In a world of ‘get it done’ … i.e. accumulate as much as possible … at minimum a good job, house, family, 2.5 kids, a nice car and at least a couple weeks of vacation … to be considered a successful member of society … there isn’t much room left for self reflection.  If we’re lucky we may focus a bit on fixing self, via whatever anti-depressant our doctor deems necessary, self help books and teachers, spirituality and religion, or whatever else we can find if we have the time to look.

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But, to produce truly good horses (breed, train, manage and eventually compete them well) in a world that believes its resources are limited and often doesn’t see much advantage to reaching for excellence in the pursuit of horsemanship, it helps to dig a little deeper.  And unfortunately, though there are many answers out there, the information is so scattered and varied, it’s hard to make clear heads or tails of it. 

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It’s impossible to navigate a large ship through the open ocean and eventually find land if you don’t know your boat, the water, the land you are seeking, and have the supplies and navigational tools to find and survive the trip to your end destination. In the same way, creating a top horse is impossible without a basic understanding of what it is you are dealing with, in both yourself, the large animal you are working to mold, and the world surrounding you.

  

The psyche of both horse and human are composed of two main elements, soul and ego.  Soul (or spirit) is the energetic life force that is and runs through us. It sustains and guides us throughout (as well as before and after) life if we only connect, much like an appliance being plugged in to a wall and drawing energy to operate.  It inspires and gives purpose, and creates and protects all life.  If you are working with horses you are on some level reaching to connect with, understand and in some dark cases overpower and control spirit. 

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Because a horse, in its truest state, is a profound physical symbol of spirituality.  It is strong, powerful and good; seeks freedom, and yet at the same time seeks partnership with that which can take it to a higher level in the world it currently exists in (us).  It is a symbol of success and overcoming obstacles, and it is not a coincidence that Jesus is professed to return on a white equine.  It also, in its confident state, rebels against cruel control, mismanagement and training.  Though as any horse trainer that has made mistakes knows, it also quick to forgive, if not to forget. 

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Ego is the physical and the mental, on some level separated from spirit.  In a human, it is that which allows spirit to pour our soul into one body, and to think and focus.  It is the desire to fit in, survive physically at the very least, and to be comfortable and even fight and sometimes conquer at best, by its standards at least. 

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In a horse, ego is instinct, developed over thousands of years.  The instinct to run from or fight predators, exist in a group, find food, avoid bad weather, and in a stallion’s case the driving desire to compete against other males, control the herd and win the right to procreate.    

  

To produce and train good horses, one must overcome ego (both human and equine).  Ego controlled is a useful tool.  It helps us to survive physically, provides contrast, creates ambition and inspiration, and helps us to lift our desire to evolve to the next level. 

Human ego out of control is the single most destructive force in existence, and a horse that has the spirit and confidence to be a top show jumper, will not tolerate or partner with it to success long term. 

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As a general rule of thumb, other than in reaction to the human ego, an animal’s ego naturally stays under the influence of spirit.  They are often in a meditative, present state, connected to source, and acting on instinct only when they sense a threat or need to provide in order to survive. 

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The human ego is a completely different creature.  We at our core are creators.  It is a scientific fact that electrons behave differently in the lab depending on who is observing them.  We focus, energy moves, and creation ensues.  We think a thought, and that thought then has the power to live and think.  Law of Attraction (like attracts like) is the unseen force, like gravity, that drives all universal energy, working to our benefit or to our demise. 

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Human ego, out of control, and in its collective form (i.e. a large consciousness that exists outside of the physical form) like spirit in its collective form, has a powerful will and influence, and is the source of evil in this world (a dark creation working to overcome and enslave its creator). 

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It is what theologians for thousands of years have called the devil.  But it is not an entity created by God.  There is no spiritual source of evil … it is our creation.  The only source of evil in this world is the human mind, tapped in to and feeding a large ego consciousness that we have given tremendous power to (Jesus called him the prince of this world for a reason). 

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Despite the fact that is it our creation, it taps into and over powers our minds and bodies, our societies and cultures, and often runs our lives and our world.  In recent times it has become an elusive evil, existing just beneath the surface of ‘all is well’, yet still hates all things spiritual and empowered (soul it can’t control and use).

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It loves the religious concept of ‘be humble and kind’ regardless of the depth of depravity and trauma it encourages, because those unwilling to fight or suffer for the light are easy to manage.  It seeks to control first and foremost through money and youth, and runs the life of every human form imaginable (mother, father, teacher, spiritual leader, law enforcement and military leader, politician, etc).

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A person is born with both a soul and an ego, always.  But, if the soul is repeatedly traumatized enough by a powerful ego, pieces of it will sheer off and leave the body.  Spiritual healers of native indigenous cultures have known this and worked to bring the soul back in their form of healing (a process called ‘soul retrieval’) for thousands of years.  They heal by this method first, understanding the soul is light, and light is life.  It is healing, creation, production … as every good thing this world has accomplished and is would not exist without the energy and support of that light. 

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Ego is darkness … and it knows the darkness and fears of the human mind fully.  It also knows the same way earth wouldn’t survive without the sun, ego can’t survive without the light.  So it has learned to attempt to conquer it to survive.  Whether that means hunting food and eating it or cutting down a tree to build a shelter … it uses this light to allow the body and thus its own essence to continue on.  The contrast it provides does eventually empowers the light, but only if does not consistently and continuously over run it. 

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There is a balance between light and dark, in the world, in humans, and in every living thing.  Balance is the foremost item we seek when we train and ride horses.  But it can’t be found and successfully managed if you do not understand not only the basics of physical balance, but also on some level the basics of this energetic balance. 

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As a human grows the balance of ego and spirit changes.  Youth tends to be very spiritually connected and imbued, but also extremely vulnerable to the power, control and influence of ego in a physical sense.  The same way you can look at a glass of oil and water, and say 75% water, and 25% oil, you can watch the percentage of soul verses ego change in a person as they develop and age. 

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The more spiritual a being, the more strongly they seek, easily connect to and are inspired by their higher soul power.  The more egotistical a being, the more easily they connect to and are controlled by the large ego consciousness.  We do in fact live in a realm of spiritual warfare, but the bulk of that war is fought within.  The physical world we live in is simply a sign of how we are doing internally.  An external manifestation behind what is happening in our own hearts and souls and minds. 

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A truly top horseman and trainer (one who breeds and produces horses from the ground up) will have won that war and have control over his or her own ego.  Because horses are good powerful beings willing to partner with us and show us in an obvious way how we are doing, they are attractive to the both the best of this world and the worst.

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There are humans walking the planet that have literally lost their entire souls, and are 100% ego consciousness, (i.e. the devil if that idea gets the point across for you), seeking control and power over all things light.  Jesus said the devil comes disguised as an angel of light, and his words were exact and 100% true when it comes to the tactics of soul destroying ego.  

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Top horseman have always had the allure of a strange mystical spirituality, as others seeking to become horseman sense on some level an understanding many haven’t found.  Because horses demand this control of human ego of us … to truly master a partnership with them. 

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The darkness running this world is well aware of this fact, and so at times seeks to own and control horsemanship in whatever way it can.  If not by literally training and producing horses because it is simply unable, then by getting their hands on something produced by the real horseman in any way they can. They then tweak, falsely claim and glorifying this success for themselves.  (And breeding top horses by the way, is a gift from spirit, shining a light on those that hold to and seek to protect that which is good in this world).

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A well run rated hunter-jumper horse show, can be a little piece of heaven on earth.  It is usually a beautiful location, populated by strong good beings, who have often mastered both their bodies and their egos.  A show managed to perfection allows for competition that excels, highlights, and honors much of what is good in the world (our own ability to work with nature at its best, and to overcome that which is the most dangerous and destructive in us).  For this reason it IS the sport of kings, and at the highest level, attracts the most powerful, successful beings on this planet, both good and bad. 

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If this good is to continue unhindered, then the light of soul must be preserved and protected.  We must scratch to dig beneath the surface, annoying and exposing the large mass of out of control ego’s true nature.  We have to truthfully and courageously acknowledge and recognize our enemy, this evil that is brewing and overpowering us, get it under control within and without, and keep it under foot. 

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The state of the horse industry is an indication of the state of the world, and the state of the humans in it.  In the United States hunter-jumper industry we have succumbed to the darkness, allowed it to lead and control our focus, snuffing out the light of both horses and horseman, in exchange for comfort and the appearance of success.  Simply because it has come to us in a sneaky manner that appeals to the ego we all possess (winning trophies and looking good on a horse produced often in large part by someone else). 

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But on both a large and small scale ego out of control is a psychotic tyrant that will not rest until every drop of light has been enslaved, and it will in the end if allowed tear this world to pieces.  Spirit will not allow this to happen. The energy of earth is already fighting back, using weather and natural phenomenon to both warn and rid this planet of the plague and imbalance of human egomania. 

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Unfortunately, there are many souls that have made a deal with the devil, so to speak, and succumbed to ego. On some level we all do it; take a job we hate, money from an organization we know is ultimately doing damage, a convenient relationship with a partner we know isn’t quite right, trying to often soothe other’s egos so they don’t make our life too hard (various forms of torture being a tactic it is a master of).  But at what point is the compromise and cost too high? 

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Those who have lost control of their lives and the largest pieces of their soul (if not all) to ego are totally tapped into and puppeted by their larger master, which has allowed it to collect and gain potentially devastating power.  They band together against the brightest lights to snuff out and subdue any chance of these potential leaders gaining a real foothold in this world, and exposing the truth. Because as Jesus said, it is the truth that sets us free.   

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Though I’d like to imagine when it comes to egomaniacal bad guys, there are a group of Marvel style human heroes, supported and glorified on some level by society, willing and able to band together and beat them back at any cost. 

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But in reality, I’d say our world is more like DC Comic’s Gothom City.  Our hero’s often being dark, finding unusual allies, isolated, and somewhat disturbed, having been recognized and traumatized by ego early on, though thankfully supported on some level in unusual ways by the good.

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In a like manner, our society is primarily controlled by the joker (the perfect estimation of mass ego evil consciousness in my opinion) and his band of thugs.  It’s a place populated mostly by those willing to overlook that darkness as long as they are kept comfortable and entertained with a long line of various parades of holidays, fairs and parties, occasionally having money and toys thrown at them.  And a mass that is as likely to turn on and work to destroy its potential heroes as it is to support them. 

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It’s a sad state of affairs, which only each one of us working to find our own balance, connection and determination to subdue the ego that surrounds and controls us can fix.  And any tools we can find to help us navigate our own psyche and find center point and physical empowerment at the same time are well worth preserving, honoring and putting resources towards understanding. 

 

Thus my desire to work for the good in this world; enhance, explain and demonstrate horsemanship at the highest level, and expose clearly the ego controlled illusionist who pretend to be masters, and are not.  Sometimes that means stepping away from and not playing by the world’s ego established rules (which are not by the way, spirit’s rules), in a form of quiet rebellion.  

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Because if your ego runs your life (and I don’t care how physically successful you are) you are not anywhere near the realm of master horsemanship.  Your control of horses and the humans that love them via riding, teaching, competing or any other form of success in the sport, has completely missed the god given point of the entire endeavor.  (As Jesus said, what good does it do a man to gain the whole world, if he loses his own soul?) It is a lie and delusion that desperately needs to be exposed; because it is absolutely unacceptable and gross to those of us working and fighting for the light through horsemanship.   

 

Resources

These are some of the teachers via books, movies, and counseling that led me to this particular set of beliefs, which have helped me to become a prolific and proficient horseman in spite of often overwhelming odds. While I believe these folks are inspired, like all of us, they do have the lens of ego to contend with and speak through.  So no teachings are set in stone, all beliefs are open to interpretation (and often need to evolve with a changing time and people), and I diverge with many of these authors on several key points in areas I won’t get into here (but will be obvious to some by the concepts I’ve put forward).

    

But like all knowledge, the foundation of formal study is key to overcoming ignorance, and those whose ideas have stood the test of time (and have helped one to personally succeed) should be acknowledged. 

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1. Book A Course in Miracles, by Helen Schucman

2. Book The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

3.  Book The Law of Attraction, by Esther Hicks

4.  Book The teachings of Don Juan, by Carlos Castaneda

5. Shamanic healer and teacher of ‘Breath of the Shaman’, Bill Humphrey of Viroqua, WI

6. The Bible …

7. Book and Movie … Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman

8. Movie … What the Bleep Do We Know!?