Horses

My uncle had a ranch. Their horses grazed the pastures during the day and were in a barn overnight. Occasionally, my cousin and I took responsibility for putting them in the barn.

It was a fairly simple job. We checked over the property and made sure the various animals had food and water. We made certain the gates were closed and locked when appropriate. On a ranch, if you open a gate, you close the gate. Always. Finally, we let the horses into the barn. We gave them flecks of hay, food, and made sure they were safely in their barn stalls.

One night, we brought a friend who wanted to see a horse up close. Horses are bigger and stronger than city folk might expect. They can be gentle and will carefully eat a treat from your hand. When irritated, they would stomp or holler and scare the crud out of me.

Our job was to stand in the middle of the barn. We needed to keep the horses in the back half of the barn and not go all the way through. The heavy metal barn door slid open, and the horses were ready to come in. They ran towards the barn and were in a full trot as they entered the barn. In an instant, our friend realized the magnitude of how big and strong these creatures were. It was too overwhelming on his nerves, and he took off towards the back half of the barn.

As prey animals, horses are constantly on the lookout for danger. They are quick to bolt, typically as a herd. They did not question that it was a human running. If there is running, then they RUN. Survival allows one to assess the level of threat later on. In the scramble, my cousin took a decent kick to the stomach. Still doubled over, he caught enough breath to shout, “Stop! Get big!”

The way to stop them was to stop ourselves. So, I grabbed my friend, and we raised our arms. This demonstrated there was no threat. The horses settled and went to their stalls.

Sometimes, I am running with the pack and not making my own decisions. At times, the right next move is not the obvious one. Frequently, following the guidance of my standard biological response isn’t the best advice for a situation.

Am I making conscientious decisions or traveling with the herd? Can I pause to hear or determine the wiser next move? Do I acknowledge my biological response and then choose the best response for the circumstances?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.