It’s cooling off a bit here in Arkansas which set the perfect tone for the Mindfulness with Horses workshop I facilitated on Saturday. The morning began with hot tea and moved on to some guided meditation, great conversation, and of course, the sound of hooves in the background and a nuzzle or three from the
This is indeed powerful, Hannah. I once watched horseman Tom Dorrance enter a pen with a mule, I think it was, who was pretty unsettled. He didn't approach it but somehow was so present with him that the mule was pulled to him in spite of himself.
The only way I could describe it then was that the mule knew that he was seen and being approached by someone interested in him in a nonpredatory way. That's something I wished I could mimic with my own horse but never quite have.
Oh my gosh, I love this! Do you follow Warwick Schiller? A lot of his work focuses on relational horsemanship and has been super helpful for me. He talks about we humans can change our behavior/perception, so our horses can "feel felt and get gotten" (which is from Sarah Schlote's work). Everything gets better from that perspective in my experience. Not at Tom Dorrance's level yet, but... 😜
No, but I will start paying attention. Watching Tom was as instructive as watching what he did. I'm no Jedi... just know enough to see I don't get it. Wish you were closer so I could attend one of your events.
It's like my horse has a secret that I need to learn I think it may be a lifelong (hers and mine) quest!
Nothing like a good, lifelong quest... 😂 I like that state of "just know enough to see I don't get it". It's humble and a really good place to begin (though frustrating sometimes!)
Another concept we play with is that our inner reality is reflected in our outer reality, so the horses' behavior can mirror a lot for groups and individuals. Because humans have the ability to make meaning from their experiences, there's usually a lot to discuss when a horse does something interesting during one of our meditations. :)
Didn’t see the end of your note before I replied. You mean if a horse jumps up and down when ur group is meditating ( I assume in the same place) you think it is a reaction to the group psyche?
Not necessarily, but I often ask the group if they noticed ____ happened. Then we can talk about why we think that might've happened and how it might relate to our lives outside the arena with the horses. It's a jumping off point, for sure!
This is indeed powerful, Hannah. I once watched horseman Tom Dorrance enter a pen with a mule, I think it was, who was pretty unsettled. He didn't approach it but somehow was so present with him that the mule was pulled to him in spite of himself.
The only way I could describe it then was that the mule knew that he was seen and being approached by someone interested in him in a nonpredatory way. That's something I wished I could mimic with my own horse but never quite have.
Oh my gosh, I love this! Do you follow Warwick Schiller? A lot of his work focuses on relational horsemanship and has been super helpful for me. He talks about we humans can change our behavior/perception, so our horses can "feel felt and get gotten" (which is from Sarah Schlote's work). Everything gets better from that perspective in my experience. Not at Tom Dorrance's level yet, but... 😜
No, but I will start paying attention. Watching Tom was as instructive as watching what he did. I'm no Jedi... just know enough to see I don't get it. Wish you were closer so I could attend one of your events.
It's like my horse has a secret that I need to learn I think it may be a lifelong (hers and mine) quest!
Nothing like a good, lifelong quest... 😂 I like that state of "just know enough to see I don't get it". It's humble and a really good place to begin (though frustrating sometimes!)
But... what do you do with the horses, exactly??? Like mingle? Nuzzle? Whisper? Tell me more about the concept/contact?
Hi Patricia! The Mindfulness with Horses workshop I run is based on the research HeartMath Institute has done on the human-horse connection. Here's a link to a video with a little more info if you're interested: https://www.heartmath.org/resources/videos/symbiotic-relationship-between-horses-and-humans/
Another concept we play with is that our inner reality is reflected in our outer reality, so the horses' behavior can mirror a lot for groups and individuals. Because humans have the ability to make meaning from their experiences, there's usually a lot to discuss when a horse does something interesting during one of our meditations. :)
Does that help?
Thanx, I’ll check it out.
Didn’t see the end of your note before I replied. You mean if a horse jumps up and down when ur group is meditating ( I assume in the same place) you think it is a reaction to the group psyche?
Not necessarily, but I often ask the group if they noticed ____ happened. Then we can talk about why we think that might've happened and how it might relate to our lives outside the arena with the horses. It's a jumping off point, for sure!