Transform - what does that word really mean?  It means change from one state to another.  I am constantly watching people ride, and in amazement I see the conflict between man and beast show itself in so many ways.  All of us try to achieve balance in our riding, but balance is emotional, spiritual, physical and mental.  If any one of those 4 elements are out of whack, the other 3 are also. We as humans have to grasp this connection, as the horses already know this.  If you are drawn to horses, it is about taking back your power in your life as well as finding balance on an animal that is powerful and always in motion.

So let's go deeper with this now.  Have you noticed that people and their horses often have the same ailments? This is not an accident, it's an exchange of energy.  There is no difference between you and your horse, you cannot separate the way you treat your horse from the way you run your life and your human relationships, they are one and the same.  If you bully your horse, you are insecure and only feel strong when you impose your will on others. This comes from an innate insecurity about who you really are.  If you are fearful in life, you always be making comments about how scared your horse is of everythng - "he spooks at this and he spooks at that".  Really?  Then how come somebody else can come along and do what the horse is supposed to be afraid of with no problems?  The animal does not separate the energy between themselves and the humans in their world, to them there is no barrier, so whatever you are afraid of, the pick up on that and act it out.

If you have problems with boundaries with horses and you let them walk all over you in an attempt to become their friend, chances are you do that in life too.  After all, how can you trust someone whose boundaries are alwasy shifting?  The horse cannot be your friend if they never know where you are from one day to another, there is no trust because there are no clear cut rules and boundaries. They have that within the herd, so trust is possible because they know the reaction of every horse in the herd.  This is when horses become herd bound, and don't want to go with the person, it's because the human inspires fear and lack of trust in them, and they feel much safer and at ease with the horses, at least they know where  they stand.  We have to become the calm, confidant herd leader.  Easier said than done!!

Every day I do breath work.  This involves sitting cross legged on the floor, or in a chair. No phones, no interruptions for the time I take to do this, it can be as long or as short as you want.  Just breathe deeply into your stomach, allow the diaphragm to rise and fall, fill your lungs and feel your ribcage expand and contract. Only follow your breath in and out - on the intake say "so" and on the exhale say "hum".  This mantra is very soothing. Quiet the chatter of the mind, shut the world out and bring your body and mind into the same space.  This is connection, and we are all disconnected most of the time, and so we bring chaos to our lives and our horses.  This place of peace is where Divinity lives, where we connect to the I Am presence and the whole Universe of living things, known and unknown. In the  gap between the thoughts lies a place of perfect peace, harmony, joy and abundance, in the "gap" there is no fear, only trust, no sorrow, only joy, no anger, only faith, no lack, only understanding.  In this sacred space lies the power to transform your life, it is who you truly are.  It is who your horse is too, as they live in the gap.  For them there is no ego, they walk in total authenticity of their beingness all the time, is it any wonder we are so attracted to them?  They show us who we are in a thousand ways every day, but we fail to see, in fact in some cases they are punished for their truth.  Bigger bits, harsher gadgets to try and control what does not need to be controlled, but rather learned from.  How can I do this without the stuff?  What can I change about myself, my approach to erase conflict, for the conflict is within ourselves and not with the horse at all.  If we look within, we will find the cause of every issue we have in our horses, and once we reach a state of peace and get into the "gap" the conflict disappears!

The journey is within us, not outside of us.  Looking to fix  the horse will not get you anywhere, rather see them as a living mirror of who we are, we may not like what we see, but we have the power to change it, and horses are only too happy to help us with that! After all they are our greatest teachers.  As my brother always said, til we meet again, Blessings always in all ways. Namaste.