Pride at the barn

Learning from my daughter

Navigating shared spaces whether in school halls, crowded city sidewalks and endless traffic is a skill. Finding spaces to inhabit while sensing our way through the physical world is filled with rules and negotiations, many of which take place on a pre verbal level.

I really see this at the barn. When my daughter rides, she and the horse are connected, listening to and sensing each other and communicating mostly through touch. As a rider she needs to be sensitive enough to listen to the horse, yet assertive enough to control a fourteen hundred pound beast while also knowing that this fourteen hundred pound beast can be unpredictable.

The people at the barn move with purpose and respect for the power of these animals.

They:

Know what could go wrong.

Know that mammals are irrational.

And

Have a way out.

When you’re dealing with something bigger than you, which could be irrational, how do you support yourself so you don’t freeze?

What are your different ways out?

When do you freeze more, when t…