Judgments who are they helping?

The other day I posted a picture on social media, I thought it was a nice picture, maybe because I remember how I felt when it was taken. It made me smile, I was with my horse Noonoo and she had made me pause while grooming her, it was one of those affectionate slow grooming sessions, we stopped and she breathed on my face so slowly, it felt like pure love to me. We stood like this for some time.

I remembered so clearly the sensations and feelings I felt at the time, even though it was taken over a year ago. I didn’t expect anyone to see something negative, so when a comment was posted that I didn’t expect I was surprised. I tried not to judge them for it. Luckily I was able to answer and reassure them my horses are not caged far from it, I also mentioned that Noons was free to leave me. The person who commented was pleased. I am sure they had the horses best interests at heart and strong opinions about stabled horses.

I meet many people on my travels sharing The Carolyn Resnick method, The Waterhole Rituals ™ , sometimes they keep their horses in a different way to me, do things differently. The horses are always there for us without Judgment. They have feelings, sensations, they are more drawn to people they feel comfortable with or who ‘make sense’ to them. They always try to understand us humans they love us just like we love them. So why do we let an emotion over a picture cause a judgment?

What if instead of seeing what we don’t like and judging it as ‘wrong’ we look for the good, the part we do like, or simply look and accept what we see???? Without judgement!!! Horses don’t judge.

This lead me to thinking, if I had not been fortunate enough to keep my horses in a way that they and myself are happy with how would I feel? I know I try to do the very best for my horses and most people feel the same. Suppose I had no choice but to put my horse away in a stable overnight? Many people do not have their own property and they keep their horses at a livery yard, maybe they don’t have many to choose from.

I used to teach a young lady who loaned a horse, the place she was kept was a competition yard. The horses were not allowed out in the fields in the winter, it upset me to think of them shut in tiny stables 24/7. The lady in question had no say about this, however she used to spend as much time as possible either riding out, in a large indoor arena riding or doing some ground work, taking the mare out for walks or sitting with her in a round pen just to get the horse out of her stable. She also worked full time so often it was dark. She was a person doing the best for the horse under the circumstances. The horse loved her and they had a great connection at the liberty clinics they came to.

Before you pass judgement please pause. Does it make you feel good to do so? Will it make the person you are judging feel good? will it help the horse? Probably not. If you lead by example and endeavor to show others a way you believe is good it may work better for all concerned. Please leave me a comment.

Love Jayne x