I felt cozy and embraced, sitting in the hay pile, with a favorite horses munching on each side of me.  Gazing up at their long heads, necks, and whiskers from below,  I watched them nimbly sift and sort, choose and chew, in a steady soothing rhythm.  Mesmerized, I gradually entered a deeper state of being.

There was a ruckus in the barn behind us and the horses stopped chewing.  Ears perked in high silent alert in that direction.  We all realized at the same time that it was the dogs wrestling.  The instant we knew what the noise was, the horses relaxed and went back to munching.  But as I sat there, a window opened into the broad surveillance of the world that a prey animal has.

Horses maintain a constant awareness of their surroundings.  Their eyes are built different from ours.  As predators, our eyes are well equipped to see in front of us.  To aid survival, prey animals can see almost 360 degrees around them.  This I knew from anatomy studies, but had never before actually experienced.  These two horses knew where the bunny rabbit was and where the barn cat was.  They were aware of the breeze fluttering the leaves of the tree and the rock pile.  It went beyond their almost 360-degree vision.  It was an awareness of everything all at once.  It was a bubble of connection extending beyond their physical bodies.

To my surprise, I could do it too.  I also could keep tabs on everything around me.  And I didn’t need to swivel my head and dart my eyes around to look.  Vision was an aid to augment, but not necessary for a basal level of surveillance.  This awareness of surroundings came from a sensing feeling place inside.  When something of interest arose within the field, one of more of the 5  could then zero in for more information.  Like how our ears perked up and attention turned to the dogs wrestling.

It was the same sensing place where you could feel an impulse arise before the body actually moved.  It was how you could feel that a horse was going to lift a front leg to paw before it happened.  It was not necessary to be in physical contact to feel the muscles of the forelimb contract to initiate movement.  It was actually possible to feel the impulse prior to the muscle contraction.

This level of attunement was how a flock of birds could take off all at once.  It was how a herd of horses could navigate terrain without falling or bumping into each other.  It was how seemingly chaotic traffic could merge and flow smoothly – without the need for painted lane lines and without accidents.

It was a fascinating glimpse into a broader way of being – a more connected way of being.  And a state of being which I prepared to drop, when my mind kicked in to remind me of all the chores waiting.  I rose, dusted off my jeans, and headed into the barn to clean stalls.

But as I left the horses to enter the barn, I came to understand that I had more than an off/on switch.  It was a continuum.  I could be totally lost in my thoughts and oblivious to my surroundings (where most people spend most of their time).  Or I could be totally aware of my surroundings and not thinking much (more like the animals).  Or I could choose somewhere in between.

Even though the horses were out of direct sight, I could still keep tabs on them from inside me.  The same way I had just experienced while sitting next to them.  The connection from the heart space could stay open while I did chores.  I did not need to see or touch them to maintain the connection.  I could carry the warm connection to my equine friends with me – as long as I chose to focus on it – through maintaining an awareness of my own heart space.

What incredible perceptive expanding beings we are.  What marvelous sensory apparatuses we have.  Sure I was rusty.  The equipment could be tuned up a bit.  But I had a glimpse of what was possible.  I could be just like a surveillance camera in one room if I wished.  Or I could be like a central surveillance station, monitoring all rooms at once.  Even from a remote location.  All I had to do was choose my focus.

360 GAME – Sit next to an animal or a tree.  Relax and watch them for a bit.  As you watch, be aware of your own body at the same time.  Shift your focus from your head down to your heart area, while you watch.  Then close your eyes and see if you can still sense them next to you, without actually seeing or touching them.  Is there anything else you can sense around you?

Dr. Penny Lloyd is a NWESC veterinarian who enjoys teaching skills and games to connect deeper with animals for mutual healing benefits.  If you are interested in learning more, go to www.ConnectionTheBestMedicine.com   

By Dr. Penny Lloyd

I was just finishing a veterinary visit to check some horses that had been rescued.  Busily putting my supplies back into my vet box, I felt a nudge on my back.  Stepping down, I was surprised to run into one of the horses I had just examined.  All the other horses were out grazing, but this horse made a special effort to come over and see me off.  This gesture touched my heart, as I realized that he had come to say “Thanks” in his own special way.

Gazing into the velvet depths of his liquid brown eyes, I felt a delicious warmth seep into my heart.  Gently I stroked the side of his weathered face, returning his gratitude.  For a blissful moment, nothing else existed.  Then the director of the equine rescue walked up.  I pulled out of the deep still peaceful interaction, to take care of business.  “Kit” slowly ambled off to join the rest of the herd.

Later, I thought about how my consciousness had expanded as I interacted with this horse.  There was something very special about his ability to touch the human heart.  When I first met him earlier, I took a moment to see who he really was.  He emanated a warm, receptive, trusting presence.  During the vet exam, there was no resistance.  Even as I applied a full mouth speculum to check his teeth, he fully cooperated.  Despite his malnourished condition, there was something incredibly strong about this horse.

“Tippy” was another horse rescued from the same situation.  As I approached him, he snorted with fear and threatened to kick.  His view was different.  Even approached gently, he did not trust.  Despite his frail condition, he was ready to take on the world.  He would need sedation to examine his teeth.  That would have to wait until he gained some weight.  Meanwhile, the people at the rescue would try to form a bond.  He too was a very strong horse living inside a shell, weak from neglect.

The contrast between the two horses was remarkable.  What made two old horses with similar backgrounds, so different?  Both had survived a long life full of challenges.

And then there was the horse I didn’t get to meet.  The horse whose death was a gift for the other two, for it allowed the officials to take action.  Wildflower was the horse that didn’t have as much drive to survive as the two I had just met.

I thought about how this was similar to geriatric people.  Some old folks became fearful and bitter from life experience.  Many simply give up and wait for death.  And then every once in awhile you see a soul that is thriving.  You receive the gift of meeting someone whose heart has blossomed through the years.  Who maintains a sense of humor.  Who spreads joy wherever they go.  Whose eyes see beauty that others do not.  You meet a rare gem that can be disguised as a silent old rack of bones.

Three lives lived, with distinctly different end results.  I thought about the untapped wisdom of our geriatrics.  And I thought about which “old nag” I would become.

By Dr. Penny Lloyd (www.ConnectiontheBestMedicine.com)

Bangwyn is a horse that I am honored to have walked beside for all of her life and most of mine.  She was born into the family.  Over the years, she has done her thing while I have done mine.  She knew me way back in college!  Back when all was freshly possible.  There was a whole big world out there to explore and that we did.  We moved to from Canada to the USA in a rickety homemade trailer.  We raced bareback across prairie fields, splashed through mountain streams, and jumped anything in our path, just for the fun of it.  Both of us pranced through life exploring new territories with the bold carefree abandon of youth.

Our activities changed as we did.  College days were over.  Now we were on the career track.  Devouring all the latest information, fads, and gadgets, we entered the fast paced game of keen intellect and popular activities.  We were yuppies, working hard and playing harder.  We tried all kinds of sports.  Professional training, computerized saddle fit, special bits, high tech blankets, support wraps, heart rate monitors, sport specific conditioning, force plate analysis, nutrient boosters, performance therapies, horsemanship clinics.  Fancy gear and refined taste was our life.  Together we explored hauling, competing, winning and losing.  We experienced the pleasures and limits of what mainstream road to success had to offer.

Following that was the “now what?” phase.  Having seen and done the conventional “best of the best”, there was nothing left to conquer.  This empty spot brought questions.  A different exploration was underway.  With it, the extraordinary in the ordinary began to surface.  It wasn’t all about doing a bunch of stuff anymore.  We began to learn from each other in a deeper way.  To the outside observer, sitting quietly together might look quite boring.  But it was anything but mundane.  It was a blossoming rich inner world experience full of magic and possibility.  The next phase in our journey was underway.  Developing the inner dimension.

If you would like to see Part Two of “Soul Mates” about our experience with colic together, go to www.ConnectiontheBestMedicine.com