If the temperature outside didn’t clue me in that the seasons are changing, or the fact that yesterday was the spring equinox, or the two trips I have to make outside after late afternoon feeding–one to open the horses’ gates, the other to shut in the chickens who now go inside much later than they did in December and January–the real signal that we are moving into spring is that there’s hay left in the feeders now. No longer are the horses eating up every scrap and then looking for more, but instead, they’re nibbling a bit before they eat their pelleted feed, and then once they’re done, they go out in the pasture and graze.
Traditionally the end of March is when I stop feeding hay, depending on rainfall and pasture growth, not to mention temperatures. Usually the horses start to transition away from hay much earlier than that, and this year it looks like it will be right on schedule. My hay barn is just a smidge less than a quarter full, which makes me happy because it means if we have a dry fall again, there’s a bit of a backlog, but also, I’ll have the dozen bales or so that I need for next winter to insulate the well house and make bedding for the pigs.
How is this horse wisdom? How does this tie into wild spirituality?
When left in a mostly unbothered environment (i.e. not stalled or left on dry lots), horses naturally know when to transition their feeding habits with the season, or even with the changing conditions. My horses do not stand in one spot in the pasture and eat. They move around both on a daily and a nightly basis, but also throughout the seasons. They find shade and shelter when necessary and enjoy the sun when it shines. We could learn to do that as well.
Though the horses probably don’t ask themselves “what does my body need right now?” to some extent that’s what they’re doing. Standing and grazing, walking and moving, sometimes playing, and sometimes sleeping as their body requires. In the winter the horses often sleep in the afternoons, but I notice that time moving earlier as the days lengthen and warm or on sunny days when compared to snowy or rainy ones.
A large part of reclaiming our wild, untamed spirit is remembering that we too have needs, not just the basic ones on Maslow’s heiarchy of needs like food, shelter, and water, but also a need to move our bodies as we can or wish to, and a need for adaptation when it is required.
The changing seasons remind us of this. Watching the horses shed, noticing that they’re transitioning from hay to grazing, helps me to remember to tune into my body, to think about what I need in this moment and how those needs are changing.
What do you need right now?
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