Monday 19 May 2014

Relationships on a long rein - part 2


My coaches

Following on from Relationships on a long rein, Part 1, how did what Pam and I discussed translate when we worked with the horses?

We worked with Kid, a mare I’ve worked with before. Pam asked me to go over to Kid and approach her like I had approached the spirit horse in my meditation. I approached her in the paddock, fully aware, thanks to our earlier coaching sessions, to respect her personal space and be vigilant for any signals to say she didn't want me close. I felt I could get close enough to her for her to sniff my held out hand in greeting and then she walked away to the far corner of the field. In earlier sessions I would have taken this as a rejection, but this time I felt she was saying ‘come over here with me’. As if, like the spirit horse, she had taken me up on my invitation to fly. So I did, and we stood apart but companionably as she grazed. Every now and again she would lift her head to acknowledge me. I smiled as I realised this situation was mirroring exactly what I had described to Pam earlier about the shift in my relationship with Henry and my friends! It felt as if the relationship between me and Kid in this session was playful – as if that need for company or to be liked, that I had felt in previous coaching, had melted away. This coaching never ceases to amaze me and there is certainly no hiding your emotions - however deep - when horses are around!

No comments:

Post a Comment