When working together and collaboration is being settled up, sparkles can always appear.
From my experience in the field of equine assisted services and offering horseback riding lessons to humans around horses. My journey has brought me to think about the concept of HOPE.
When diverse humans arrive at equestrian facilities and demanding for a service that suits their reality. They have the idea in their mind around hope towards equine assisted services for some type of solution that can help them improve their wellbeing.
So as conscious equestrian professionals that we are, we should look around our practices and start developing skills to understand service users' wills, look into their eyes and be honest of what we can not do and what we are qualified to offer. And it will be ok to just accept that we (all) are in a continuous learning growing process.
That’s why I want to write these ideas and share them out to the world. Because what's the point of describing common standards if the base and common point is not well balanced.
From my experience and looking back on what loads of families and service users are looking for is these hopes for an optimal future for their siblings. So I believe that equestrian professionals have the ability to manage hope for all individuals.
And to understand hope, we should look into the definition: “Feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen”. So it is something intangible, something that we can not measure, but how to manage this situation?.
So as a riding instructor and horse trainer, when service users come to the stables and ask for the adaptive riding service. They all come in with the expectation that horses and equitation are going to solve their disorders, syndrome or diverse characteristics.
How can we manage these situations? I believe we have two choices (of course they can be more and infinite situations, but being honest all around the globe we can resume to these two:
Economical situation.
Open heart situation.
Economical situation | Open heart situation |
Equestrian facilities aren't sustainable Every service user turns out to be a potential client, and we need clients to pay bills. Humans act mechanically to fit more services in the timetable. Making horses behave “mechanically” for the use of humans. Feeling overwhelmed for so many tasks. Assisting tasks and chores to be done for the exchange of money | Understanding their willingness to start a process and hope for something more optimal. Having the patient to understand their individual situation. Individuals can help individuals. Assisted by the presence of horses it can be multiplied. Respecting and understanding sentience. Trying out and discovering new situations. Opportunities everywhere. Assisting growing procedures Value human and horse team professionally, being rewarded ethically. |
So how we approach our daily life in our projects and with these two perspectives.
From my point of view, I have undergone a process from economical situation to open-heart situation, and this is a hard process (still working on it).
I am not a “hippy flower person” I am just trying to achieve my best version and with the tools and experiences I have try to offer my best in the services I do and my daily life.
For me shifting to understand equine sentience and really include horses as partners and collaborators has been hard, but this has to be an essential point of the equation. When you allow yourself to see them (and feel them) as real partners and let them be and express themselves, just as with humans. Then the partnership is based in confidence and trust, things come smoother and turn more enjoyable for all, and I believe that this point is what we need in the adaptive riding process.
Because if the lesson turns out to be enjoyable then humans and horses will be motivated to continue training, working, belivening and growing in the services. When one of the parties turns out to be apathetic and not willing to do the activity, then it's nonsense to continue with the service, and then they start to be unsafe for humans (even if you are being paid millions of dollars, the situation would be totally unsustainable, even financially it's really profitable).
So just to undergo this shift of mindset from an economical point of view to an open-heart is the key point where I want to go. And being “open-heart” doesn't mean that the financial part is not important, but it has to be very well balanced and of value for all the parts of the equation, in order to be really healthy.
I believe that being honest and understanding all the needs provides a clearer framework of your service, how to make it sustainable and financially rewarding for all. Where humans and horses are plenty satisfied about their developmental process in achieving an optimal quality of life.
At least in my personal point of view these has help me understand my vision of my services and my passion:
Clearer framework > Shared growing spaces with equines to facilitate and optimal quality of life
Sustainable for all > Were my personal and professional projects meet together, partnering and not disturbing them (synchronizing)
Financially for all > Where with my own means I am able to offered, respond and answered to all their needs
This is why I don't like my job, I love my job and my life around horses, nature and humans.
I would like to end up with this open question and listen to your thoughts, thanks for your time to read these.
Won't it be great to have a lesson where all the parties are invited and included to partner?