What Horses Teach About Patience and Presence
It’s been a beautifully mild week for the first week in July. The horses are always teaching me new lessons.
Morning Mindfulness with Ace and Patty
This week it’s been to be present and mindful when going out to get Ace and Patty in the mornings. The mares have consistently been in the lot when I go out and Ace and Patty have been close in the pasture grazing.
Sometimes I need to encourage them to go into the lot before I can catch them. Others I can go out and put a halter on Ace and Patty will follow. This morning, they were on the other side of a manure pile just outside the lots. I thought I’d go out on the side that would push them toward the gate. I went through some tall grass and my shoes were soaked from the dew. My feet were a little uncomfortable and that distracted me a bit.
It seemed that Ace was going to let me catch him easily. Then he changed his mind. Then Patty turned and looked at me and I was able to put the lead rope around her neck and put the halter on her. I tried again to get Ace even though I thought he’d follow us in. He wasn’t having it. So, I started in with Patty.
Then I felt a tug on my shirt sleeve. I looked back and she was expecting to be scolded. She’d nipped me. She knew it was something she shouldn’t do. She was showing her displeasure at being taken off the lush grass. I told her it was rude, and we went in. Before we got to the gate Ace was cantering to catch up.
Lessons from Past Experiences
Zandy photo by J Bar D Studio
I had a mare when I was younger who often would play games when I wanted to catch her. She also wouldn’t go into the trailer by herself even though she’d had many lessons.
I had her in Manhattan when I was going to college and was going to take her back to Grandpa’s near Scott City. She would have nothing to do with that trailer. The woman who was helping me was pregnant and only a few days away from her due date. If Linda, the mare, didn’t want to do something it could be quite a fight. This day she didn’t want to go into the trailer.
Finally, we gave up trying to entice her to go in by herself and I walked in first. She followed. Even though we didn’t have the escape door open I told the other woman to close the door behind her. Then we opened the escape door so I could get out. That was a good lesson for me with her.
The next horse I got, Zandy Parr, was different. I remember when I first got him, we were trying to put him in the trailer, and he wouldn’t go in. He was a seasoned show horse and knew better. After some time of trying many things, I got frustrated and hit him with the lead rope. He looked at me as if to say “Oh, you want me in the trailer” and went right in. From that time forward all I had to do was put the lead rope over his neck and let him go.
When I’m working with horses, I must be mindful and patient. It’s counterproductive to feel rushed. A little over a week ago I was presenting at a morning meeting. I had plenty of time and everything seemed to take a little longer than it should have. I had an extra stressor to deal with because the wind had blown my round pen down and I felt like I needed to pick it up. Ace and Patty were a good distance away. I did manage to get them in without too much trouble although I didn’t have time to feed them before I left.
Connecting Leadership and Team Building with Horse Play
Horses have a way of bringing us back to reality. They can teach leadership skills, team building, and guide you back to mindfulness. Bring your team and come play with the herd. Click the button below to discuss a PlayShop for your group.
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Onward!
