Before faulting your horse, look at yourself
At times, people (myself included) tend to look at the things and others around them as the cause of the problems and unhappiness in their lives. I’ve seen this with the owners of some of the horses I have worked with – they start off by blaming the horse for any issues they are having instead of asking themselves: “Could it be something I am doing? Something in me?”.
What people don’t realise is that they can take their horse to the best trainer there is, but if they are unwilling to change their own behaviour, the problems will always resurface in some form or another. Once I’ve shown them that their horses actually reflect where they are at emotionally, mentally and psychologically, and that some of the problems they’re having may be their own behaviour, they become willing to look at themselves.
I think it’s a good rule to apply to life in general – if I find myself unhappy and blaming all of those people and things around me for my situation and disgruntlement, looking inwards and being honest with myself about the role I play in my discontent, sets me free. Make no mistake, owning your part in a situation that makes you angry or upset, and admitting your faults is a hard and uncomfortable thing to do. But it’s when you do this that everything changes, and life flows more easily around you. The snags of anger, bitterness and resentment fall away, and you are free to move through life with ease, knowing, owning and addressing your faults and no longer allowing them to get in the way and hold you back.
Your horse will always reflect your inner state of being and admitting that you could be the cause of your horse’s problems is a huge lesson in humility and bravery; for me, this is why horses have been my greatest teachers.
