I was watching the sun light fade and night fall around us in the stable yard tonight… thinking about those “in between” times and spaces and ideas. Instead of just being black or white, the gray areas of dusk and dawn; of the beach between the hills and the sea; of life and what we call death. All of these are not just transitions, but places in their own right with a reality to be experienced, certainly, if not savored.
I also see the value of the dynamic approaches of horsemanship styles. And the multiple ways in which good health is preserved by natural methods. Those in between places serve to blend ideas and make useful all manner of things we might miss with a rigid mind-set. I love using Australian saddles for my riding lessons and I tell students that they are like a combination between western and English styles. People school, handle and relate to horses according to the experiences they have had with the individual equines in their lives. The fact that there are hundreds of different ways to be a horseman is a testimonial to the complexity and individuality of horses.
I use the word “Natural” a lot. I base our feeding program & our healing medicines upon “Nature”. My nature is one of nurturing. It is a state of compassion and support. I do not need to see how “survival of the fittest” runs its course through the feral population of any species. I do not base my experiences or decisions upon what would be needed to benefit the masses. I am concerned with the individuals in my care… those that I cherish. And I share what I have learned (and keep learning) because other people also cherish, adore and care in similar ways.
A student told another trainer that “Katharine can hop up and get aggressive with a horse when she needs to – I saw her light into my horse after he tried to attack me.” Of course I can. Savage actions require immediate reactions from the human to shut down any tendency to push past the boundaries of safety and respect. We respond in the moment to stay clear and consistent. But we must encourage the gentleness that brings true relationship with horses. What each of us craves in such a relationship may be varied, yet our horses have basically one need in the process -they need to understand!
I have thought a lot about changing my use of the term “Natural”- it is used so often for so many things that its meaning is quite diluted and scattered, yet I can find no better word to express my own foundation & teachings. I was using it in articles in the ’70’s to explain how horses need rations based upon roughage and herbs; how horses respond to us when “burdened” by our weight and how horses relate to us as humans (we are not horses – we can learn how they relate to each other, but we cannot mimic them expecting to “fool” them) seeking mutual respect.
My Mother used to say she put sugar in her tea to make it sweet and lemon to make it sour, but the combination was better than either. The in between places are of blending and easing from one thing to another. The in between places are where we can linger, experiencing that gentle shift.
From this life to the next life is an in between place where I think elderly beings visit and sometimes linger when deep in sleep or daydreaming. Spring eases us into summer; autumn eases us into winter.
If we are going to climb to 14,000 feet, we linger at 8,000, then 10,000 feet, making an in between place to adjust to the altitude (they require this when you go up to Mauna Kea!).
So, I wonder why we would expect such immediate, total obedience from an animal, a person or ourselves when faced with a change or a task? Depending upon the degree of the shift and how much change is required, there needs to be an in between place where the transition can flow with grace. When that cannot happen and a sudden or violent shift occurs, it is shocking and that shock will need to be addressed one way or another later on.
Being decisive is powerful. Being decisive is clear and planned and directed. It can be immediate in its application from the space of transitioning, but cannot act like the cracking end of a whip that then ricochets aimlessly. The in between place holds the form of the concept, decision or path and allows the unfolding without interruption or distortion. It may only hold it for a moment or it may hold the form for years.
In all of our relationships, the light of integrity is held by Compassion. If we consider something other than our own motives and agendas, we can open to living a real life outside of the world of illusion. With animals, we will establish communication instead of domination. With loved ones, we will share our very souls. With humanity, we will become beacons of reason and unconditional love. We will shift ourselves and those who resonate with Nature to a higher kind of love and life where the demoralizing of others is simply not accepted.
We think of “riding between worlds” at Dharmahorse. We take what we find the best from many styles and methodologies in horsemanship and in healing. And we help horses and people shift gently from place to place; idea to idea. The world is full of possibilities and in between places.
Stablewomen 