IntRoducing Star
This is Star, also known as Super Nova. I thought it would be fun to introduce him to you and share about the journey we had together. To share insights into what he taught me when he was with me as a horse in his physical body and also about some of the things he pops into my consciousness to let me know about now.
Star was a young Danish warmblood gelding that I bought during my one of my ‘gap years’ before uni, to produce as a dressage horse. I was a working pupil for a dressage rider and had my sights set on getting onto an U21’s team. For those not in the know about the dressage world this was a fairly impossible goal or even idea with no financial backing and without a Grand Prix schoolmaster at my disposal!
Star had a strange habit of always kicking out at his stable walls and pulling faces towards the back of his body, his back seemed to be sore more of the time than not, he squared off one hind hoof more than the other, he hated hacking on his own and we spent a lot of time on two hind legs both in the arena and out hacking..……….
It wasn’t an easy time, but because of Star I learnt not only about training a young horse, but also equine ulcers, chiropractic treatments for horses, massage for horses, sitting straight as a rider and much more. Through our time together the lady that would come and massage him ended up teaching me a lot of the massage techniques so I could massage him myself. I spent hours pondering how I could get my body ‘straighter’ so I didn’t contribute to the problems and regularly visited an osteopath for myself and became obsessed with yoga, dabbled with pilates and then later on started Alexander Technique lessons.
Some how Star and I did actually get ourselves selected to be on an U21 British Dressage team and went ahead and successfully competed together at a small international competition, something that I had always wanted to do. Looking back that was quite a monumental achievement in itself.
The truth of it was though that Star never did really enjoy being a dressage horse and eventually I made the heartbreaking decision to sell him. Much to my surprise he found himself the perfect human that was looking for her very own Black Beauty that she could love and enjoy grooming and hanging out with. This was quite a novel concept to me back then that you could have a horse and not want to ride them, I remember thinking how lucky to have found such a person for a horse that was clearly not enjoying being a competition horse!
More recently Star unexpectedly came into my consciousness as I was remembering some of the training sessions we had had together. The memories were not very pleasant, and it was a reminder of how harsh some of the experiences we had endured actually were. At the time they were ‘normal’ and I thought that was how you got from a to b with a horse, and being trained by an Olympic rider I believed they knew what they were doing, so followed what I was shown and did what I was told. Star showed me some of the training moments and along with some words he was showing me how it is the culture and what we are surrounded by that produces the actions and ways that we as people behave and be with each other and horses. I came to realise that the reality of the world we are living in is one that has been created by the culture of those that came before us. Somehow layers started peeling away and clarity started to come through. Of course we all have choice in each moment, but when the normality around you is showing you one way, the chances are that is what you will absorb and start to become and follow that way.
That is, until there is a moment of realising and seeing that maybe there are other ways. Questioning what you are being shown and feeling into what actually feels ‘right’ and ‘good’ for both you and the horse. This moment came for me quite a few years after my journey with Star, whilst I was on a practitioner training in Equine Facilitated Learning. What came after that moment for me is a whole other story that I’ll share in another post another day.
Star bringing his black horse wisdom to me on this more recent day was quite unexpected and felt like it opened up the possibilities a whole path in front of me. A path that is inspiring me to want to be ‘back in the game’ in a different way. To be part of things being different in the equine worlds for both people and horses. I’m not sure I necessarily want to be out competing, but the spark for being with and around the horses is definitely there, wondering how this might come about this time around.
Something that amazes me is how the learnings from Star continued to come to me even when I thought our journey together had finished long ago. Something that comes as I write this is the understanding that we learn things in the moments with the horses and animals in our lives, and we never quite know when those learnings will re visit us or be awakened in us in the future. Once you have connected with an animal the energetic connection will still be there in years to come if you are open to it.
If there are horses or other animals in your life you remember fondly, just taking a moment to bring yourself to stillness and think of them from your heart. Take a moment to re ignite and strengthen that connection and maybe you will receive some messages or insights from them in the coming days and weeks too. If you do I’d love to hear about them :0)