For the benefit of all beings
All beings in this world are equal in their search for happiness and that they want to avoid suffering. In this way, the nature of the horse’s mind is no different from the nature of our mind. We are both beings in this world and as such, we have no right to treat the horse as inferior.
If we are open to them, horses have a way of teaching us in a way that effects our whole being. Although they don’t speak with words, or maybe because of it, they can teach us more about us than any human could. In connection to this, it is often said that horses are our mirrors and that they reflect our moods, feelings and intentions. While I certainly agree with that, I also think, however, that they are much more than mirrors. A mirror implies a dead object that just reflects what is, something that doesn’t have its own incentive. It is my belief that more than catching our reflection, horses can guide us on our spiritual journey.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM HORSES?
- Clear communication
- Consequence
- Boundaries/ defining your space and yourself as a being
- Communication based on emotions and mental images
- Honesty
- Letting go/ not holding a grudge
- Community life
- Good leadership and following leadership
- Articulation of intentions and wishes
- Connecting to nature and the elements
- Empathy for a different way of existing than the one we know
Our greatest quality is perhaps our capability for compassion, for empathy, that we can feel how others are doing, what it means to be in their shoes. If we learn to treat horses with kindness and dignity, we have already awakened our compassion and can learn to develop it more and more.
Horses are living in this world just like we do. Their existence has its own rights and they do not exist to serve humans, to satisfy our ego in competitions or on shows, or to provide us with entertainment. They have their own wisdom and we can learn to open up to that. It will make us better people.
I believe that there are many horse lovers just like me, who have an inherent respect for all forms of life and do not wish to purposefully hurt others in order to reach their goals. Being with and training horses should be fun for both! Equal partners can perform the most beautiful of dances. Horse training is a continuous communication and a never-ending learning process. If we are willing to listen, we can learn. If we are always talking, we only hear what we already know.
To me, horse training is a hermeneutic circle. We always come back to the beginning and with each round, we gain a deeper understanding. There is no final destination, no perfection – only refinement and constant improvement.
It is my goal to help horses and riders to a soft communication and to help them discover their path together. If you ever thought that riding should be fun, logical and effortless and that you would like to ride the kind of dressage that truly develops you and your horse, then you are just like me. I never gave up my dream of feeling like a centaur with my horse – as if of one body and spirit. And I am so happy that I have found a method that helps me to achieve this!
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