Living with Uncertainty & A Little Black Colt

There he was!  This beautiful, scruffy little black colt with no name.  The light in his eyes was almost hidden, but looking deeply, I saw a glimpse of it. He was afraid for me to touch him or even enter his small pen at the boarding stable he was living at.  I recognized that fear of the unknown.  In this case, the unknown was me.  I realized that compassion and patience were the skills needed to help him gain courage.

Over the next few days, I spent quite a bit of time with this sweet baby.  Mostly just being there and presenting myself as a quiet safe presence.  By the third day, he was accepting of me touching him and even brushing him with a soft brush.  On the fourth day, my husband and I went to pick him up so he could come home. 

The colt was allowed to load into our horse trailer at his own pace with no pushing or forcing.  He was completely at liberty to walk through a makeshift chute we created with corral panels that ended with stepping into the trailer filled with yummy hay.  This process took about 10 minutes.  Mind you, we had set our egos aside and had no expectations.  All the while, we were doing deep breath work and keeping a soft focus on the little guy.  We closed the trailer door and hung out for a little while making sure he was calm before beginning our short trip home.

One thing I have learned in my life is that it takes courage to live with uncertainty and life is uncertain.  Uncertainty is a loss of the comfortable, the familiar, the known.  The only constant in life is that it will involve change, and try as you may to control the future, sometimes all that you can do is trust that whatever happens you can adapt and make the best of it.

Imagine Amias, the name I gave my black colt, allowing me to touch him even though he was afraid.  He had no idea about what was going to come next, but still faced his fear and walked into the unknown of the horse trailer. A new home. A new herd. A new life.  Talk about courage in the face of fear!

So, how do we adapt and make the best of life?

When you’re dealing with uncertainty, you are most likely carrying stress in your body, even if the uncertainty is not at the forefront of your mind in the moment.  Stress can affect every system in your body in adverse ways such as causing muscle tension, inefficient breathing, poor organ function, and loss of sleep. 

To combat stress, you can try incorporating stress reduction techniques into your day.  One that I love is meditation, even if it’s just a few minutes a day.  It helps you find your center, creates clarity, and allows you to see what’s happening in the present moment.  Being present, will help you feel better prepared to deal with whatever comes your way in life. 

Breath work is another great way to help yourself get grounded.  You can do this as many times per day as you choose because your breath is always with you.  One minute of time will allow you at least three deep calming breaths that bring more oxygen into your blood while calming your whole system. 

Gifting yourself with daily practices that reduce your feelings associated with uncertainty, gives you the opportunity to do more meaningful things like reading, writing, creating, connecting with loved ones, or whatever you truly enjoy. 

Worrying about things you cannot control only inhibits the joy of life.  Why not put up a stop sign when you begin to obsess about tomorrow?  Nothing in life stays the same forever and whatever is going to happen in the future will come and when it does, you can respond to it at that time.  Focus on the possibilities that may open for you instead of the fear you have about the future.  You may find that you feel a lot better.

Amias and I work together to cultivate his natural curiosity about life, and we deal with his fears in a way that might help you too.  When we’re out walking together, he sees quite a few things that cause him fear in the moment.  He stops, puts his head up, points his ears, and I do the same.  I look where he’s looking, breathe deeply and allow him time to look, assess, and we walk again when he shows signs that he’s ready to move forward.  He then walks with me calmly and happily, not worrying about the next thing he might see.  We deal with it when it comes. 

Too many times in my life, I have forced myself to, “Get over it!”  Working with horses has taught me to be gentle with myself and allow myself to feel what I need to feel.  Do what I need to feel more centered and then let go of it.  It takes practice, but over time, I live more in the moment and embrace the adventure of living.  After all life can be quite amazing if we let it!

Amias is not so little now! He is almost 3 years old. He was 9 months old when I first brought him home. He inspires me every day to live life to the fullest!