Being in the Moment with Horsemanship – A Little Zen Study

Earlier today I had the thought, “Wow, it sure is exhausting to be in the moment with every horse all of the time.” And then I threw my head back and laughed because nearly every day for the last 6 years (at least) I have sought a way to GET in the moment. Being in the moment distills anxiety, frustration, worry, and can make our horsemanship more quality and authentic, along with improving our general existence in life.

I can remember a conversation with a psychiatrist six or seven years ago. She was trying to taper me off some medication for depression and I was telling her how quite often when I was working my horse that I would just feel automatically in the moment, as if nothing else mattered, and I could drop all concerns, anxieties, and sadness and step cleanly into the moment. Basically, “Instant Zen, just add horse.” I only had one horse at the time, and it was easy to find this pocket of happy during the three or four times per week I’d spend with her.

The psychiatrist said, “Now, just imagine if you could transfer that feeling to any situation in real life. Imagine how it feels to be one with a horse…and manifest that in the moment.”

What a genius lady! Unfortunately, at the time I was pretty slow on the uptake and haven’t been much better for the last six years. Plus, an accumulation of horses to work with (four to five per week instead of just one) has turned my avocation into more of a vocation, clouding what perhaps was once more clear.

Until this morning’s realization.

While I was feeling a little angsty about how hard it is to stay so present with so many horses every day, I realized I am presenting myself with the greatest opportunity to achieve that which I’ve always desired: the practice of staying in the moment.

If I can look at my horsemanship as a practice of staying in the moment, then BEING in the moment will become easier and more of a reflex.

For years I tried all kinds of ways to stay more mindful. DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), zazen at the local Zen center, sitting on my own zafu in my office with candles burning, trying to breathe away the back spasms, etc. Headspace app. None of it stuck. I have trouble staying still (yes, I get that’s part of meditation) and I also have chronic back pain, both of which hamper a health meditation habit.

But with those horses, especially as my job, what better opportunity than to enter my Zen garden of a farm every day and practice the one thing I’ve craved for so long.

I’ve always been aware of the necessity of being present with horses and dropping your emotional baggage at the gate. But for so long it has seemed like a challenging and exhausting aspect of horsemanship to uphold for working with more than one horse at a time.

And so, this is my new Zen practice, which hopefully leads to a much more mindful and effective manner of listening to every horse I come across the pleasure of meeting.

Here’s to Zen temples appearing in the most unexpected of places.