How you do one thing is how you do everything.

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Something I first heard in a yoga class, which landed so poignantly with me I think of it almost daily as I move through the motions. It doesn’t speak to a specific tool or diagnostic we are often seeking to help our work with horses. It speaks to a universal quality we want to be aware of when we are working with horses that can, and ultimately does, affect how we show up for each other overall.

I love universal truths. And I equally love when these truths are revealed to us through seemingly unrelated fields or bodies of work, and they often are. Proofed by their ability to cross the borders of an often rote vernacular that has the ability to dull the senses, especially if we are strictly seeking insight from the sometimes small pool of knowledge our work is born from. They offer a change of perspective, a new point of reference….they are refreshing, which means they can capture our attention.

If we wake with a jolt and immediately move from that urgency, how will our muscles be soft or receptive enough to allow a full breath?

Our hand- if rushed and tight, clenched to the toothbrush, coffee mug, steering wheel, zipper racing up the inseam, typing vigorously, grabbing the barn door. How can we have a soft hand on the other end of the line from our horse?

Our eyes - if fast and racing, glued to a changing screen. How can these eyes notice a subtle shift out of alignment in our horses footfall? And even more, how can such eyes inspire the soft and trusting constitution we want looking back at us while we work with them?

Once we become aware of how we are showing up throughout our day we will begin to see the mirror in our work with horses.

The solution? A resolution to start small and keep coming back when you fall back to old habits. Simple, not easy.

How you do one thing is how you do everything

Notice how you breath when you go to meet your horse in the pasture. Is your throat tight? Are you allowing your body to breath fully?

Look into your horses eye before lifting the saddle over their wither, connect with their expression. Allow a moment of recognition, an invitation of softness.

Let your eyes meet someone else’s on the street when you walk past, can you let yourself connect with another body passing by you? Pet your dog with a soft hand, hold your child or partner’s hand with a little more tenderness and presence.

When you slip up and fall back to rushing, hardening, or putting the blinders on, try to be kind to yourself. Sometimes kindness is letting yourself express and get loud in a safe space. Do that, and then notice how you can better be a safe container for your horse to express themself.

Simple, not easy. Definitely worth it. Start small and keep coming back to yourself. Your horse and everyone around, including you, will thank you.