The Yin & Yang of Horsemanship

Most people have heard of yin and yang, a relational concept from ancient Chinese culture. A theory that says the universe is composed of competing and complementary forces. The yin is characterized as inward energy that is feminine, earth, dark, and negative. The yang is characterized as outward energy, masculine, hot, bright, and positive. I can’t think of a relationship the embodies this philosophy any more perfectly than that of humans and horses.

We, humans and predators, take a prey animal, horses, and ask for the ultimate level of trust. We ask horses to trust us to keep them safe, and we ask our horses to keep us safe. And, in opposition to our natural instincts, we exchange a trust that defies nature.

As humans have evolved, we have adapted to ignoring our instincts; for example, we may be walking down a deserted street and instinctually be alarmed about our safety by an approaching stranger. Our instincts, the hair on our arms sticking up, our heart skipping a beat, and our hands getting sweaty are often shoved aside and ignored or overpowered by the rationalization going on in our minds. A rationalization telling us to calm down, saying the person you are approaching is probably a nice person, a voice saying nothing terrible has ever happened on this street, give this person a chance because everyone deserves a chance. But, sadly, these types of thoughts can deceive us and lead us into harm’s way.

The horse, however, does not think the horse does not have an internal dialogue debating the intentions of the approaching stranger. The horse acts without thought. The horse has evolved to save itself and to save itself, it must act quickly. When the horse becomes alarmed, it runs.

And, so the relationship between a horse and a human both competing and complementary creates a perfect harmonious balance. The horse trusting humans to use our rationalization to keep them safe, and humans trusting the horse’s instincts to keep them safe.