Article 2
I is for Intuition
WISE Riders Formula
There is a huge storm battering the world outside my shed where I am hunkered down writing in the dark before dawn. Raging in from the North Coast of Cornwall, I am alert for sounds of the trees, will they come down? Will the roof come off? I am relatively safe and warm, but aware, being in a wooden shed that all could change in a heartbeat. I am hyper aware of my surroundings and making sure I don’t need to make a dash for a safer place.
It made me think of our beautiful horses, how much they hear, sense, see, and smell that we don’t. How often do they get chastised, in some sad cases violently so, just for trying to be aware of and trusting their instincts, for being a horse!
How many times have they been told to “stop being so stupid” when they are just making sure they stay alive. Oh, the misunderstood horse, I could and most likely will write a book about it one day. It is something so dear to my heart as I know how many mistakes I have made and will most likely, in my humanness, continue to make.
The horse’s connection to their intuition has made them one of the most successful species on this planet. They have been leaving hoof prints on the earth in some form for the last 55 million years.
We could learn a lot from the intuition of horses, they instinctively know when it is time to stay still, time to move, or time to sniff the breeze. We have that skill, but it has been lost in the haze of rushing, producing, creating, accumulating, and moving oh so very fast in our daily lives.
Coupled with the internet, telephones, television, and a myriad of other distractions we have lost the very thing that connects us deeply to our horses. Our intuition, our inner guidance system.
I in the WISE formula is for INTUITION.
It is never too late to uncover it, as it is within all of us. Its wisdom aligns with what is right for us and our horses. It starts with knowing our true core values.
I want you to take a pen and paper and write a letter to your horse.
Write down your pledge to them. What are your core values when it comes to your horse? Do you want to only ride when they agree? Or maybe it is never to yank the reins, or never push them forward without giving them a little time to think if they are worried? Maybe it is never to let anyone do something to them that doesn’t align with your core values. Even if that means stopping the trainer who has more experience than you. Or asking the farrier to step away mid trim. You are the advocate for your horse, no one else.
Maybe you don’t own a horse, but lease or ride a school horse. Your core values are just as important. Remember, you are the paying client. Let your lessons align with your core values by talking about them with your trainer ahead of time.
Intuition will keep you on your path. Once you have written down and remind yourself of your core values with your horse you can make sure that everything you do with them is in alignment with those values. When emotions are pulling you away from that path, your intuition will let you know, listen to it and step back to where you align once more.
A soul unfulfilled will never be a soul at peace. When you go against what you believe, if those niggling feelings of “This just isn’t right” is undermining your intuition, your relationship between you and your horse will suffer. Suffice to say, you will never feel at peace with yourself or your horse.
Don’t we owe the horses this? Be true to what you believe in.
You already have your why, now you have your core beliefs. Together this is the foundation of your relationship with your horse. Your intuition will guide you if you listen to it.
When I first worked on the intuition part of the formula for myself, I wondered, could I get out of the way of my ego and truly listen to the quieter voice that came from deep inside? Could I listen to the messages that my ego batted out of the way? Could I gently let go of the things of youth without feeling like a failure? Could I trust that intuition to still let me grow but in a different direction and quiet the voice that worried what others would think?
The results came quickly, and peace came back to my life with horses. Doing this inner work was something powerful for me and I have never looked back.
The wind is still battering outside, and it is just getting light, my mind has wandered to my horses Branna and Blu. I hope they are ok out there, but I trust them, they are clever native horses who listen constantly to their own intuition. They will be tucked under the high Cornish hedges surrounding their fields and most likely not even feeling a bit of the wind that is howling several feet above their heads. They know best how to stay warm and dry in a storm.
I wish nothing but the best for you and the horses in your life. Trust yourself, you are full of life experiences and wisdom, let that voice be heard. Before you know it, it will get louder and bolder… truly then you will be unstoppable and your horse will feel it. Trust will build and the relationship will blossom.
You are well on your way to becoming a WISE rider.
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