Time to untether?

​What is it about a horse that drives us to train it, to harness its power? Does the horse give us the power we seek, a set of wings with which to fly, a chance for freedom that we lack? Or does fear drive us,  apprehension of its strength, of its speed, or does it go deeper than this?
Do we see in the horse all that we are not? Before us is an animal that is mindful, accepting of whatever emotion a fleeting moment in time brings. Here is an animal that can stand, not asleep but not awake, happy to just be in space and time. Do we see all that we have lost? All that we are not? Is that the driving force to conquer and ultimately break the will of the horse?  Mankind seeks and then damages all that the horse is, we destroy the reflection of all that we have lost…the ability to be still, the ability to react without an agenda, the ability to live in harmony with the nature around it, leaving nothing in its legacy except a hoof print in the sand.
All that we have lost is epitomised in the spirit of the horse, all that we have lost we attempt to take back, in the only way humans seem to know how, by repressing it, by torching the very traits we long to find comfort in.
In the place of the untethered spirit we find a shell of an animal, seemingly happy to bend to the will of the human, obedient, strapped down and pushed along. Broken both inside and out, yet still horses adapt to survive. Even under the torment of equestrian sport, or being ridden before their bones are finished growing, yanked by the head, spurred in the sides, made to burn its precious lungs for the glory of the human; even then the horse adapts, as they whicker to their tormentor.
They see us for who we are. Lost, desperate, grabbing at a way we feel might lead us back. Taught from an early age to dominant and manipulate for attention, humans spend a lifetime trying to get back to the peace that we are born to, blueprints force our young minds down a road we resist (through bad behavior and destructive habits) ever seeking love and stillness.
Look into your horses eyes, what do you see when he submits to your demands? Do you see fear, anger, repression? All the things we feel in our hearts as we try to navigate a world that has, literally, lost its way. Take a deep deep breath…your untraining is about to begin. 
Put down your training sticks, unslip your halters, take a step back and breathe, look into the eyes of your horse and mirrored back will be the image in which you stand. Is it time for you to let go the control and join us in a journey back to balance and peace? The horses hold the keys, they are always there, waiting, watching you and loving you through your pain. They can not do this for you, only you can have the desire to change. Change can happen in an instant, watch their eyes, they will tell you all you need to know. Let them lead the dance, the dance of the undisciplined, the wild dance of going back to nature, back to peace and balance.
Horses are kind, sentient beings, they care about you deeply and implore our change from all we have become. Peace and harmony with the horse waits for you, but it can never be on your terms, it must be on there’s. We have all but torn our horses away from their true spirit, but as we know, energy never dies. They wait, veiled behind their torturous training, their broken will and their aching bodies. Their spirit is still there, give it time to heal, then let the horse show you, let him open your eyes that to a partnership free from dominance. Control and manipulation blocks the very peaceful energy you seek. Let the horse heal from our harm and then watch the true spirit come out. Playful, of the moment, intelligent, forgiving, and ever sharing.