When you look at a horse, what do you see?

Color, legs, mane, hooves, withers and more? Look harder. Get closer. Don’t be afraid.

Look in to the horse. Look in to what really *is*.

Fear? Friendliness? Boldness? Willingness?

What else do you see?

Stubbornness, Willfullness?  Disrespectful? Ignorance?

Try to bypass the physical and obvious. Look, now, into the heart and what do you see?

The physical part of the heart is interesting in itself but what about the spiritual part of the heart? Can you FEEL that heart? Can you envelope yourself in that heart? Can you become part of that heart? Absolutely, you can.

By looking into the heart of a horse you look into your own heart. How does this happen? Given tEquustcaballusquus caballus, its easy. It happens all the time, minute by minute with each human; each horse.

Watching a little girl’s pony I can tell you about the girl. Watching the cowboy’s horse, I can tell you about the cowboy. Watching the dressage mount, I can tell you about the rider.

Their fears, their desires, their levels of self-control. I can see if they are true partners and leaders or self-absorbed slave masters. How can this happen?

Because I am looking at their mirrors; The Horses.

With all their instincts, their self preservations, their gentleness and sensitivities, the horses make the cleanest, purest mirrors with no clouds. Because they are animals of prey they have to be aware of their environment 100% of the day and night. They have to know whether the lion is stalking or merely walking. They have to know friend from foe. They have to know what is safe and what is not. They have to portray these decisions to their herdmates whereupon they will all flee in the face of the stalking as one. The horse can’t help itself. It is a giant mirror for all to see; if all *will* see.

And sometimes, we don’t want to see even though we will see. For the mirrors show us ourselves.

Next time you’re with your horse, take a good look into your mirror. Take a good look into the heart for horsemanship truly is all about what’s in your heart and how you use it.

Please think about that.

© 2006 Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate
All Rights Reserved.