I walk among the herd to gently guide senior mare to the shed so she can have her leisurely, “gooshy” lunch, as I call it, of soaked senior pellets, soaked beet pulp shreads (We really need Unbeetable Feeds to sponsor us!), and some supplements. It’s our noon-ish ritual. I go in the house, take care of Void kitty, give the living room cats a can of food, (do cat boxes if it’s my day) and then go out to take care of lunch for senior mare, and now goofy gelding. In a way, my noontime routine protects my space and allows me to settle back into a reliable routine, connect with my sacred herd, and in general recharge.
Goofy gelding gets just a smidge of a 12% all livestock feed to go with his supplements. Not a lot. Just enough to wash them down with. But he’s figured out that he now also gets feed at noon, and so he’ll be standing there by senior mare’s pan or will walk in front of us as we slowly go to the shed. Senior mare turns her head towards him, pins those ears and gives the famous “mare stare” that anyone who has owned a mare knows all too well. Goofy gelding realizes he better listen, backs off, and senior mare gets fed first — always!
Horses are really good at protecting their space. A lot of horse trainers also teach the “hoola hoop” (and let me be clear, I don’t agree with a lot of their methods, but it’s a good analogy for our times.) The hoola hoop is that you have space around you, a circle basically the diameter of your outstretched arms. That’s your hoola hoop. The horse isn’t invited into that space unless you invite them. Like I said, with my herd, it’s a sacred relationship, and I am one of the herd. (Goofy gelding loves to “groom” me for example.) Obviously this is a group of five horses I’ve built up a relationship with and I am very aware of my body (and feet!) in relation to theirs. They are being horses. It’s my job to watch my own personal space with them.
But I think for many of us, especially when it comes to our spirituality, we need hoola hoops. We need to say “this is my sacred space and I won’t let anything disturb it.” We need to claim our space, claim our corners or nooks of the spiritual world and make them our own.
In this, I think we should take lessons from senior mare. Protect your space, my friends. Make sure no one affects your sacred space that you don’t want to be there.
