A Seasonal Suggestion

                             This Holiday Season, Enhance Your Horsey Relationships!
                                                     Offer Your Four Hoofed Friend
                         
                                  “Undemanding Time”
                                                       (see Youtube video below)


    Undemanding time is, plainly given, time spent without demands or expectations on either side. Doing this with your horse can be relatively easy and stressless. Requiring little time and energy, spending time, without demanding time, shows your horse another side of you- a side that can ‘sit and be’ without asking or expecting anything. 


    Lets imagine a scenario between you and your horse, from their point of view. You come into your barn, cheery and eager to spend time with your horse. You say your hellos and proceed to lead your horse out of his stall, then groom, saddle, and walk him out to work on the intended goal for that day. As you begin to work with your horse, you mind is scattered. The holidays are closing in and among a great list of things to think about, you’ve got family, parties, weather, and crowds on your mind. These thought create restless energy inside of us, and believe it or not your horse can feel the elevation of your scattered thoughts and scattered energy. Although you are present with your horse, and intend on working with them, its unavoidable that your focus is drawn to surviving, among other things, Christmas dinner with your mother in law. If you are feeling unfocussed, your horse will too, and you may both end the lesson feeling frustrated and anxious, which could be sending you backwards in progress rather than forwards. 


    If this sounds even a little like you, I may have a solution. No, I’m not going to do your shopping for you, or sit with your mother in law on Christmas eve, but I can suggest that you keep things simple for your horse during the holidays. Simple for them perhaps may mean simple for you. 


    Instead of being with your horse physically, but not mentally or emotionally, why not take a step back and offer your friend ‘undemanding time’. Be the friend that comes for coffee. Sit on a bucket and read a book while your mane partner munches on hay. Play “find the cookie”- where you set up a cookie scavenger hunt for you to lead your horse to as you take a walk about after you’ve sat and visited for a while. Come up with your own relaxing way of visiting with your horse like you’d visit with an old friend- no demands, no expectations, just time well spent. 


    These simple and undemanding exercises are powerful for one reason- they build relationships. Your horse will be surprised and delighted that you are there just to ‘be’ with them. Giving yourself and your horse a well needed rest, after a years hard work, is a win for both of you! Quality time is NEVER wasted time, its time that is being invested in an important relationship. When your horse knows you care enough just to “hang out”, he will want to be with you more. Curiosity, relaxation, and the simple joy in doing nothing, has effect on the mind, body, spirit, and relationship to others. 


    Think about this simple relationship builder for a little while, then try it out. If your horse could speak to you, he might just say something like this: “Heh, that was a lot of fun! Can you hang out tomorrow?