Breathing, we do it all day, every day, without much thought. Without it, we would die in minutes. Our breath can be influenced by our emotions, and our breath can give us some control over our emotions. At times it can even be changed by our internal environment. If your blood becomes too acidic, the body will speed up the breath to balance the pH of our blood. How cool is that?
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, heard someone talk about meditation, or listened to a podcast about mindfulness, you’ve likely been told that you can control your breath, and that there are many benefits in doing this. From stopping a panic attack, to finding the present moment and creating a sense of calm in a stressful situation. Did you know even snipers controls their breath in order to slow their heart rate and take the shot between heart beats? That’s a morbid example, but again, how cool is that?
Now, what can we, as horseback riders, do with this information? Many things it turns out, and I’d like to share with you a couple of my favourites:
- Create clarity before competition – this one has been a game changer for me! I compete in barrel racing and when I was younger I would often forget what happened when I did my competition run – almost as if I blacked out! Then I learned how to use my breath (I take intentionally slow breathes, with a prolonged exhale – I let the air out as slow as possible) and how I could slow my heart rate and shake off the “gitters” before I went in the ring. I can now compete with clarity – seeing clearly, going with the horse and responding – not reacting – at top speed.
- Control your breath to create a calm horse – horses are very sensitive, and will tell us a lot about how they feel by their breathing. They also pick up on ours! If I’m about handle a horse who seems a bit on edge, or unsettled, I will do the same thing – I will start taking slow, intentional breathes until I feel the horse’s energy start to settle as well – often when we slow down and focus on our breathing, the horse does too.
I know I’ve talked a lot about controlling our breath here, but I also wanted to point out this is in turn a practice of controlling ourselves, and our emotions. With horses, that is invaluable. With this practice already in place, we can be better prepared to respond, not react, when faced with the many challenges that may arise as horse owners and riders.