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(This blog was originally posted on April 23, 2011)
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| Photo by Rick Hustead |
No matter how long we have been riding
or handling horses, each one has something to teach us. For many people, the
first horse they ever ride is an old hand on the ranch. Whether he is a veteran
trail horse—one of many in a riding string at camp—or a “schoolmaster” at a
riding academy, he has been around. He knows his “stuff,” and his handlers
expect him to give their clients a safe ride. The obstreperous pony that “ran
away” with you is probably the one that taught you how to ride. He gave you the
confidence to know that even a fast horse eventually stops—and sometimes it’s
fun to ride fast. Many retired show horses have carried Grand Prix and Olympian
riders over their first, small cross-rail.
When I started riding (again) in 2003, I
had not been on a horse for more than nineteen years. I took lessons on—and
then bought—a schooling horse. Geeves was being used in jumping lessons; in
fact, a friend recently told me that he was the horse that taught her “the
finer points of jumping.” When he became my horse, we trained in dressage. This
discipline was new to both of us, but he was a true professor when it came to
teaching me how to ride. If I applied an aid incorrectly, my horse would not
change his gait until I asked the right question. In the eight years or so that
we were together, Geeves taught me a lot about caring for, handling, and riding
a horse. He helped me to gain self-confidence and to become more assertive; he
taught me to be a better rider and a more sensitive horsewoman.
Horses teach people how to interact with
them. For example, in his book, The Man
Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts
describes the long hours he spent observing wild horses in their natural
environment. From these observations, he developed the Join-Up program, with
which he has used to communicate, gentle and train thousands of horses.
They have a lot to teach veterinarians,
too. When champion race horse Barbaro broke down
during the Preakness Stakes in 2006, Dr.
Dean Richardson and his veterinary team at New
Bolton Center worked hard to save the Kentucky Derby 132 champion.
Ultimately, Barbaro developed laminitis in two of his hoofs and he was humanely
euthanized. However, the time that the veterinary team spent treating his
injuries and trying to rehabilitate the colt has provided new insights and
knowledge about how to treat laminitis.
All over the country, horses are being
used in therapeutic settings to help children and adults with mental, physical,
or emotional disabilities to gain self-confidence, increase motivation, and
improve mobility. They are also employed to help injured military veterans
overcome post-traumatic stress disorder. Without even “saying” a word, these majestic
animals—often ten to twenty times bigger than their human partners—have
something to teach us.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
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