Personal Photos, April 25, 1992
I've always been enamoured with horses. I took lessons for a few years when I was quite young and have always been fascinated by them. Horses seem to be so intuitive, understanding the excitement or fear of their human companions.
What was explained to me as a child as sensing ("the horse senses when you're scared, so be confident Brittany!") was so interesting to see played out in the trainer's challenge and by Jonathan Field. I was particularly impressed by Kade Mills' approach to 'natural horsemanship.' I felt he really had a connection with the horse and was able to encourage him to overcome his fear to accomplish different tasks. I was struck almost immediately by his calm energy. He talked at the beginning that he must be calm and collected at the beginning because the horse is nervous and anxious after just entering the pen. It was amazing to watch the horse calm down and stand still or follow him around in such a relaxed manner just by Kade changing his energy.
Jonathan Field was very impressive also. He seemed to notice even the slightest change in the horse's attitude or reaction, which often to me wasn't even detectable. He had a really connection with his horses and what appeared to be a deep respect for each other. I know that type of relationship is something honed over time and it shows how much effort a relationship like that requires.
In my field of work, I see lots of people that are very scared or anxious. After watching the events at the trainer's challenge, I'm going to focus on the energy I'm projecting. Perhaps thinking of a calm and safe feeling will help my patients feel that calm and safe feeling too. I'm sure that without thinking I do some of these things anyways, but it will be interesting to see if there is a change when I consciously think of projecting a certain energy.
