“It’s not about the horse. It’s about overcoming fear and self doubt.” Wyatt Webb’s words and the name of his book.
As mentioned in Miraval™Clue-In to You, by far my favorite offering at Miraval is The Equine Experience created by Wyatt Webb, Miraval’s Director of Equine Programs. You can take it as a Clue-In offering during any stay or an intensive immersion is offered with Wyatt several times each year. This is a truly moving experience…a form of therapy that “blends horse sense with common sense”!
As Wyatt says, “How you relate to this animal will tell us how you relate to all living things. Your basic training has come from learning how to treat people. Remember one thing: It’s not about the horse…What we’re here to look at is what you’ve learned over the course of a lifetime that either works for or against you in your relationships.”
Horses need communication. And this comes from you being fully present  with your intentions, not from words. This was amazing to me, not having spent much time with horses! These 1,500 pound creatures need you to be strong and direct, to take your emotion out of it (hard when you’re standing next to one of these big beautiful creatures). With your energy and behavior, you guide them to what you want them to do.
During the class we worked with specially selected horses and great facilitators. You start off performing basic equestrian skills like cleaning the horse’s hooves. Sounds easy, right?! Its not! Through the process you’ll see your personal patterns come to light. For me, it was about forcing and pulling the horse’s leg into doing what I wanted, which didn’t work. I had to take a step back, get really focused on my intention then go back to the horse with calm and directness. I had to take the fear and emotion out of it. When I went to him breathing steady with intention, it worked.
The other cool thing you do is get in the pin with the horse and use your energy to move the horse around the pin…fr0m walk to trot to run and change directions (you use a guide as an your extension but you only drag it in the dirt near you, no touching the horse!). It really is quite amazing!
For me it was a very enlightening and powerful experience! You tap into your inner self, face some things you may have been supressing and practice living in the present moment. It sums up my Miraval experience overall. I can’t wait to go back!
* Sources: Its Not About the Horse, Its About Overcoming Fear and Self-doubt by Wyatt Webb with Cindy Pearlman, Miraval website[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]