Today I feel drawn to the parallel’s between the role of Mum and horsewoman. This year one of my lovely kids has a teacher they are afraid of and this has affected their learning and confidence. Neuroscience has lots of studies proving the link between perceived safety and learning ability – physical and psychological survival becomes top priority not learning times tables…
Our horses are no different so I believe it’s up to us to create a learning environment where our horse survival mode (ie. flight, fight, freeze, fidget, fawn) is not triggered. As we ‘stretch’ our horses comfort zone we need to watch they don’t tip over the edge or we are teaching them to be fearful. We want to guide them back to a more balanced state quickly so learning can resume.
In addition to learning is self-expression. We all know that we are different version of ourselves around different people and that our uninhibited self shows up when we feel physically and psychologically safe or with the help of inhibition numbing like alcohol…
Dosing your horse up on scotch is not ideal so it’s up to us to create a relationship with our horses that ensures they feel safe to really show themselves. That’s when we get to experience the full power, beauty, sense of humour and affection of our beloved horses.
How do you help your horse feel safe to show more of itself?