Mindfulness and Mac

We have this pony named Mac; he is pretty famous within certain circles.  First, he is adorable; he sort of looks like a mini-Clydesdale, with big, dark, soft eyes, on either side of a bright, white blaze that runs the length of his face.  He has four white, feathery stockings on each of his sturdy legs and his mane and forelock are full and black, always tousled, always wild.  Besides being handsome, he has a cheerful, playful presence.  This, along with his size, makes him less intimidating for young students and their families.  Because he is small and cute and inviting, he is often inundated and encroached upon by young students, their eager siblings, and parents.   Some may poke, prod, or push boundaries that they wouldn’t dare to breach with a full-size horse   Many times, Mac’s personal space bubble is invaded and he is initially treated more like a dog or even a toy.  

How does Mac feel about this inadvertent, unpleasant treatment?  Well, he has a move - a thing he does in response to such unintentional trespass.  Deliberately, covertly, gently, solidly, he steps all 500 pounds of himself on the nearest, offending human’s foot.  That’s right... he quietly places his small, bare hoof, right on your foot, in a way that is all at once, alarming and grounding, more uncomfortable and disconcerting than truly painful, and never injurious in any real way.  However, Mac’s move always creates a learning opportunity for the sore-footed pupil.  The lesson is an experiential exercise in mindfulness, a practice in becoming attuned with the self and the environment, right here, right now.  His move is an alarm bell signaling a return to awareness.  His small stature and gregarious nature make the implications of injury less critical, so the experience is just uncomfortable enough to be impactful.

Mindfulness has become widely known as an effective and accessible antidote for stress and anxiety and there is plenty of research showing that its practice indeed improves attention and memory, while promoting self-regulation and empathy.  In other words, good stuff, essential stuff.  But mindfulness meditation can be an abstract, elusive concept for many of us, including kids.  That is where horses come in. Working with horses demands mindful focus in real-time.  One who is not operating fully engaged in the present moment may find their horsey experiences to be dangerous, scary, and disorientating.  Mac’s mastery is that he offers experiential corrections that are instantly grounding and inherently meaningful.   His equine nature requires all who enter his bubble to be operating mindfully.  Mac is a prey animal who relies heavily on his ability to read and react to environmental or predatory threats.  Additionally, as a herd animal, his life depends on congruence and collaboration between the members of his herd.  So, from Mac’s perspective, one who is not operating in a fully conscious state becomes a weak link in the herd, a tear in the social fabric of the established, hierarchical integrity of the group.  This is a threat that horses are innately compelled to distrust, fear, or correct so that we can all move on.  Mac corrects.  Ponies often get a bad rap, mostly undeservedly, in my opinion.  Mac’s move could be considered naughty or even nefarious by many, but I believe it is a gift.   

In an instant, for the one whose toe is staked to the ground, recognition and acknowledgment happen.  As the wild-eyed student works to free their toe, wailing more out of surprise than pain, pushing and straining, Mac may yawn or lazily stretch his neck to reach for a blade of grass.  Only once the student takes a deep breath, regains composure, and moves with deliberate, well-articulated assertiveness does Mac free their toe.  At that point, as he carefully steps away, he will look at them as if to say, “Oh, hi.  Glad to see you are finally here.”  And there it is, the magic shift!  For one who is mindful, open, and aware, horses will reciprocate in kind, mirroring a state of being that is emotionally present, balanced, and wholly, refreshingly authentic.  From here, anything is possible.  A healthy relationship is born.  It is an understanding between beings that is free of judgment, fertile ground for cultivating trust, that will grow into an actual partnership between horse and human.  These affinitive qualities are common denominators for both species and can help create the kind of relationships in which both thrive.  

As in everything, practice makes perfect, so applying pony-fied mindfulness to daily interactions and other relationships is where Mac’s lesson becomes a guided meditation, a prompt.  Sore toes serve as reminders to return to the mantra, shepherding the student back to the moment.  Now, fully in their body, conscious, and ready to move through the world, the student is more engaged with clearer boundaries that reveal an empowered, more joyful self.    These are the ripple effects of mindfulness and time, well spent, with horses and of course, ponies.  

I had a young student whom Mac taught to ride, which is to say Mac taught this student about himself.  Over the period of about a year, this kiddo morphed from a frightened, self-conscious, ball of nerves into a confident, beaming, capable horseman who fiercely loved his pony partner.  It is worth mentioning that this student had a hard time making friends or relating to peers at all, and he often felt lonely, misunderstood, and isolated.  We know these feelings can be the precursors to larger issues around self-harm for adolescents and teens, actually full-grown adults too.  Thankfully, for this student, all that loneliness and lack of belonging happened in his pre-Mac, era.   When the time came for the student to move on to a bigger horse, as his feet dangled around Mac’s belly, toes nearly touching the ground, he was ready for the challenge but held an unending, intimate reverence for the pony who had given him so much.  Mac had helped him prepare for the new, bigger horse and, more crucially, for the new, bigger life experiences that were miraculously unfolding in every moment.  

Mac had stepped on this kid’s feet 17 times.  You are welcome, kid.      

-Victoria Williams