Anyone who has been around horses for any length of time knows how intelligent they are. Most horses have the brain development of a nine-year-old, allowing them to use verbal and non-verbal cues not only to communicate but also to learn. When you meet a horse or enter your horse’s stable, he or she not only hears your voice and the tension or timbre it conveys, but more importantly, your body language. Are you tense and nervous or calm, happy and focused?

Yesterday was a tough day, I had decided to take advantage of this week and really focus on my business, no more wasting time on the internet. It sounds so simple, but when I’m at the computer “working”, there’s a lot of other information that my eyes seem to want to see. George Cloony got married, you say? Hmm, you should see the photos. Did the latest American star just get a DUI? I need to take a quick look. These kinds of distractions can end up derailing me for hours, so I decided to stop looking at the latest “news” and focus on what really makes me money: my equine training and eCourses.

In the meantime, I had changed my internet provider and it was supposed to go faster, but it didn’t, it was slower. Very slow and I had been working on a sales page for an upcoming contest and was about to finish when I lost everything. I was really frustrated with the lack of technology that needs to be at my disposal 24/7! I turned off my computer and headed to the barn.

One thing I have taught people and have always tried to practice myself has been this: Empty my mind and raise my vibration BEFORE I see Zeus. I can usually do this easily, however I am a human being and sometimes I don’t take my own advice.

As soon as I put Zeus in his post, he was very calm and contemplative. He often looks at him, gives him his prize, and greets him head-on, which always puts us both on the same page and allows us to communicate better. He was looking at me with his big soft brown eyes and wondering if he was okay. Horses have always been able to catch up where humans have failed. His thoughts are true without ulterior motives. They just seek to help and communicate on a level that many humans never master.

This may sound funny or be a new concept to you, but I have always told my horse exactly what is going on with him or me. When I said that he was “frustrated” he just said, “Okay, now you’re here, let’s do something.” Just like that I was brought back to reality where my frustrations didn’t seem so important after all.

Horses not only bring me back to the present moment and what’s really important (which is usually what’s right in front of you), but they also teach us how to forgive others by enlightening ourselves. They are a mirror of us, except they are a much clearer image of light than we can be. One of the great advantages of being around horses every day is the rare opportunity you have to change. Horses do not hold on out of frustration, anger, or fear. Emotions come and then go away. For example, when you are teaching your horse a new move, he doesn’t know what you want but he tries and tries to please you. Many times he will fail until he finally gets it right, but if he seems frustrated it may just be due to an inability to please him in the face of our point of view, which is to make the move correctly. There is a big difference from both points of view and you should always strive to put yourself in their shoes.

When you learned how to Post to the Right Lead, you probably failed many times, but each time you recovered and kept trying. It was an important step in your progression as a cyclist and once you have it, you never forget it and never have to relearn it. It’s like riding a bike and it becomes so easy for you that you probably don’t remember how hard it was when you were learning to do it. If you have a good relationship with your horse, it will try to please you to the point of hurting itself. They will jump fences that they may not be physically ready for, but they will do it because you asked them to.

When I got in my car, I was grateful not only for the communication and the feeling that when I am in the barn nothing else exists for me, except the 1,200 pound animal with a highly intelligent and sensitive brain. It teaches me to be a better human than all the humans I’ve ever met. Forgive your horse when it fails and give it room to try again until it gets it right. “Trial” should always be rewarded because without it you will have nothing left to work with. Also, don’t forget to forgive yourself, we all make mistakes even when we think we’re doing the right thing. Horses don’t hold on to your mistakes, why should you?

I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on this article, please let me know what you think! My website is http://www.equine-24.com.

With love,
July