Finding Neutral

Neutral is a safe place. It’s when and where all is calm. After a blow up or high stress situation, we want to restore peace and quiet. Horses are the same. They are highly sensitive and always on alert for danger. They hear a noise in the woods and immediately think “DANGER”! It’s their nature as prey animals, we cannot train that out of them.

We can, however, help them find neutral again. If we’ve established a relationship of communication and trust, we can pat them and say, ‘it’s ok’. Our body language can also help if we do not react to match their energy but remain calm and collected so that they match our energy. It is a beautiful thing, to help a 1,000-pound animal find neutral.

Do we have people or activities in our lives that help us find neutral? We all want to feel safe, physically, and emotionally. There are numerous studies that show the negative effects of stress on our bodies, so we need to be able to release it. Humans tend to hold onto stress, horses can release it instantly.

Life is full of stressful situations, we cannot avoid that, but watching how fast horses go from a heightened state to a neutral state is helping me learn how to release anxiety and stress and find neutral much more quickly.