I decided to join an equine chat group and my my my how different people are with their horses. Horses are kept as far away as possible from the heart and the anthropomorphic thinking is pervasive. Humans projecting human behavior and thinking upon the animal while totally disregarding the animal point of view. It seems they relish in making their horses 'pay' for so called bad or disrespectful behavior based on the projections placed upon the animal. Of course there are others that are more aware of their animal companion.
In my view the animal is not an it, in our presence to follow our every whim, to appease us. The animal has their own mind, feelings, thoughts and beingness.
A year ago I would be rather intimidated by these people. Now I am not. I have nothing to prove unlike some who have to dominate the horse. Domination is the same thing as using force even if its using behavioral techniques. It is equivalent to the narcissist using psychology to manipulate their victim. Would you still call it manipulation and narcissistic even without the use of mechanical aids?
It saddens me that this is prevalent. How much real communication is lost between beings because of the ego-mind.
Animals are not It's. Animals are not here to appease humans while being asked to erase their beingness. Animals are conscious and alive. And yes equines are large beings but timing, connection and heart felt being ness that allows these beings to be cognitively active in their lives creates equines that are alive not helpless. Aliveness is everything.
Indeed, aliveness even in humans who have been traumatized is a key indicator of recovery. Much of the work by in the trauma field from Levine to La Pierre and Poole has shown this! I will be writing more on trauma and somatic experiencing.
