Doing versus Being

When we find an animal, other person or ourselves to be out of balance, we tend to "do more". We try more rules, more experiments, more food/supplements and more training. We try to get the situation back onder control. WE want to be in control, and it's completely normal.
Taking a step back (and maybe another) will not only help put things in perspective, it also relieves some pressure off the animal which is important for their next step: dealing with more freedom.

When a horse is out of balance physically/emotionally/spiritually it can become very chaotic and challenging very fast. This is also very normal; considering the horse's strong connection with Mother Earth and its representation of strength and freedom: if all this gets out of balance, you will see a lot of power coming out the negative way.
Restoring the right balance in a horse is a beautiful but challenging concept. It takes a lot to be the one to guide the horse back to his authentic self, to observe what is too little or too much and to win back their trust.

Over the years I got to deal with horses who had seen other professional trainers but were written off as "dangerous". To me it was obvious that they just couldn't handle any more physical and emotional pressure, so I listened. Even when haltering them and getting them out of their stall, I'd always make sure that they were up for it. Thèy needed to make contact first. And if at first we do nothing but just Be Here together, then that's fine with me too. Sometimes that what they need the most; someone who just sits with them and asks nothing but companionship.

It means the World to them.
 
 
 

 

Sitting here next to you, doing absolutely nothing, means absolutely everything to me 


" Follow the Horse, not the Method"

Zoë van Mourik | Equine Trauma & Behavior Specialist
​www.zoevanmourik & www.houseofhorsemanship.nl