How a bucket of horse manure helps people manage tough emotions | Sponsored by Sue Dixon

One of the activities I use for clients trying to navigate some of life’s tougher emotions is a bucket of horse manure. A bucket of horse manure is meant to represent a tough emotion. 

When I ask people what tough emotions they are carrying around in their lives I hear a myriad of answers including anxiety, sadness, anger, low self-esteem, and grief, to name a few.

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After learning to safely lead a horse they do so with a bucket of manure; the bucket of manure represents the specific emotion that they carry with them. A bucket of manure is cumbersome to carry, it’s awkward and a little heavy. Some people share that it smells bad and is not pleasant. I invite the client to imagine the bucket of manure to be the tough emotion they carry around and they then walk the horse in a large circle carrying the bucket.

After completing the circle, I take the bucket away from them and take them through a mindfulness activity while standing beside the horse. This involves breath work, bringing oxygen to their brain, and tapping into all of their senses. The purpose of this is to take them from their thinking brain into the present. 

They then walk the horse without the bucket of (fear/anxiety etc.) in the same circle in a mindful state. 

Upon observance both of the circles leading the horse vary significantly. 

When they do the first circle the client and horse are not in sync; the horse might pause and stop, and sometimes it appears the person has to almost coax the horse to move along. The bucket is in the way and it’s cumbersome. Often the horse and the person are both looking in different directions and they are definitely out of sync. The horse’s head is often elevated and their movements stiff and awkward. 

When they do the second circle without the bucket and in a mindful state; it is very different. They walk side by side, there is no pausing or stopping, and often the person is smiling. Both horse and human are in sync. There is fluidity and relaxation. The horse’s head is always lower, usually with their muzzle by the person’s elbow. The difference is truly profound.

Upon completion I have the client compare and contrast both trips. They always pick up on the differences! The second trip is always the best and they share many of the same observations I do.

This is when I ask them the most significant question from this activity; “what would your life be like if you didn’t have to carry anxiety (or whatever unwanted emotion in the bucket)? This is when people often have an ah-ha moment and say things like: “life would be so much more enjoyable. Life would be a little lighter. Life would be less onerous”. 

With the horse and the client, I then take them to the manure pile and they release the tough emotion they have been carrying. People often grab the bucket and fire its contents off into the manure pile with vigor. It’s nice to witness. 

We then talk about the fact that their “tough emotion” will be reused to grow something beautiful i.e. flowers or potentially vegetables. 

Clients share that after this release they feel a little lighter and I ask them to consider what are they going to bring into their lives to replace what they just released. This is when I observe people tap into their own wisdom and say things like: “I’m going to try and live in the moment more. I’m going to spend time outside enjoying nature. I’m going to take time for myself. I’m going to spend more time focusing on what I am grateful for”. 

Clients see this as an opportunity to replace something in their life that is tough with something that is more pleasant. Often people can have a small glimpse into how life would be if they reduced something in their life that isn’t serving them well.

This is the essence of equine-assisted learning; it’s not therapy, it’s using a prey animal, mindfulness activities, and open-ended questions to allow people to access their own wisdom.

Contact Partnering Horses with Humans by clicking HERE. You can also check out their website at www.equinetherapymuskoka.com

Sue Dixon, owner of Partnering Horses with Humans, is a Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator through Horse Spirit Connections and Cartier Farms (Dreamwinds), and a Registered Coach through Equestrian Canada. Sue and her beloved horse Egalie were the 2014 champions of the beginner division of the North East Trillium Hunter Jumper Association.  Sue has a degree in Sociology from the University of Waterloo.

Sue has 33 years of experience working at a local corporation with leadership in quality and health and safety. Sue’s role with Partnering Horses with Humans is that of facilitator; helping clients find their own wisdom by tapping into the horse’s wisdom. Sue operates her business out of two locations and offers services and workshops to individuals, couples, families, and workplaces.

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