MEDITATION AND VISUALIZATION BEFORE
TRAINING WITH YOUR HORSE
Meditation helps in the expansion of
awareness to bring you into a state of
balance. We are energy, and when we
are in a more balanced state of mind, we
radiate this out to the world, benefiting
everyone we come in contact with,
animals included, and we feel uplifted
and peaceful. Meditation has brought
many health benefits into my life. I feel so
much more relaxed and connected to
my inner self since beginning this practice.
I usually meditate 30 minutes a day, and
that’s enough to bring me into a more
relaxed state of mind. When I am relaxed,
I feel much happier and can focus better,
and am more prepared to go into the
horse ring.
In order to reap all the benefits of
meditation, you must be consistent in the
daily meditation practice. Meditation
feels like daydreaming and it’s fun! It
allows me to think about what I like to
have in my life. As I relax, I focus on my
breathing. I breathe deeply and count
my inhales and exhales. After a few
minutes of focusing on my breathing, I
notice how relaxed my mind and body
have become. Later, with my horses, I
am much calmer and more focused in
my training. Today, I would not think of
entering into a training session with my
horses without meditating first and being
certain that I am focused and ready to
be utterly attentive to my horse.
There are so many benefits to
meditation. I am convinced that if
everyone, including young children,
would learn and include meditation in
their daily life, ninety-nine percent of the
world’s problems would be eliminated
fairly rapidly. There are many forms of
meditation and you can find the type
that is right for you.
Meditation and visualization are
complementary. Together, they are
helpful tools that can be used to
accomplish a goal in the horse ring or
anywhere else you might like to apply
them. To visualize, all you have to do
is close your eyes, relax while focusing
on your breathing, and then focus on
something you would like to accomplish
54 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
EE
EQUINE Health
Did you know that your horse may
know what you are thinking before you
do? That’s why you need to be relaxed,
focused, and ready to work with your
horse partner in a harmonious and
productive way.
and allow your mind to
go through the process
just like you were really
doing it. Later, when you
are actually doing the
task, you will notice how
much easier it can be
done if you have taken
the time to visualize it first
in your mind. Visualizing
is not complicated and
we visualize all the
time anyway.
I learned long ago
to use visualization in
preparation for my
dressage tests. Did you
know that your mind does
not know the difference
between visualizing a test
and actually performing
it in the arena? The
mind sees images or
pictures in both instances.
Visualization is a dry run before you engage in some activity. Before I start
my training, I close my eyes and see myself moving through the dressage
arena. I visualize everything beforehand, in detail. I always visualize that
my training sessions go very well, and end with a positive outcome, and
so they do!
My practice of meditation and visualization has helped me enormously
in the show ring and in training with my horses at home. I was first
introduced to meditation and visualization when I trained in the martial
arts. Meditation is a practice that has been used in the martial arts
around the world for many centuries. In my martial arts training I learned
that whatever I wanted to achieve I had to first be able to visualize in
my mind’s eye. In order to become a good visualizer, I had to make
meditation part of my daily life. Over the many years of my martial arts
training, I realized that meditation and visualization go hand in hand.
Meditation can help us reduce or prevent injury to our horses. Horses
are flight animals and if the trainer cannot be relaxed and calm while
working with horses, that nervous energy is then projected to the horse.
My dressage arena is close to the road. Sometimes motorcycles or a
big farm tractor comes driving by making a lot of noise. Sometimes the
kids rev their engine thinking it’s cool, and when they do this, I have a
hard time staying calm. By breathing deep and relaxing deeper into the
saddle and staying calm and relaxed myself, this energy is transferred
over to my horse. My meditation helps me turn a bad situation around.
It helps me visualize and think ahead. When I hear a big tractor or
motorcycle approach, I calmly ride away from the road side of the
arena and stay in a circle with my horse on the bit until the noise and any
danger has passed.
Horses are extremely intuitive and can sense your state of mind
instantly. It should be easy to understand that any relaxing practice that
calms oneself, centers oneself, keeps one alert, and facilitates inner
peace would be a natural part of a horse trainer’s daily life.
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com