The Facets of Equuality - Synchrony Migration and Play

In which I describe the framework I use to help keep myself and my horses in physical, emotional, and intellectual balance.

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." -Thomas Merton

One of the biggest lessons that I have learned from my time with horses is the value of finding and staying in balance.

This process begins at a physical level, learning to both move and be still in a centered way. However, physical balance is just the start. Without also having an understanding of emotional and intellectual balance, we will always feel like a warped top, spinning its wobbling way across the surface of life.

Balance in Horsemanship

When we work with a horse, we are given the opportunity to not only balance ourselves, but to help the horse find balance as well. This is the reason that horsemanship is such a good arena for learning this lesson.

Horses in the wild, or those who are left to their own devices in an adequate space, naturally find this balance for themselves. However, when we bring a horse into our environment, it becomes our responsibility as a leader and partner to help to maintain their balance on all levels.

Humans tend to do a very small number of things with their horse which are all very focused on a particular discipline. Trail folks often don't do much precision arena riding; jumpers seldom take long walks; a dressage horse gets very little opportunity to cut loose.

Too great a focus or lack of variety quickly unbalances both horse and human, creating anxiety, frustration, boredom, and other undesirable states of mind.

So, the next question is, how can we figure out what other activities to add to our relationship to maintain the balance?

A Framework for Balance

To answer just this question, my wife Kali and I have developed a framework for balanced horsemanship. It's not a set program or set of exercises, but rather a set of terms and principles that any human can use find center with their horse, regardless of discipline.

In the herd, you might see two horses standing shoulder to shoulder, moving from place to place together, or roughhousing. These three activities represent the three main areas of balance: Synchrony, Migration, and Play

Synchrony: Creating to Harmony

Synchrony, represented by the two horses standing shoulder to shoulder, is all about moving together in harmony. Synchrony builds rapport and communication by showing the horse that we understand how he moves and that we can move the same way.

Activities that build Synchrony are usually done at close range and with contact. They focus on footwork and precision movement and tend to require a high level of concentration from both the horse and the human.

Dressage movements, reining patterns, certain types of liberty work, and classical work-in-hand are good examples of activities that build Synchrony.

Migration: Finding a Meditative State

Migration, represented by the two horses moving together, is all about developing a meditative mind state. Migration builds calm by asking the horse to maintain stillness or movement over an extended duration, allowing the "chatter" of the mind to subside. Activities that build Migration are usually done over longer periods of time without much stimulation from the human. They focus on giving a horse a space, both physical and mental, where they can find their own calm center.

Trail riding, certain types of lunging and round pen training, and repetitive arena patterns are good examples of activities that build Migration.

Play: Building Energetic Amplitude

Play, represented by the the two horses roughhousing, is all about allowing the horse to express his natural creativity, imagination, and energy. Play builds confidence, exuberance and emotional control by giving the horse an opportunity to get wild without fear of censure.

Activities that build Play are usually fast, intense, and have something at stake - which is where the excitement comes from. They focus freeing up the horse's energy by creating a focus, a goal, and a game that the horse can win.

Trick training, certain types of Natural Horsemanship groundwork, and jumping are good examples of activities that build Play.

Putting it all Together in Practice

Starting to understand how our activities fit into the three categories of Synchrony, Migration, and Play, we naturally start to understand where we might be overdoing it and where we might be lacking.

For example, if we only go on trail rides and we begin to find our horse becoming bored or unresponsive, perhaps we need to add some precision arena work to get his mind engaged and some liberty games to stimulate his emotional expressiveness.

On the other hand, if we mostly jump our horse and we find she is increasingly emotional and unfocused, perhaps we need to take more long walks together and add a bit of dressage.

This is the main purpose of Synchrony, Migration, and Play: to help humans recognize the patterns in their activities and see which way the balance lies.

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