What is it, to dance with your horse? Many people I am sure immediately think freestyle, and music, and choreography...but for me, I think of a vibration.
This vibration is the energetic essence of what we all experience, and what, I believe, we are seeking in those "moments where it all clicks". It is those brief moments of absolute balance and communication, where we are able to share the energy of the horse, to meld and "become one". In that moment, you suddenly understand why "harmony" and "harmonious" are words we use to describe what we are striving for. Because when you vibrate at the exact same frequency as your horse, your energies meld and the sensation is powerful, wonderful, encapsulating and addicting.
It can happen, and disappear, in the blink of an eye. I have found these moments both riding and teaching- teaching is the biggest challenge, and the most surprising, as that takes the synergy of 3 individuals- horse, rider and trainer. If you set out to create it, it never comes. Instead, these are "magic moments" when the focus of all three becomes so pinpointed that time disappears and movement carries the moment. Words support, rather than direct, bodies flow, and suddenly something will happen- dogs bark, birds fly up, a phone rings- and the moment disappears in a puff – it’s what lets you believe that magic does exist, and that we are just too dull to notice.
To get to this place, this "zone" can be taught, and learned- but ironically, in my experience, not with "the zone" as the intention. I believe every rider has experienced these moments, whether riding bareback as a kid or walking your horse out after a lesson. I believe it happens on the ground- in those magic moments that you pause by your horses stall and listen to them munching on their hay, in the moment that you impulsively hug them and stay in the moment just a little longer. THAT is the dance- it touches you when you are not looking, when you least expect it- and being human, we immediately jump up and want to quantify- "That was IT- I felt IT- How did I get there? Let me do it again!" and the more we want, the further away it goes.
As with any flow, there is a mechanical process to be understood. The greater the understanding of balance you are developing/sharing with your horse, the greater the opportunity to experience the dance becomes. I do believe that the scientific description we are given about learning- that it takes 10,000 repetitions to devote a movement to muscle memory- does periodically get jumped. Sometimes the realization in one facet of your focus begets another break through. I know in my own riding, I have never created a "zone" with a horse when I am speaking aloud to another person- the zone, for me, has come from focus, intention, and an absolute mental exchange with the horse when I have captured their attention and their body development allows them to stay with mine. Not every horse, when you first meet it, will allow you "in". Others are open, welcoming, and interested. What always boggles my mind is how open and forgiving horses are- a body that is blocked from years of coarse riding can open in 2 sessions to becoming pliable and willing- while others will protect themselves for months. The "dance" can occur on the ground- hence the huge appreciation people experience with "natural" horsemanship [when it works] or under saddle in any discipline, where the horse and rider understand one another and can enter that seamless moment that observers can feel, as well as see.
I would summarize that the dance begins when the heart kicks in and the brain shuts off. Enjoy the journey!
