Equuality: Reflections on Life with Horses

The Voice of the Heart

As far as particulars go, follow the teachings of your guides and of your heart. -Rolf Gates

In every moment of our lives were are under a constant bombardment of advice, anecdotes, advertisements, propaganda, facts, figures, and stories of all shapes and sizes. They come from our loving family. They come from our close friends. The come from wise gurus. They come from the compassionate side of our selves. They also come from advertisers trying to sell us the newest product, from teachers who are trying to maintain their own superior position, and from individuals who are trying to keep fear at bay by instilling it in others. I find all of these phenomena well represented in the equestrian world.

While it seems overwhelming, it is important to realize that our mind is going to take each piece of information and fit it into our mental landscape. We cannot possibly make a conscious decision about what to do with every single idea that comes our way. Rather, these decisions will be made by our subconscious minds, often driven by fears we are holding from our past experience.

What we can learn from our horsemanship practice is that there is another way to delegate the processing of the information barrage. We can turn to our heart, and listen to it as our guide through the wilderness. Our heart knows our true self and if we listen, it will lead us to authenticity. Horses can help us to hear this voice. They give us a context for making decisions where it is natural to put balance, integrity, and compassion before material needs.

At first you may find this challenging. I definitely did, and still do. Often I realize that I am being with the horse in an inauthentic way and when I take a moment to consider why, I find that my fearful self is acting on secondhand advice or a faulty interpretation of my own past experience. I take great joy from these moments of insight. I believe that each time I have this realization, I open the door a little further and allow my heart more say in telling me what is true.

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Thoughtful Ahimsa

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Back Seat Living

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