Figuring Things Out

Kim Cardeccia | https://confidencethroughconnection.com/

Recently, I was involved in a few different situations that resulted in conversations around the topic of figuring things out. This journey into logic can be beneficial, and it can also cause some hiccups in our quest to build trust with our horses. Many of us strive to understand. We want to increase our knowledge and strengthen our skills to be better We love learning Grasping and integrating concepts and techniques to improve our partnership with our horses is something we crave. We could consider these things figuring it out.

It can be a little different when we are trying to figure out how to address a challenge in real time with our horse (works in a similar fashion to challenges without horses, too, just in case you were wondering). Circumstances where this topic of figuring it out arose were around why a horse couldn’t. The horses were not able to accept many invitations.

Including being ridden. Humans were trying to figure out why. There weren’t really obvious answers to the challenge. Yet, the horses in front of us were doing the best they could. This is helpful to remember Our horses aren’t trying to upset us. How crazy would it be for a prey animal to provoke a predator? Seriously, they are not trying to pull one over on us.

Mostly, they are trying to survive. This might be all that we can really figure out about the situation. If we accept our horse’s truth and meet them where they are, the reason behind the behavior becomes less important. Moving forward is possible if we release the mental struggle.

It can be quite a balancing act to determine when to mentally grapple with something and when to let it go. It can be easier when we release the need to know. Deciding to direct our focus on the present moment guides our attention away from the past.

It can definitely be a bit much to sort out. To help us navigate the journey, we can look to our emotions. If we are calm as we ponder the situation, it’s probably ok to keep going. Maintaining a light internal feel and curiosity will allow us to determine our next best steps. However, if we are frustrated as we try to figure things out, this is probably a good time to pause and bring ourselves back to the present moment and drop the pressure of making things be different. If our horses aren’t accepting our invitations, there is something that is off in their world.

Either they are confused, afraid or in some amount of physical discomfort. Maybe all of the above. We have to meet them where they are and instill calm. If we haven’t claimed our own calm, it will be much more difficult to help our horses find theirs. Our brains operate in such a way that when our emotions are high, our thinking is low When thinking is high, emotions are low It’s about blood flow, not incapability Just as we work with our horse’s innate ways of being, we can help them even more by working with ours.

Be curious. Stay open. Build trust and partnership.

Kimberly Cardeccia is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 35 years of horse experience.

Online at: https://confidencethroughconnection.com/

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