Horse riding and life lessons

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. I often think of how many things people left unsaid by not using their mouth while speaking volumes through one single look. I once thought that talking things through is communication but as I grew older I realized how very little people talk about while using words. Nonverbal communication is the thing we do the most without even realizing. As I delved into a new experience that I feared a lot I looked into the eyes of a horse and had the epiphany of how little I really communicated genuinely from my heart to others throughout my life.

I feared horses since I was a child. I remember having a colleague back at school who had a terrible scar on her left cheek after she got bitten by a horse. Looking at how that experience shaped who she was I started to have this seed of fear towards this animal. But I always try to not let fear rule my life so I decided that conquering this challenge is on my list for 2025.

I can’t express through words what I have felt when I looked into Nero’s eyes. The black horse that I managed to ride. Nero looked at me and it felt like he saw right through me. I could feel his personality and his gentle soul. I felt humbled as I looked at this heavy animal who could kill me with a single movement. I felt in awe because we humans tend to do much more harm to other creatures although we do not have so much physical power. There is a lesson to be learned from observing the gentleness of a giant.

As I was told Nero’s story I felt a connection with him. Just as us, animals suffer. They can get sick. They can love. They can cry. Moving at a horse’ pace is something magical. Everything happens slower. Time freezes. You stop thinking at the minutiae of everyday life and losing your focus . You are there in the moment. You feel the muscles of the horse moving. You feel yourself going left and right as you try find your balance on the horse. It feels scary, exciting, overwhelming and calming in the same time.

Horse riding has taught me a precious lesson: to be in the moment. To relinquish fear and to embrace what is. To have the capacity to see beyond the physical appearances and to dive into the profound depths of the soul. To look into the eyes without muttering a single word.

As a small detail I give you this challenge: when was the last time when your heart spoke with someone though your eyes?