Today is National Horse Day (December 13), although Horse day is really every day around here, on the farm!
As we approach the launch of 'The Sacred Horse Stewardship Program' this January, I felt inspired to share more around how remembering the Horses is a segway into remember who we are.
Horses have played a larger role in our human civilization that any other mammal, from ploughing our fields to fighting in our wars.
But somewhere along the way, we got lost.
We started to 'break' them (an actual term used for the 'training' of Horses in many forms of 'horsemanship') and, in this process, not only 'broke' their mind and bodies in order for them to submit to our requests, but we also broke their Spirit.
We lost the purity of our spiritual connection with Horses, in order to employ them for our own entertainment, status and elite performance.
When I was looking for images to add to this blog, I was browsing the Wix Media under the search for 'Horses' and this is one of the many images that came up on the screen. This image evokes many emotions and reflections for me. What does it bring up for you?
For me, I don't see how this image can look 'normal' or acceptable to anyone. It appears to be a line up of slaves under severe bondage - metal in their mouths, leather strapped to their bodies, standing in tiny boxes waiting for the loud gunfire to trigger their flight response so that they can run as fast as they can, because, to their non-predatory nature, their lives depend on it. How is it possible that we can see this as commonplace, entertaining or even, joyful?
In the same gallery of Media options under the search for 'Horses' were beautiful images of Horses in wild Herds roaming free. These images evoked a sense of peace, hope and ease in my heart. A very different feeling than the image of the line up of racehorses.
In the case of the racehorses and in many other cases, we have compromised the vital needs of Horses and diminished the light of their true essence in order to increase their productivity and, subsequently, increase our perception of their worth.
Let's explore a few factors true to the authentic nature of Horse and some of the ways we have lost touch with them...
Horses in the wild spend approximately 16 hours per day grazing on a wide variety of mixed forage. - In many barns, Horses are fed rations of hay every 4-5 hours. Their digestive systems are not meant to eat large meals but are meant to eat small amounts of forage for many hours of the day, while moving...
Horses in their true nature move approximately 20 miles per day.H...how did we ever get the idea that they could be healthy while standing in a 10x10 stall for prolonged periods of time throughout the day?
Horses NEED socialization within a Herd environment. Somehow, we began separating Horses in paddocks or stalls where they are unable to freely interact with one another.
Perhaps this holds a mirror to our human society and our loss of spiritual connection to ourselves and our humanity as a whole.
Perhaps we have lost connection to our own vital needs and overall essence of our being Human, placing value only on our productivity and performance.
"When we know better, we do better." ~ Maya Angelou
We have been taught these ways as part of our conditioning when it comes to Horse care. I am not sure how things evolved in such a drastic misdirection but they did. And now, through conscious Horse stewardship and honoring the sacredness of these wise and sentient beings, we can do better for them. In the process, we may even uncover some of the falsehoods we have been taught about ourselves and be able to unpack them in order to reconnect to our own true Nature!
In summary, it is clear that the true way of the Horse holds a compass that guides us back to our own true Nature. To remind us of who we are and to help us remember that we are not separate from Nature; we are a part of it and the magnificence of Nature is not just all around us, it is within us.
Horses can lead the way to a whole new world for us all. Let's work together to restore the full potential of the Spirit of Horse and remember who we are, as we honor them.
By listening to the sacred wisdom of Horses, we can awaken to the ancient wisdom held in our own hearts.
The Horses are here to guide us Home.
To learn more about caring for the whole Horse in alignment with their true Nature, please watch this video and meet the leading Equine-Guided Experts that will be sharing a century of wisdom and insight through our upcoming program!
With love and respect for Horse...and for you...
Happy National Horse Day,
Fotini Chandrika