@morethanorganic

Guest blog by Heather Flournoy, @katonahgreen

Heather, blogs on local enviromental issues at www.KatonahGreen.com. Besides being a social media strategist, a mother and a community activist, she has spent over 30 years riding and training and learning from horses and the natural environment. She has apprenticed with numerous holistic healers, practices herbalism and other healing modalities, and is an advocate for sustainable agriculture.

How Horses Can Help Us Connect With Nature

Most people I've met either love horses, or like to watch them, or want to touch one. I find horses endlessly fascinating. I've been around them most of my life, first in the 1970's my parents had a riding stable in the Santa Cruz hills, where I was either in the saddle or leading my pony Navajo around. My mom says he really baby sat me. As a teenager in upstate NY, my family had a couple of horses and I took English riding lessons at a stable, then joined Pony Club and competed incross-country events. I rode dressage horses in Germany during college, and I've simply never stopped being near horses in over 40 years. At the moment I've nearly given up riding and training them. I just wanted to back away and start over, and see what I could learn,and learn what they want. I now live on a small farm that is host tofour horses and a beautiful black pony named Jack.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of introducing some young children to Jack, and to farm life and to the care of animals. We also have sheep and chickens here. The children had never actually been around horses or sheep outside of a petting zoo. As we walked across the pasture to feed old Quincy, the kids got to experience manure and mud admist their squealing. It's hard for many of us to imagine that there are whole generations growing up now who've never experienced dirt as the precious stuff that grows our food, and haven't looked at manure and thought "that will make good compost!" For me the best part is teaching them to touch a horse, and be safe around a horse, and feel a connection. It's my hope that that single act of reaching out with respect and awareness and caring, will transfer into so much more: Caring about a living being and equating that with a sense of stewardship for the animals and plants and soil.

When I teach someone how to approach a horse, I make sure that first they observe the horse, and how it naturally moves around and shifts it's weight or swishes it´s tail or how it´s ears are always paying attention to things far away. I tell people that horses are fight or flight animals, and it's natural for them to react to their surroundings, and to be very sure they don't take anything personally (like getting a foot stepped on!). Then we approach the horse, watching for it's reaction, waiting for it to say "okay, now you can come in." Sometimes we just stand a while with hands in pockets letting the horse get used to us. That's when we talk.

When we move on to touching, I have people approach a shoulder, watching the head and ears. I have them reach out and put their hands on the horse, one hand on the shoulder, the other on the big belly. Then I have them just feel. Feel whatever they can sense--breath, or heartbeat, twitches, thehorse shifting weight or moving away or towards us. Just following and feeling. It's not something many of us take time to do, 'horsepeople' are often some of the worst at this, as they have developed patterns of interaction which do not allow the horse to communicate with them. More on that another time. Then I have them pull back, and then slowly reach out again, feeling what they can sense before their hands are actually on the horse.

Does he cock an ear? Twitch?Then let the hands slowly touch the horses hair, sinking in to the skin and then leaning in to feel the muscles. Then lean on the horses shoulders. Slowly increase the weight, until actually pushing against the horse and feel him push back against you. If he moves, start over. See if the person can push and let go slowly, and do it overand over until the horse is rocking gently back and forth, feet rooted in place. What power we have! The goal is to develop a manner of reaching out with awareness, with firm, solid touch that is calm;that is totally focused on the horse and the communication and to sense the surroundings, as does the horse.

And then we move to the head. We talk about letting the horse come toward you, letting him sniff you and check you out while you stand quietly being awareof his breath. It's a good idea to know the horse you are doing this with and know that he doesn't bite! Notice if the horse is looking at you with curiousity and friendliness or with trepidation or nervousness. Just wait for him. When he's done checking you out and looks relaxed, then you can check him out. Reach out confidently,but not too quickly and touch his cheek, then move your hands around to his forehead and then under his jawbone. Feel the softness of his nose and the the long hairs that cover his muzzle. You can touch just those, knowing they are sensors for the horse. It may tickle him.Through all of this, don't speak. Against common knowledge, I always recommend quiet with the horse. That way you and he can open the lines of communication the horse uses-sight and listening and feel.You can even tell some things by the sounds of his stomach, which you certainly won't hear if you are keeping up a running monologue.

Horses are incredibly sensitive, cognizant beings.They are hyper-aware of everything going on around them, and things we normally block out of our awareness. They know human body language. They know the unconscious mind of their human friends. If you are smiling, but underneath furious with your spouse, they senset he fury and react accordingly.

There is no pretense with horses, nor with the earth. If we so choose there is a wealth of knowledge about ourselves that we can access through horses. And hope that as people open their connection with animals, they will foster asense of connection with the planet, and grow a sense of firm stewardship.