Getting to the Bottom of our Beliefs

Alexa Linton, Equine Sport Therapist

Published in Island Horse Magazine August 2008

About a month ago, I entered the ring for my first formal riding lesson in quite some time. It was with some trepidation and a few butterflies in my stomach that we arrived on time in hackamore and treeless saddle for our first eventing lesson. To be honest, a part of this anxiety was created by our unorthodox equipment, gathered over several years of natural horsemanship training. The remainder was caused by not knowing where our performance was at after so much time away from traditional riding. In short, if we were good enough. It took considerable effort to remind myself that it didn’t matter how we did, as long as we were learning and having fun. Next, a great force of will prevented me from following a deeply ingrained and unproductive pattern. What is this harmful habit? Basically, it involves placing labels on my horse. For example, “She is spooky” or “She is always behind the leg”. I decided in this lesson to skip the labels and let our ride play out without negative beliefs tilting the scales. Not surprisingly the lesson went smoothly, Diva surpassed all expectations, and I was able to relax and enjoy the experience.

It is a common theme with our animals to want to create labels, beliefs or judgements. In keeping with our theme of energy, it is often these beliefs that hold them to their most frustrating behavioural patterns or their most worrying health issues. To review our topic from last month, the things we place our focus on tend to be the same things that are drawn to us or to our horses. So when we hold strong beliefs about our horses, it makes sense that our horses would naturally continue to play out them out in our time together.

How many of us have owned or bought a horse with a list of rules? This horse doesn’t load, they don’t like clipping, they have a sensitive stomach, they have weak feet, they don’t like their ears being touched, or they don’t like to be around people. How often have we heard of a horse being completely differently with their new owner, perhaps because this person chooses not to continue believing in their list of rules? In other words, they have chosen to no longer give them energy.

A great phrase to keep in mind from Pat Parelli is “Be with the horse that shows up.” Just like us, our horse is different everyday. Their mood is different, their “energy” is different, their body feels different. Unlike most humans, they are highly in tune with these changes. The achievements from your last ride mean very little to them as compared to what is going on right now, at present. They are picking up on your thoughts, including your beliefs, your fears and your emotions. They are sensing your anxiety in the corner where they spooked last time, your belief about them being terrified of the water jump, and your fear that they will be fighting the bit for the last half of the ride. And they are more than likely giving you the majority of these things, whether you want this or not. The key is relaxation and mindfulness leading to positive thinking, and of course, releasing beliefs that don’t support you and your horse.

The same goes for health. Many horses are labelled early on as having poor digestion, a dry coat, damaged legs or weak feet. It is easy to get caught up in these labels and feel powerless to change the situation. In this way, a horse can go through a lifetime being in pain or discomfort without any ease because this is “the way they are.” In another instance, a horse may be given a label, worked on in some way, and then when this therapy or care was not effective, it reinforced the initial belief and no other healing path was taken. It is my belief that any health situation can be eased and brought into balance if we stay open minded to all the solutions available to us. Even imbalanced digestion can be changed positively if we create the right beliefs, stay open to the options, and are willing to let go of some of our fear.

Now with an understanding that all energy can be changed, and that beliefs, labels and judgements are only energy, we can begin to examine these aspects of ourselves and if necessary, change them. Imagine each day, each ride, each moment with our horse as a clean slate, a place to create new positive beliefs about ourselves, our horses and our partnership. Look at your beliefs around the health of your horse, or the labels that you have unknowingly carried. Even examine your language when you speak about them to others. You will probably be amazed at how many labels have come to feel like fact, unchangeable. Pretty soon, if you are mindful, your horse will have a much shorter list of rules and you will both be having more fun. Not to mention their vibrant health!

Happy trails until next time.