Ignorance is Bliss!

They Say IGNORANCE is BLISS!

There may be some truth to that...

Before Margrit's visit I was a decent horse owner - I didn't over work my horses; checked weight changes weekly; paid for a professional to massage them every month - and went on as many horse related courses as time and money, would allow.  I'd quickly call a vet if needed and always give my horses proper time off while I was away...  what's good for the Goose etc.!

But there were many things that I was not doing or had not questioned before Margrit's visit.  Like my horses living out 24 x 7.  I had always been on yards where the routine was horses came in around 4pm each day.  Then there was the matter of shoeing.  I'd always had my horses shod because as my vet reminded me only last year "90% of horses in this country are shod".

What's really scary is that when Essy and Solar lived in America they lived out 24 x 7 x 365 days a year.  They lived on a ranch freely roaming hundreds of acres with 50 plus head of horses.  They were loaded en mass, into a trailer four times a week to travel to play polo.  They wore no head collars in the trailer nor travel boots.  In the fields they wore no rugs or fly fringes.  Naked ruled!

Yet, as soon as I brought them to live in England, I succumbed to our British traditions and piled on the layers, tied them up to transport them robbing them the freedom to find their balance. I stuck to human convenient feed times and wrapped them up in cotton wool for turn out with leg boots to look like the Michelin Man!

I had seen a different way of life in America but still didn't even STOP to consider my options once I was back in the UK.

I can't say I was subject to some big bullying oaf telling me  'it's his way or the high way' - I just slipped right back into how things are done without regard for if there was a reason why?

This is why I dislike  mediocrity, convention and rules, because it kills curiosity! Yet it's even worse when you realise you hate rules but you're the one now following them!

So is 'not knowing better than knowing and worrying?'  

In an earlier blog (what we resist, persists) - I fessed up about my habitual worry head nature. Of all the changes I've made and of all the insights Ive gained since Essy spoke with Margrit, one of them has actually reduced my need to worry.  It is this; now I know I can communicate with my horses.  So I do!  With intention, care, and conscious thought.  Perhaps more important is that I now wait for a response.  It might be a nod, or snort, a change in breathing, 'state' or expression.  By standing back, pausing and giving my horse space to 'hear me' - I am giving myself space to listen and look for a reply.

Suddenly moving yards ten days ago wasn't a big deal.  Ive never been so calm.  I had explained to each of my horses what would happen, why we were moving,  and I'd carried a mental picture of where we were going to be living so they could share that image, in advance of arriving.

If horses are like children - wouldn't some explanation and re-assurance be something a decent parent would offer their kid during times of unrest or change?  I'm not suggesting our horses are children in any way, but if we are supposed to love them AS IF they are .... we should honour them with the same respect.

Knowing that I can communicate with my horses and that they can react back means I no longer have to carry all the weight of the world on my shoulders. Horse ownership has at times felt like a massive weight to bear -  their health and welfare in my hands!  Once you have real communication (2 way) in any relationship the responsibility is shared, providing everyone is being honest!  Fortunately horses are always honest.  Question is are we?  Developing real conversations with my horses is making "honesty" a daily habit!

All 3 of them loaded within moments to move yard.  Grace hasn't loaded in over 2 years and Solar in nearly 4 years.  Last time we moved yard it took 3.5 hours to load Solar!  The difference now?  She's older, less fit for travel - which should have made it another long session.  What else was different? We talked! I asked her to trust me, I explained what would happen, that Essy and Grace were all coming too.

Essy poor boy, last time I loaded him in August was to have a hole drilled into his head so if anyone had reasons to not load it was him!  I had the same conversation with him too, only adding the promise of no hospital, no drill, no headache and no pain.  He walked straight up the ramp!

In the spirit of honesty then ignorance is bliss;  it reduces the number of decisions to be made.  It maintains the status quo.  It reduces our options and choices.  It avoids change.  It enables us to stay safe and 'fit in with others' and can stop us making an ass of ourselves or going it alone!

Conversely, ignorance is no excuse! It stifles curiosity, stymies our growth, and keeps us metaphorically asleep! Ignorance will dismiss intuition and deny us a way to integrate aspects of our life. It also opens up the possibility of regret!

We can of course continue to put our heads in the sand and plug our fingers in our ears...

Or, 

...we can seek to be what I term "map makers" and  carve out the route ahead. Take each turn in the road as it comes, and erect our own land marks along the way.  Finding our own 'path' guarantees a bespoke adventure and only tailor made solutions can ever meet our very individual life needs.

Time to stop hiding in the flock, take a risk and fly!

Waking up and connecting with our selves, our families, and the potential in our lives, requires our horse to be firmly in the center.  He is the catalyst for revealing more of who we are.  He or she will help us to transfer learning and skills across different landscapes: work, family, home, and sport.  He shows us what we are avoiding and reminds us how to help others be the best they can be!  All without expectation in return.