As I sat watching Lady eat her morning meal I had this sudden awareness about how sensitive and communicative her muzzle was. I started to realize the parallels between a horse's muzzle and our hands. Let me explain.
Our hands let us experience so many things. Our first experience of holding hands when we reached out as an infant and grabbed mom's finger with our tiny little hand. We experienced the delight in playing with and smashing our food on our plates. Our hand let us open doors to new possibilities, drive cars to exciting destinations. Our hands communicate our needs through their actions. We connect with other beings through our hands. We shake hands upon greeting. We convey our anger, frustration, joy and love with our hands. We experience all sorts of things with our hands...typing, writing, riding horses, grooming horses, picking up manure, tending a wound, caressing a lover, cooking a meal, helping a friend, gardening, eating, throwing a ball, getting dressed, taking a shower, sweeping the floor, scrubbing a toilet, doing the laundry, saving a life.
The list goes on and on for the things we do and experience with our hands. They are like sensory receptors, they let us know so much about us and our environment. They are propelled by our Chi and our Chi is sustained by our breath. Without breath there is no life.
The muzzle of a horse is so much like our hands. The muzzle is where breath enters the body and gives them life. The muzzle allows them to find food. The muzzle is incredibly dexterous as it can pick through all the feed and only pick out the small savory morsels they want to eat. They can eat all their food and leave behind the tiny little pills we tried to hide in there to get them to eat without noticing. They nuzzle each other for comfort and encouragement. A foal experiences the wonders of his muzzle for the first time when he nurses from his mom. He learns all about his environment through is muzzle. It teaches him about prickly things, super soft things, tasty things, and icky things. They are able to exchange in mutual grooming, communicate softly with warm whispers, give a quick nip for correction. Their muzzles let us know if they are worried, relaxed, interested, or tense.
It is no wonder that people would want to communicate with a horse via contact with the muzzle, either through use of a bit or bitless. People innately want to reach out their hands and touch that velvety nose. People want to give and receive horsey kisses with their cherished companion. Horse reach to us with their muzzles to grab a zipper pull, check a pocket for a treat, or melt us with their sweet breath. Everytime we use a bit we should remember to gently communicate with each other. Communication is imperative to relationships. No one human or animal, wants the bear sting of poor communication. When I ride I want to not only feel the reins in my hands but also the energy that travels through my hands, down the reins, and to the mouth and conversely I want to feel the horse's physical connection to the bit, and the energy he sends to my hands through the reins. This exchange can happen with, bit, bitless, halter and lead rope, cordeo, or no tack at all.
Nothing energizes my spirit faster than a warm breath in my hair and a soft nuzzle to my hair. The soft return of energy is given back in that stroke of my hand on the neck and enveloping hug. That is bliss.
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