Last Updated on March 18, 2022 by Allison Price
Fleeting. Graceful. Powerful. Sensitive. Although the beautiful, humble horse is well-known for its many qualities, we should not ignore their ability to make human lives better. Let’s take a look at six things horses can show us to improve our lives.
- Self-Awareness
Horses are prey animals, while humans are predators. Horses are always aware of their surroundings and monitor danger levels because they know their survival depends on their spatial sensitivity.
Equine hierarchies can be formed through confrontations in which horses ‘push’ or ‘be pushed’ to determine who will lead the herd. While we do not advocate horseplay in the workplace, it is important to be aware of the behavior of your colleagues at work who may want to use disagreements with you to move up the corporate ladder.
- Body Language/Nonverbal Communication
Horses are, unsurprisingly, adept at understanding body language even though they don’t have the ability to speak. Horses will run to safety if they feel threatened and infuse their inherent defense mechanism of ‘fight or flight’.
Humans should listen when they are in social situations. If the tone of someone’s voice does not match their body language, you can adopt an equine approach. Ask the speaker questions about their nonverbal messages (fight), before the situation becomes too complicated (flight).
- Serenity
People can feel calmer just by being around horses. However, this could be scientifically supported. Research has shown that horses’ hearts are nine times larger than ours and possess strong electromagnetic fields which can affect human emotions when they are close to one another. This physiological effect can be beneficial to humans in a variety of ways, including lowering blood pressure, anxiety, and empowering oneself socially.
Horse sense is what a horse uses to avoid betting on people.
- Boundaries
Horses can alter the perception of safe boundaries in a person’s mind. If you invade the space of your horse companion, you will be warned. It will not work to control behaviour; the horse-human bond is built on mutual respect, trust and cooperation. This approach can be used to enhance human relationships.
- Confidence
It is hard work to work with a strong horse. Trust is not something you can just hand over to your horse. You will have to work with them from the beginning. Your efforts to bond with others will fail if you’re anxious, afraid, or aloof. Equine therapy can help you improve your self-confidence, and it can also be a rewarding experience. These are valuable assets that you can put to good use in both social situations and at work.
- Responsibilities
There is no hiding spot here. Your horse relies on you to keep him healthy, happy, and well-fed. Are you tired or sick? Too bad; your horse, your responsibility. No buck-passing as is common in human life.
