Being Present

Would you like to know what is most important to your horse?

Safety is all horses priority and we humans can help them feel safe or not feel safe when they are with us.  The problem is that we are not 100% present when we are doing a task with our horse and he knows it: our brain  is distracted, going from one thought to another or we have emotional loads like anger or frustration.

Horses are constantly reading us and are highly sensitive in perceiving energy. It is known that emotions have different frequencies: anger, fear and frustration have low frequency, gratitude, love and happiness have high frequency. Horses feel these frequencies and if our energy does not contribute to their security they will not be comfortable around us.  

In order to solve the issue of communication and relaxation we must begin by improving our observation and to control our emotional state. In order to manage this we must be present, which in today’s world is a challenge for humans because we live in a technological world. We have cell phones with us, we answer calls, messages and our mind is dealing with a million things at a time.  

Being present means we must be aware of the small signs the horse gives us. What is his body language telling us? When does his breathing change? Where is his sight directed? What is he listening to? The changes in the way he is carrying his weight, the manner in which he is letting us know we are too close and he is not comfortable with this. Responding to his body language is key, as is, being aware of the surroundings like he is.

When we manage to observe and act in the correct manner our horse will realize that we are also present and the situation will change. He will trust us more, he will relax more because that is the way a herd behaves; in a herd the horses depend on each other- some rest while others are present. 

Being present is a habit and in order to perfect it we must practice it. 

Before interacting with the horse be mentally and emotionally prepared to be present ; clear your mind of what was and what will be and of what you must do later. 

Breathe deeply 3 or 4 times: relax and enjoy the company of your horse by being 100% present.