Is a horse’s behaviour is personal?

On January 21^st I published my second poetry book ‘The Home I Made For The God In Me’. Around 2 weeks before this date I sent out 13 copies of the book to friends and family members who had agreed to do a review once the book was published. While waiting in line at the local post office, a copy of Horse and Hound Magazine caught my eye. For those of you outside the UK, Horse and Hound magazine is a magazine centring around everything equine discipline related. Articles on veterinary news, dressage, hunting, hacking, pony club and more for the readers or subscribers to read through. As a child I always wanted a copy so I felt I was part of something, anything to do with horses. Nowadays I only pick up a copy when I am curious to see what’s happening in the ‘mainstream’ equine world. Today was one of those days.

A tagline from an article inside on the front cover caught my attention, it read ‘A horse’s behaviour is never personal.’ An immediate kick back in me made me reach toward the magazine and pick it up to take a closer look. As I skimmed through the article in question, keeping an eye on the line to the post office attendant I found myself in deep disagreement and contemplation with what the article was stating. And this is what I would like to share with you today.

It is my experience and belief that a horse’s behaviour is very, very personal! In fact, our connection with horses and their behaviour (generally speaking) is always personal. Now, what do I mean by this? Not that it is our fault or that we are the centre of attention. In fact, with horses, there is no centre of attention, the attention is circular and a vortex of discovery (more on that in another blog post). What I mean by this statement is that we are always in connection and through that connection our energy, thoughts, choices, and thus actions are a contributing factor to our horse’s behaviour. ‘A horse’s behaviour is not personal’ is a statement of separation, in my opinion. Everything is personal, in the way that everything is connected. Nothing can escape our perspective and witnessing therefore nothing is not personal in the same way our reality is in front US, within US, no-one else.

There is a concept I would like to gently bring forward here which is: we are responsible for our lives. Now, this concept does not apply to children, who are in the care of the adults in their environment. However, once we reach an age of independence the level of self-awareness which develops instils a natural sense of responsibility which is important for us to harness in order to live a life of alignment and heart.

Our energy is our responsibility. Horses respond to our energy, that in some ways is their responsibility.

Rather than this being a weight we can see it as an opportunity to give in the moment. To resonate at a different frequency, to provide a space of safety! THIS is our personal role in the co-creative experience we are having with the beings in our environment.

So as much as their response is theirs, our energy effects everything. We are energetic dominos affecting one another and the more aware of this we become and the more we take ownership of what our energy is saying, the more we can come into our sovereignty and work with what is being presented before us form a perspective of love and creativity rather than blame or separation or doubt.

So, is a horse’s behaviour personal? In my opinion, yes. Is a horse’s response to our energy personal? In my opinion, yes? However, we are in this together – human / horse / horse / human. So it is all bot h personal and collective. The more we take responsibility and remember our ability to respond is infinite (Sadhguru’s teaching), the more we can align with our centre and thus affect each other in a productive, loving way.