Mini Project

The Spirit

I lost myself,

Yet here I am,

Searching for my spirit,

To answer the questions at hand,

The bitter cold,

The empty pit,

My longing to feel complete,

And you perfectly fit,

The cool breeze gusted,

My hair flew awry,

I heard thundering in the distance,

And my heart let out a sigh,

Time stopped,

As hoof beats echoed within the hills,

Your presence stopped time,

And your grace gave me chills,

The power and agility,

Beyond compare,

I felt the walls around me,

Beginning to tear,

Strength to live,

The heart to be free,

Everything I lacked,

You managed to be,

Noble, yet compassionate,

I saw true integrity in your eyes,

Knowing from that moment,

My soul would no longer cry.

Reflection:

 I began this project writing a short story about a Navajo Indian searching for a way to connect to their heritage and figure out their sense of self. I intended to have the story include the connection and healing felt between a horse and humankind. The Native American culture is not one that I am familiar with, however after brainstorming for my project I found that the major differences in culture was language and that communication with horses in any culture was virtually the same.However, as I began writing I realized that even though I did have a powerful message, condensing my thoughts into a fluid rhythmic piece was more symbolic of a horse than I thought. I found that writing my story in an abstract, yet concrete way, I was able to embody the essense of the relationship between a horse and a human as well as the movement of the horse itself. A horse's movement is powerful, agile, yet manages to be a fluid motion much like a poem that leaves room for interpretation. Researching novels about the way horses process information and their thought processes I was able to conclude that in general horses are willing, adaptable, noble, powerful, graceful, and intuitive creatures. Those qualities are intriguing, however, I am more interested in communication between horse and human and how different qualities of each party mesh in order to create a coherent companionship. I find that the relationship between the two are complex and unique to each pair and that even though there is no spoken language between the two there is a deep understanding and connection that harbors a higher level of communication no spoken language can describe. A deep awareness, respect, and intuition on each end leads to a more dynamic, powerful connection. The communication between a horse and an individual consisits of many factors: body language, energy, mutual respect, tone, and self-awareness. These important qualities are the essentials for a foundation between a horse and rider. In reflection of my own history with horses, I realized that my experiences embodied many characteristics of the HOMAGO Essentials. My passions were supported and horseback riding was definitely an interest-driven activity. The opportunities were provided for conversation between experienced horse trainers, caretakers and I, as well as giving me a sense of ownership for what I did through personal artifacts such as trophies or simply seeing the progression in the training of a horse I worked with. I am continually learning and growing my skills and knowledge in the horse industry, and I have been able to apply them in my horse training techniques. I have focused more on mutual understanding, respect and understanding and the connections I build with the horses I am working with are stronger that I ever thought possible. By gaining a better understanding of the way a horse interprets, behaves, and communicates with other horses, I have a better understanding of how I should communicate with a horse.