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& holistic horse care.

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Creative Communication
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Horse Whispering in your Home
By Helen Wingstedt

Horse Whispering in Your own Home? Surely not!  But maybe it’s not as unlikely as it seems.   

Following the release of the book and later the film starring Robert Redford many people have heard of ‘Horse Whispering’ but few understand the core of what it’s really about.  Some believe it involves whispering in a horse’s ear, others believe it’s telepathic or a romantic ‘connection’ that exists between horse and human.  Maybe there’s an element of truth in all of these, however, it’s far from the whole story. To understand more about Horse Whispering and why you can practice it in your Home, let’s talk about children.

If you have children you probably know what it’s like to be ignored!  Children operate in a similar way to animals which is to say they are highly instinctual; children clearly see, hear and respond to what’s ‘real’ and avoid, ignore or reject what’s ‘unreal’, it’s also why they generally tell the truth when asked. As they grow older, the tendency to behave this way is over-ridden by the intellect and what they’re taught by the adults around them - the need to fit in to society, to be accepted at school, to have friends – at the same time they’re told to be honest, to tell the truth.. being young and learning to get along in life can be very confusing!

For children and animals life is beautifully simple.   Live in the present, no concerns about ‘time’, say what you mean, mean what you say, tell it like it is without stressing about the future or dwelling on the past. Communication is easy, no hidden agendas, everyone knows where they stand, break-up and five minutes later make-up and so on.  Adult life isn’t so straight-forward, however, as we grow up we are affected by our experiences in life and build belief systems that interfere with the way we see the world and the people in it.  We might stop seeing things as they really are and instead let our imaginations run riot, we might stop trusting, we might stop asking for what we want and consequently no longer get what we want which can lead to upset, anger, bitterness and resentment.  ‘The truth hurts’, is a phrase used by adults but not one that’s familiar to children or animals, for them the truth means freedom in the present.  Children might move away from this way of being but animals, horses and dogs don’t, they remain in a constant state of checking for the reality of any situation, you might be asking your dog to stop jumping up when you arrive home but do you really mean it?

It IS possible as an adult to enjoy ‘freedom in the present’ the way that children and animals do but as a starting point it involves honesty, in other words the truth.  Whether working with Horses, Dogs or Humans for me the same 5 ‘C’s apply - Clarity, Consistency, Consequence, Co-operation, Confidence – I call it Creative Communication, using Communication to Create the outcomes you want.  Horses understand it, dogs appreciate it, children follow it and the great thing is that anyone can learn it and practice it, even in your own home.


© Helen Wingstedt
24  April 2009