The Practice of Resonance

Written by Stevi Weissbach

Have you ever wondered if we can prevent accidents? Is there a common ground, or a way to tell when an accident may occur? Not really. But when adrenalin levels start building that’s where trouble can start. Once the brain shuts down, we live from reaction to reaction. This is where people get hurt. So what if we had a warning flag before this happens?

Because horses are herd animals, (bred and built to survive) they can switch into fight or flight mode very easily. Some horses are more sensitive than others and take much less pressure for them to “switch,” but it’s usually the sensitive ones that have the bad wrap sheet. Isn’t it?

Once the horse flips into survival mode, his logic and responses are few and far between. But what really sets us up for problems is the “energy resonance” between us and the horse.

The theory on resonance:   Put two violins together in a room. Play C sharp on one of the violins. The other will start to play C sharp, and you may feel the vibrations in the air.

Take this theory and apply it to the horse and rider. Though it is a different type of vibration, you still should feel it throughout your body. When we are riding, and the horse switches into their fight or flight mode, we can feel their fear.  What many people find is that the fear seems to jump from the horses body and into the rider… like a jolt up their spine. And soon both horse and rider resonate a fear “vibe.” It wouldn’t be as dangerous if only the horse gets stressed. But so often it’s both the horse and the rider.

What you want to do is realize when YOUR adrenalin starts pumping. This is usually after the horse is startled or scared, but not always. Be aware of the moment you get stressed or afraid.

You need to separate yourself from your horse’s fears. Take a moment. Breathe from your stomach and into your feet. Or better yet, into your horses feet! Ask yourself: Are you actually in physical danger? Or is it the horse that feels he is in danger?  If you can separate yourself from your horse’s fears you can start to guide him.

On a physical level, horse can’t learn if the adrenalin has caused all his blood to rush from his brain to his core organs. You want to have the horse calm enough to comprehend what is happening around him, otherwise he won’t remember or learn anything.

If you know what is scaring him, take a bit away, and a little more, until he can start to breathe again. And if he’s better with you on the ground, by all means, dismount. Don’t feel that he “Won the battle” because you got off. The point is, in order for your horse to remember the lesson he can’t be fighting for his life!  This doesn’t mean to take him out of the situation entirely; it would be good if he learned about what is scaring him.

On another level, something that will get rid of your tenseness and fear resonance is to be honest with your horse (but don’t be negative-that doesn’t help anything at any time). Tell him that what he does is scaring you, and you can’t help him when you are scared. But that you will still do everything you know how to do, to protect him, guide him, and lead him through the situations he has trouble with.

As you may know, horses don’t speak English. But they do speak body language! It’s the “vibes” that you send out. Of friendship, confidence, and a newfound calmness that will relay your message to him and calm him down.

Next time things start to “wind up,” recognize that you have an opportunity to gain respect from your horse, and your horse has the opportunity to learn from the situation. And no one gets hurt.

If you enjoyed this article then pass it on!

Email me at Stevi@YemayaHorseRetreat.com, 

Writer’s Bio:

Stevi first ran into "Natural Horsemanship" a few years back, when she realized there is a more humane method to working around horses. Her sensitive Arabian cross responded to it immediately, and so has every other horse she has touched since.  She has worked with many different horses in a  variety of breeds, ages, attitudes and experience levels, and found that it isn't the horses that need the training... it's the people. This has been her "mission," to learn how to teach people how to communicate with their own horse.

Stevi hopes to share what she has learned, and is always working at improving our relationships and understandings of our equine friends. It doesn't matter if we don't get it right the first time or that we know how to respond to everything that our horse gives us. What matters is that we are focused on getting better, having more balance, patience, and kindness.