Learning Mindfulness with Horses

What exactly is mindfulness?

It has been defined as maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we're sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. So you’re probably wondering how this can help with managing your mental health.

Being in the moment, brings you down from being lost in your thoughts. We often find ourselves lost in our own minds when we’re experiencing anxiety attacks or depressive episodes. We tend to get caught up in the past or in the idea of what could happen in the future and lose sight of what is in front of us. Being mindful grounds us, it allows for us to be present and to think with a clear mind.

A way to ground yourself and be mindful of the moment is the 5 senses grounding exercise.

5 Senses Grounding Exercise

For use anytime you are feeling ‘disconnected’ from your physical self or when you are on autopilot for too long.

Look around your environment and Identify the following one at a time:

5 things you can see

4 things you can feel

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1  thing you can taste

In this lecture we will go into the two worlds we live in in our day-today life. When looking at everything, it is clear what is in our compass of control and what we have to accept.

Your external world can consist of things like your relationships with people, the bills you have to pay and even the animals in your life. They are all aspects of your life that are important and meaningful but are not internal; they do not live inside your mind.

Your internal world is everything that goes on behind the scenes in your life. Your thoughts, feelings, worries, your views and so on. These are, realistically, the only things that you can control.  Every other aspect of your life is out of your hands and although these things tend to stress us out, we need to be able to be present and in the moment - to see things for what they are and be able to move forward from that point on.

Horses by nature live their lives in the present moment; they are never worrying about the future or focusing on the past. They allow themselves to live freely without any mental prisons. Horses are linear creatures; they live their lives on a steady line. They allow their emotions to come in and out just like a wave and carry on with their day. When a horse is afraid of something, they will snort and run but once they are far enough from the fear inducing object, they settle back down and return to their linear state.

I'm sure you're wondering how this relates to us being mindful in our day-to-day lives and it's quite simple how it relates. When we are mindful of our feelings and emotions we are allowing ourselves to live in the moment; we then become linear and can enjoy life a little more. Learning to be linear and mindful like the horses are allows for us to manage our mental health and that internal life that we spend so much time in.

It is so important to be mindful when around horses because something as simple as a fly biting their leg could turn into a disaster. If you are not present and in the moment, you can be missing so much from the silent conversation you and the horse are having. If you are focusing on something else like work, you are not in the moment and are missing things like the snap on the leadrope wiggling loose. This results in the horse getting loose and potentially getting into some mischief. Because you would not be aware of any of this, you could easily be on a hunt for your horse for hours on end, trying to coax them back to you with treats and promises of no arena work!

I made mention of the silent conversation  you and the horse have during an interaction, this can be obstructed by any form of worry, anxiety, or stress. When we focus on something other than the moment we are in, we lose that contact. We no longer have the connection and we are simply two beings in the same area as opposed to two creatures who are bonding over the moment. In the activity for this section, be sure to be in the moment while grooming. Let your emotions come and go and the horse will too, you will become two creatures bonding over the grooming moment; something horses do in the wild.

Everyday we experience many different feelings and have thousands of thoughts. In order for us to remain grounded, we have to be aware of how we are feeling and how to manage these feelings. A scale from 1 to 10 is how a lot of things can be rated; movies, restaurants, experiences etc. We can also rate our emotions from 1 to 10. The lower the number, the more calm you are feeling. The higher the number, the more intense your emotions are.

Being able to judge and rate your emotions is an incredible way to stay grounded and mindful of your situation. When you can feel yourself reaching about a 5 - 7 in that scale, practicing mindfulness is a great way to keep your cool before the emotions intensify and reach an all time high.

We go into this rating scale more in depth in our Overcoming Anxiety with Horses course.

We can measure a horses' emotions and behaviours on a scale as well. When working with the horses, you'll soon realize that what you're feeling and thinking will be mirrored back to you by the horse. Our mare Rina tends to stay between a 2 and a 6 most days. She is a very calm horse with very few things phasing her. When she does reach a higher rating, I can almost always guarantee it is because of my emotions. Taking a moment to be mindful and bringing myself back down from my thoughts can make a world of difference in the day we will have together.

Being mindful in your day-to-day life is a great way to make sure you are present and aware of what is going on in the world around you. How often do you wish summer wouldn't go by so quickly? How often do you blink and suddenly it's Wednesday and nothing has been accomplished? Practicing mindfulness in your everyday life helps to keep you aware and focused. This not only allows you to enjoy the little things in life like moments where you witness moments of horses grooming one another, but you also get the most out of your life.

There are so many ways to be mindful with horses. Like a mindful walk; taking your horse for either a ride or even walking next to them and taking in everything within that moment. Emptying your mind of all your worries and focusing on what is right in front of you.

You could groom your horse and remain in the moment; being mindful of the little things. The tiny hairs, some may be white and others brown. You may notice small bug bites or a knot in their mane. You do not have to associate any meaning to these things, just take note of them and then let them go. Being present and awake.

It is known that horses help with our mental help; just their presence is therapeutic and being mindful with them is an incredible way to be at peace. Although horses are a great way to be mindful and completely at peace, they aren't always able to be with us. Unless you're lucky enough to have horses around you all day every day, there will be times you'll need to be mindful on your own.

Ways to be mindful without horses include: 

Mindfully eating

Eating is something we just do. We don't ever really think about it much; we just feel hungry so we eat. Next time you eat something, really take into consideration what it is. If you're eating a grape feel the texture before you put the grape in your mouth. Really take note of the colouring and then chew it slowly. Being aware and mindful of everything is a great way to practice. Try doing this with chocolate or a treat  you really enjoy. It will make it even better! 

Brushing your teeth

We tend to rush through our daily routines without thinking much about it. A great way to be mindful twice a day is by brushing your teeth. Truly tuning in to what you're doing and not worrying about everything else in your life is a great way to start and end your day. Be aware of how much toothpaste you're using and how hard you're brushing. Do you do circular motions? How do your gums feel? How do you prefer the water? Hot? Cold? Going through the steps one by one and being present not only benefits your oral hygiene, but will help you manage your thoughts and emotions in the long run.

This is the 8th and final lecture of the course. We will be going over every topic in this lecture and ways for you to move forward on your journey now that you have completed the course. I hope you enjoyed this course as much as I enjoyed making it.