Does this work on humans?
After four days of despooking clinic and some reflection time, I want to share my broader perspective on what despooking can teach us.
This clinic wasn’t advertised as one on human psychology, and it probably would not have had so many inscriptions if it had. But it seems like the real work was done on the humans.
Because the next time one of these participants see a plastic bag on the trail and their horse starts to snort ... they will just think “hey kid, you walked by that dancing man. You can do this”
And its that confidence, given back to the horse, that will win the day.
- Only humans dwell - sometimes you just need to go with the flow. Horses have wonderful lessons to teach us in this regard. Their desire to be one with the herd, to establish hierarchy and rules, and to be in the present moment forces us to reconsider our thoughts and actions. Being such generous and forgiving souls, horses begin every moment as a new one. They dont dwell on past issues, they dont cry over lost relationships, they dont get angry over spilled milk. They lock in to their surroundings, feel their environment, find the path that leads to safety and grass. They are fluid. Let us learn to connect with the “herd”.
- Dont focus on the obstacle, focus on what you are doing. Obstacles are everywhere, physical and psychological. Some are created in our minds (“Im not good enough, Im not worthy, I cant do that”) and we fixate on them. We give our obstacles oxygen. Some of us need those obstacles to define who we are and measure our achievements. What if we broke free from our obstacles and ignored them completely? We might be able to redirect our energy to our purpose and action.
- Forward is always the answer, even when facing supposedly immovable objects. Life is a series of moments that propel us forward in time. As we climb the mountain of our existence, we should just focus on the next step, the one step we can control. So many individuals have had to face incredible circumstances and have found a way to make that first step forward. Eventually, the momentum takes over. For now, we just need that next step forward.
This clinic wasn’t advertised as one on human psychology, and it probably would not have had so many inscriptions if it had. But it seems like the real work was done on the humans.
Because the next time one of these participants see a plastic bag on the trail and their horse starts to snort ... they will just think “hey kid, you walked by that dancing man. You can do this”
And its that confidence, given back to the horse, that will win the day.
Absolutely love your takeaways here! So many important life lessons to be taken away from this experience!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dom! In fact I used some of these lessons in my final lecture to my undergraduate students yesterday, to great effect. Particularly around the notion of depriving our obstacles of oxygen. Now the term is over, and my 5 week hiatus begins. Hello, Europe!
DeleteOh I do hope that means there's a Europe blog entry coming when you return! Safe and happy travels <3
DeleteI hope to do some Europe blog posts while Im there, even if they aren't of the horsey variety! That said, I think I could benefit from some time away from the barn to build a good summer training program for my return. Im thinking lots of obstacles, and tarps. ;-)
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