As every one knows, I had an unusual life growing up in the desert with horses. Our horses were able to run free most of the day in a herd and go where they wished. They were loose and there were no fences to keep them in from doing exactly what they wanted to do. The freedom, connection and performance I shared with them caused me never to really accept the conditions horses are faced with today. Horses are not free anymore and we keep them in captivity. This is one of the reasons I invented the Waterhole Rituals. We have taken their land, called it our home and horses haven’t any claim to the motherland that frees their spirit, leaves them to raise their families and keeps them together as they wish.

No matter how much some of us love horses, horses need more than love. If we cannot give them back their freedom, we can give them a sense of freedom by giving them companionship, the outdoors, shade, horse friends, grass to graze on, or rides and treks with them in the hills that call them. They need shelter, plenty to eat and drink, vet care, hoof care and a job to do that gives them a sense of accomplishment and self worth to replace the call of the herd.

We can return to them the rituals that they long for, so that they can problem solve, make decisions and believe again that their instincts serve them well. They should be allowed to snort into the wind with pride and to spend time in bonding and companionship doing absolutely nothing. They need to feel in harmony with us and to feel a sense of family and belonging. And even when we have done all of this and have given a horse more than a life of standing alone all day waiting for their master to break their boredom and their enslavement, they are still in bondage.

In our equestrian pursuits it should not be about our pleasure or the sport, game or competition but about enriching the life of the horses. Something that feeds their spirit like their ancestors experienced when then ran free in their wild days of good fortune. When I work with the Waterhole Rituals my horses experience a companionship connection with me at liberty. I feel the essence of the horse’s spirit come alive sharing a magnetic bond in a herd of two in unity that is life enhancing to us both.

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