What is Equine Mindfulness?

What is mindfulness? I like to think of it as being here, now. In other words, not in the past, not in the future, but in the present moment, aware of the myriad bits of information available through our senses, thoughts, bodily sensations and intuition. Horses happen to be experts on the subject of mindfulness, and we can learn so much about it in their presence.

One way horses can teach us about mindfulness is by modeling the behavior for us. Horses, by their very nature, are mindful. Because they are prey animals, they instinctively keep themselves safe by living in a state of awareness of their environment. This awareness allows them to tend to their needs as they stay alert to potential threats by continually receiving information about, and reacting to, their environment. In striving to be horse-like, we may also benefit from mindfulness by being more conscious of our own needs and staying safe, therefore reducing stress and conserving energy.

Another way horses teach us mindfulness is through their reactions and responses to us in each moment of our interactions. Since we are a part of our horses’ environment, they are continually monitoring and reacting to our feelings, moods, body language and energetic qualities. If we are mindful of the feedback horses provide to us about ourselves, then they serve as a barometer of our state of being. Remember that any feedback they give us is in real time. This means that as we change something about ourselves, we may immediately see that shift reflected back to us by our horses.

The benefits of mindfulness are innumerable. Incorporating it into your interactions with your horse can be immensely rewarding for your relationship and is an important skill to carry into other aspects of your life. Learning to be aware of the feedback you’re getting from your horse and yourself in each moment can help reduce stress for both of you and enable you to make appropriate decisions during your time together. You will be safer, the lines of communication will be more open, and the opportunity for harmony and joyfulness increases.

Mindfulness can improve the quality of the time you spend with your horse by preventing superfluous thoughts, baggage from your day, or concerns about the future from stealing your attention or negatively affecting your interaction. If your thoughts are elsewhere, you may miss important communications from your horse and information from your environment.

Furthermore, if you can be aware of the feedback your horse offers you about your state of being, you’ll become more conscious of the way you show up in your life on the physical, mental, emotional and energetic levels. Being conscious of how you show up means you have more influence and decision-making power over every aspect of yourself. Another benefit of bringing mindfulness to the time you spend with your horse is that you may realize how your thoughts affect your mood, how your mood affects how you feel, and how you feel is reflected in your body language and the energy you give off. Horses are masters at reading all these non-verbal signals, so if your awareness is in the present moment you can avoid bringing in elements that aren’t necessary, helpful or relevant.

While mindfulness practices positively influence the relationship between you and your horse, they can also be carried into other situations and relationships in your life to create similar benefits. For example, consider the benefits of really listening and being aware of the communication, verbal and nonverbal, coming from yourself and those around you.