“Sit here on the ground with me,” I encouraged the hesitant woman. She was an older beginner rider who had contacted me because she was afraid of riding her horses. She wanted to ride but didn’t know how to get past her fear. As we stood in her dusty, New Mexico arena, I told her to sit down on the ground and not worry about getting her horse yet. “One of the things that can happen when we have fear with riding is that we feel disconnected and out of control. What you need to realize is that we are always connected to the Earth. You are not disconnected. When you are riding, your horse’s feet are right here on the Earth. You are connected through your horse. Through each footfall. Feel that connection.”
When the woman got on her horse, I helped her to continue feeling connected. It’s easy to think that being on a horse means we’re suspended several feet about the ground. But that’s simply a perspective. In reality, we are still connected. As I held her horse so he wouldn’t move, the rider closed her eyes and felt her connection down through her body and then into her horse. From there, we mentally went down each of her horse’s legs until the rider felt that she was very solidly connected to the Earth with four horse legs and hooves connecting her to it. From that point forward, the rider was able to ride her horse and handle her fear whenever it arose. Whenever she rode, she took time at the beginning to connect with her horse. If she got scared while riding, she simply reconnected with her horse’s legs and their connection to the Earth.
The lesson the rider learned that day can be used as we deal with COVID19 fear and anxiety. Right now, a lot of people are feeling as if they are disconnected from everything in their lives. They don’t know when they will go back to work. They don’t know when they will be able to hug a loved one again. They don’t know when they will be able to go out to dinner or to the gym. There is so much uncertainty, and that uncertainty leads to fear and anxiety.
But the horses can teach us, just like they taught that fearful rider, that we are always connected. We are never truly alone even in this time of self-isolation and physical distancing. You are probably sitting or standing as you read this post right now. Take a deep breath and think about your feet. Think about your body. Where are they? What do they feel like? They are connected to the Earth, whether your feet are actually on the ground – remember, your floor eventually goes down through layers and meets the Earth – or your body is in a chair that is connected to the floor. We are always connected. Through the Earth, we are connected to each other. Every single human being on this Earth is connected right now. No one is alone. YOU are not alone. Feel the connection and breathe.