are.

Our individuality is a gift to the collective whole. And, we cannot be ourselves by ourselves. We cannot find connection within without first experiencing and embodying our love of self and love of others. Love is not transactional. Love is not conditional. Love is radical, unyielding, unbound acceptance. When we are in love with ourselves and the world around us, connection becomes the foundation for all of our relationships. When we are connected to ourselves and seek connection with others, this is when we can live in right relationship.

“Assume and make an Ass of U and Me”
~ Dawn Summers, BtVS

“Don’t Make Assumptions”
~ don Miguel Ruiz

I find it saddens me that there’s a cultural stigma against being judgemental. This negative spin that can lead to shame and isolation, worrying over ourselves that we are judging others or being judged by them. In truth, we’re human: we judge. Being judgmental is simply how our minds relate to the world around us. The value judgements that we place on others are what allow us to either feel good about connecting or in turn, to feel good about shielding ourselves from perceived danger. Since this is necessary for our basic survival and for our affluence and abundance, it isn’t inherently a “bad” thing. So why is being judgemental something we’re conditioned to suppress?

It is my opinion that our assumptions are our judgements in action. Meaning that we use assumptions to fill in the blanks of whatever narrative (judgement) we are scripting in order to explain or rationalize our thoughts and actions. Because we judge others by their actions and judge ourselves by our intentions, it’s easy to lose ourselves and our perspective in the murky waters of assumption.

Over the last few years I’ve spent time exploring what comes up for me with the judgements I make of myself and others. What I have come to believe is that while noticing and reflecting on a judgement can be very helpful- assumptions, even those with a positive spin, are never beneficial. This internal analysis is proving to be paramount in my role as educator.

For example, it is important for me to make judgements of a student and/or their horse. These judgements allow me to relate, to curate ideas to explore, to believe in what I am bringing as an offering. When I bring up these judgements as discussion, it can facilitate a space of acceptance and safety- the humans under my watch may feel seen, heard and respected. When I act out an assumption I’ve made based on my judgements, this is when the wheels fall off. I suppose I can’t really speak for anyone else but I know for myself that when a teacher interacts with me through their assumptions, without asking clarifying questions, it leaves me feeling as though I am being defined for me, as though the way I am or what I’m doing isn’t important or relevant. I may be left feeling resentful, misunderstood, dismissed, hopeless, even antagonized. But when a teacher offers their judgements of me with questions, with open curiosity, I feel safe to learn. I too will feel comfortable to be curious because the person offering their insight is seemingly doing so from a place of genuine interest in my well being. This is something that truly defines a great educator in my book- the ability to approach their student from a place of learning themselves. They do not use their assumptions to act out their judgements, they offer their judgements with questions and proceed in open and constructive conversation.

Have you ever felt that a teacher was making an assumption about you? How did it cause you to feel about yourself and about them? Have you ever felt that a teacher was presenting their judgements as an offering? How did this cause you to feel?

Fantastic colab in NoCo 💗

As the Alexander Mountain Fire burned in Colorado this summer, Hawke and his best buddy Bo bravely loaded into a two-horse trailer to find safety. Tragically, the floorboards gave out of a volunteers trailer during their journey, causing significant and life-threatening injuries to both of their hind legs. Unfortunately, Bo's injuries were too severe and his team made the kindest decision to allow him to cross the rainbow bridge. 💔🌈🐎
With the phenomenal care at CSU Vet Hospital, Hawke is doing well but has a very long road to recovery.

HeartSong and our team of practitioners are donating rehabilitation services for Hawke, however, rehabilitation material costs for his injuries are significant. All of the proceeds for this event will help purchase medical supplies needed to ensure Hawke makes a full recovery. ❤️‍🩹

Our goal is to provide hope for Hawke and Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch during this challenging time.

There will be an additional raffle at the clinic for participants to win products, equine bodywork session, and additional classes!

Space is limited! Sign up Today!

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From the Ground Up Healing

~ How we do the small things is how we do all things ~

I chose this lovely photo sequence because it showcases the kind of mindful, tactful, considerate way we can choose to be with our horses. A simple daily task such as bridling being done in a way that feels good to both the horse and the human. For some, it may be difficult to see or understand the interconnectedness of it all. Some may not realize that the way their horse drags on a lead rope is exactly how they lean on a rein. They may not realize that the way they’ve taught their horse to ignore their presence is why they’ve been stepped on and now have broken toes. I suppose that because so many (maybe most) horses have been taught that it’s okay to swat, push, drag, lean into, rub on a human, this behaviour can seem normal. To me, it is not. From what I can tell, this casual apathy with which a horse may regard the human is a protective brace in response to their own experiences being handled with mindless, inconsistent, inconsideration from the human. There are many undesirable behaviours from each species that have been normalized or explained away, but there doesn’t have to be.

I was at a new-to-me barn working with a new-to-me horse and human pair. It was a hot and muggy day and I recall thinking how well the horse was feeling considering the temperature. As I mapped their body and arranged myself to turn and walk behind them, I was suddenly whipped in the face by their tail while it was en route to swish away a fly that had landed on their back. Shocked, I stepped back and took a moment to gather myself. Despite being a common occurrence with horses whom I don’t regularly handle, every time I’m swatted with a tail it takes me aback- horses I do interact with regularly simply do not demonstrate this kind of disregard for my body. Sure, I’ll be intentionally swatted by a tail when doing something that the horse finds difficult, uncomfortable or painful but this is different- this horse wanted to rid itself of the fly and just didn’t care that I was in the way.

I love using this example of the tail swishing a fly because while I have “trained away” other behaviours, I have no idea how to train a horse to not hit me with their tail “by accident”. It’s the kind of behaviour that either never comes up or disappears swiftly enough once I take the time to teach the horse how I like my body to be treated while simultaneously demonstrating that I am listening to them and am mindful of how they wish their body to be treated. This respect for personal space is a mutual understanding, an unspoken contract if you will- I will not disregard or bulldoze you and you will not disregard or bulldoze me.

I have met folks who are so preoccupied with the idea of their horse liking them that their interaction is limited to hugs and cookies and massages and the horse is never asked to respect boundaries for fear of damaging the potential for partnership. I have also met folks who are so preoccupied with what their horse can do for them that how their horse feels about any of it is at best, an afterthought and often, not a consideration at all. Investing in connected partnership simply isn’t a priority.

To me, the purpose of practicing mindful horsemanship is to facilitate connected partnership through trust, respect, safety and joy. When both parties feel good, coming together for the Centaur’s Dance is effortless and exquisite 💕

How we do the small things is how we do all things

👏👏👏👏👏

Leading
Kathleen Beckham

I have been helping some more inexperienced horse owners lately, and that’s got me thinking a lot about leading. Because even if we never intend to ride our horse, we are going to lead our horse. If our horse is a riding horse, then how he leads kind of sets up how he’s going to ride.

Decades ago, when I transitioned from riding hunter/jumper show horses to practicing a more discipline-generic type of horsemanship, leading was the first things I re-learned. Actually, we worked a lot on it in the beginning. I think you could argue that I’ve been working on it about every day since.

What I see a lot is that leading, when we’re not very aware about how to “lead with quality” is that a horse that is being lead is kind of mostly under the influence of everything but the handler. The horse is actually bouncing, bouncing off the halter, and maybe bouncing their left shoulder off the handler. Then, they’re being repelled by things that they feel concerned about, and those things can be behind the horse, pushing or bouncing him forward, in front of the horse, pushing him backwards, to the left of the horse, pushing him to the right, or to the right of the horse, pushing him to the left.

Then, there can also be things that are acting on the horse by attracting him. He might be drawn by seeing another horse, or grass, or a person walking by with a flake of hay.

All these things are examples of a horse being lead by a handler, but being influenced by a lot of things that are NOT the handler. A horse who is being influenced by so many things outside of the horse/handler “bubble” is really kind of “lost,” if we think about it. He’s so susceptible to outside forces and influences, that there probably isn’t much of his attention left over for the handler.

Years ago, I was out of town, and a dear friend of mine was farm-sitting for us. While we were gone, a horse was going to arrive to start his training with us. At that time, the only place we could unload an 18-wheeler was in a pasture next to the horse facility at the farm. I told my friend that what she should open every gate between the van and the “new horse” paddock, because it was likely that she was not going to be able to steer or stop that horse on the lead rope once it got down the ramp. When she called me later that day to confirm delivery of the horse, she said she was so glad I’d had her do that, or they may have parted company several times between the van and the paddock.

While that may be “normal” in some environments in the horse world, it sure doesn’t have to be. It’s one of those things we can do something about. How a horse leads is SO fundamentally and profoundly important to him. It’s about safety for both of us, it sets up how the relationship is going to work, and it’s an exercise in being aware of each other and our surroundings. It’s an exercise in leadership, and it sets up how accurate our work is going to be, whether ridden or on the ground. We can’t kind of operate in a “horse shoes and hand grenades” manner on the ground and expect the horse to be very exacting under saddle. I mean, a horse can learn anything, sure, but I don’t know why we’d expect them to absorb such blatant inconsistency.

Any experienced teacher or horseman can tell a lot about a horse and a person by watching them “be” around each other on the ground, and leading is a big part of that.

When we’re really excited about riding our horse, it can be easy to just kind of “gloss over” the leading part, as long as we can get from Point A to Point B without major incident. It’s not “normal” for horses to pull away, it’s not “normal” for a horse to drag people around on the ground. It’s not normal for a horse to knock a person on the ground over, and it’s not “normal” for a horse’s nose to be so dull to the halter that he could pull a wagon with it. It’s not “normal” for a horse to rear or bolt on the lead rope. Or maybe what I’m saying is that it sure doesn’t NEED to be “normal.”

This is how I’d like my horses to lead. I’d like them to be paying attention to me. I’d like them to be aware of my “bubble” of personal space, and if something happens, I’d like them to try like the dickens to preserve that bubble for me. I’d like them to follow me, behind me, about the distance where a horse naturally falls in if they’re “hooked on,” so that’s about five feet away or so. I’d like them to follow me, fast or slow, in left or right turns. I’d like them to not pull on the halter. I’d like them to go when I go and stop when I stop. I’d like them to be as ready to back up as they are to go forward. I’d like them to be able to stop and stand/park at any time in any surroundings I take them in to. I’d like them to be RELAXED while leading. I’d like him to look the same way as he does walking to the water tank out in the pasture, except I get to decide where we go.

And I’d like them to offer to lead the same for anyone who picks up their lead rope.

Leading has to do with everything. It has to do with a horse’s balance. The way we lead a horse can cause him to habitually tip onto his forehand, and particularly onto the left or right front. The way we lead a horse, if we shut down the lateral reach of the left front constantly, can make it hard for him to do a turn on the haunches to the left. The way we lead a horse can cause him to expect us to be unaware and not observant. The way we lead a horse can cause him to see everything we do with him as a war. The way we lead a horse will dictate how good he is to trailer load. The way we lead a horse will influence how he ties. The way we lead a horse will play a role in how he responds to the bridle. The way we lead a horse will have something to do with how much detail he expects us to care about. The way we lead a horse defines our boundaries. The way we lead a horse simply says a lot about us as a horseman, horse owner, or horse lover.

📷 Russ Rogers

People often wonder why their horses aren’t building muscle- they’ve tried all the feeds and supplements, they blame it on the breed, genetics or discipline of the horse.

The reality is.. the relationship between tension and muscle wastage is interrelated.

Damage or trauma to tissue has an effect on nerves. The neuromuscular system requires healthy functioning nerves and motor neurons to help grow muscle. So there is a neurological component that prevents muscle from building in the body.

So how does damage to the nerves occur?

Some common reasons:
👉TENSION- tension in the body can cause fascia to compress down onto these nerves- which can prevent muscle growth.
👉TRAUMA- blunt force, harsh movements, lacerations etc. damaging the nerves themselves.
👉STRESS- studies have shown that stress affects neuron health.

——

Additionally, muscle wastage and atrophy is not the same as an unfit horse. An unfit horse is from lack of conditioning or exercise.

Muscle wastage and atrophy is from neuromuscular dysfunction that prevents the horse from building muscle.

To sum up- if the horse is experiencing or has experienced neuromuscular trauma from:
👉Saddle fit
👉Training techniques
👉Chronic tension throughout the body
Etc.

They will continue to struggle in developing muscle. You need to get rid of the catalyst (whatever is causing the stress, tension or trauma) and then address/release the tension throughout the tissue BEFORE you can expect the horse to build muscle.

Abequinetherapy.com

We are excited to embrace the movement currently happening within our business and cannot wait to announce some big changes!

For now, heartfelt thank you to our dear friend Aaron for providing us with stunning new photographic content.

Stay tuned!

❤️ Zak + Chiara

During conversation with a dear friend the other day, two separate but interwoven topics came up- what routines we have with our horses and the different energies that we call on when working with horses.

We giggled because neither of us have a set routine that we adhere to. Yes, some dance will require certain steps and yes choreographed dance is beautiful but so to is freestyle interpretive. To be able to (and know when to!) access either is perhaps one of the markers between an equestrian and a true horseman. For certain in the beginning, it is helpful to practice exercises as a way to learn balance, body awareness, equipment handling, breath, timing, etc but at some point, the horseman steps away from this and begins working through a feel. No longer interested in simply performing movements, the horseman understands that the horse might benefit more from open conversation with the human than from being asked a series of preordained questions.

When I approach working with a horse, I am noticing first what energies are being called up in me. Does the presence of this horse cause me to feel excitable? Calm? Anxious? Formidable? What energies am I noticing in the horse- Are they troubled? Curious? Cautious? Present?

When assessing the horse in front of me that day, I will always play with the energetics as a way to determine which dance we will go into together or what areas of our bodies may need addressing or what element of connection need first be discussed and so on. With a curious or excitable horse, I might match that energy like the wind and allow myself to be moved and thus influence movement through playful exuberance. With a troubled horse, I might match their escalation and meet them there in order to support them like the earth and bring them back down into their roots. With a cautious horse, I might sink deep into a wellspring pool, slowing my heart rate and breath, patiently and quietly inviting their attention with subtle ripples of gentle presence. With a resentful or otherwise aggressive horse, I will light my triple fire and blaze, commanding consideration and the space to allow safety in communication. With a present horse, I might simply step into that connection and allow whatever comes to direct us.

Certainly, there are things I like to check in on during every ride. There are standard questions I ask to get the conversation flowing and to check in “does this feel good to you?”. There are movements I may intend to explore for specific reasons for a specific horse. There are movements I request simply because they’re fun. There are all of these things and all of them, from first contact on, are addressed through the lens of energetics and expression.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zOtqRRBCTKU&pp=ygUNdGZsIGNhciBob3JzZQ%3D%3D

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