Sage By Nature: Horses Drawing Out Our Goddess Force
16. Dec, 2009 
9 Comments
She’s done it again. Sage By Nature has challenged the limited concept that horses merely mirror our inner selves and in the process revealed something important about human beings’ inner battles.
She says,
I have long been enthralled by the concept of animals being our mirrors. However, what if there is more to that than reflects the eye? What if I called my horse an extension of me? What if the things I respect and admire about her have been inside of me all along? I might find them if I look closely.
Perhaps, then, I don’t need her to be resistance-free, push-button, or dominated by me. In fact, if I see her for who she is and who I might be, then I cannot rejoice in crushing her spirit or completely molding her to my will whether through my hands, my voice, or my tools because that would be, in essence, an annihilation of pieces of me. And ladies, haven’t we all had enough of our pieces strewn across the floors of homes, schools, places of work, and even barns?
(embedded links mine)
Her brilliant extension of the concept of horses as mirrors is this: eliminating every single expression of free will and individuality on the part of the horse is in fact to extinguish their potential in ourselves. By extension, to quash their potential expression as a a unit: horse and human together. This reminds me of some of the things I have been reading in Gallop To Freedom, and the way Frederic Pignon trains his horses. He allows, even encourages, expressions of personality and will in his stallions, incorporating them as they occur into their performances. It takes serious guts to allow this, and letting go of the urge to control. The result is, however, a real union of experience and expression. Sometimes the audience doesn’t know exactly what they are seeing, but it gives them goosebumps nonetheless.
On some level, we all get it, we all want this. It’s the letting go of the need for control and the willingness to share in the process that holds us back.
See the entire post, entitled Respecting Your Horse And Your Own Goddess Force in its original form by clicking here
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Nice post Kim. Thanks for checking in. Are you back home now? and how is your daughter doing? Hope all is well.
Thanks! Thanks to Sage By Nature, who is a real thinker. Hanging on by a thread to that one, for sure.
I’ve been so busy that I’ve missed visiting my favorite blogs. ;(
I”m visiting Volcanoes National Park while they rip of my lanais and rebuild them, much bigger and pain them a pretty color.
The noise and chaos is too much for me and the animals, so I’m enjoying the peace and quiet here in the clouds of Kilauea.
Daughter is awesome. Independent, happy as a clam. Making big decisions and living large. I keep my fingers crossed and give thanks every day.
Enjoying all the posts over at Skoog Farm Journal that I’ve missed.
Thanks for the very generous categorization of “brilliant” Kim
. Yes, I am a thinker/analyzer as well as a poet, and figuring out the “extension” part after not being satisfied with “mirror” was HUGE for me. I will have to read your recommendation of Gallop To Freedom – sounds wonderful!
Eleanor
You won’t be able to find my review of Gallop to Freedom because I haven’t written it yet. When I got the review copy in the mail, I read it from cover to cover in a single sitting. Every page holds incredible beauty in word and concept. I still can’t describe my feelings while reading it. It was like having your deepest wishes for all horses revealed lyrically along with elegant photos!
While I realize that reality is different for everyone and I have no right to foist mine on anyone, I only wish the ideas in Gallop to Freedom were a manifesto for all horse people to live by.
This is made me think. I have some issues with learning dressage…the big one being, um, is this fun? Is this horse talking freely to me, getting to express an opinion or a feeling (while maintaining respect and following direction).
I am concerned at times that the emphasis on precision gets translated into an emphasis on absolute control in a way that doesn’t allow for real partnership.
It’s an area I am continually exploring and questioning, both with the horses I ride and the riders I look up to.
Great post!
Jane
Deep thinkers often end up sitting on the rails. I’m waving to you from one right now. *hello!*
I really believe that riding dressage, as with all other physical pursuits, one can only allow freedom of expression in themselves and their mount (if there is one) AFTER they have mastered the basics. And I really mean mastered.
For instance, in dance, you drill and you drill and you drill some more until you have learned everything there is to know about movements. Only after internalizing to a degree you could not have imagined prior to learning them, as well as the entire culture of dance, are you free enough in mind and body to express yourself–as you say, in opinion or feeling.
The horse–as a partner is dressage is often denied this freedom of expression because his human is still learning. As you know, it takes a long time to give the appearance of total control while truly being free, together.
I don’t know.
Ah, the land of the free!
You have the right to free speech as long as you speak English.
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best regards, Greg
this response came in via spam, but I’m allowing it because, off-topic as it is, it echoes my own sentiments.