Community News – Page 7 – Boulder County Horse Association

Study: Some Horses, Riders Have ‘Co-Being’ Relationship

Community News / December 7, 2015

I found this article, originally published on thehorse.com, of interest. Of late, I find myself finally “in sync” with my lovely horse Abanico these days, and thought I would share it with you. I hope you also enjoy it too! LindaP By Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA November 21, 2013 If you’ve ever considered your horse to be your “better half,” you’re not alone. Norwegian and American researchers recently found that riders and horses can enter into a unique state of interspecies “co-being” with one other. Co-being refers to a state of relationship in which each partner evolves to “fit” better with each other, both physically and mentally. “As riders get to know their horses, they attune to them—they learn both mental and somatic (physical) ways of acting versus their partner,” said Anita Maurstad, PhD, professor and researcher in the Department of Cultural Sciences in the Tromsø University Museum at the University of Tromsø in Norway. “Horses, too, attune to their humans; thus, co-being is a good analytical concept for speaking about these aspects of the relationship.” This is all consistent with what Maurstad calls “nature-culture”—the concept that nature and culture, for some individuals (such as humans and domesticated horses), cannot be viewed individually but as one unique, combined notion. Riders and their mounts exist in a state of co-being within the nature-culture of the equestrian world, Maurstad said. The co-being theory goes beyond the recently described “mirror” theory that horses are “reflections” of their riders, Maurstad said. In co-being, riders “get to know their horses as personalities through ongoing processes […]

Study: Some Horses, Riders Have ‘Co-Being’ Relationship Read More »

Hope Held by a Horse: Benefit Ride

I had the opportunity, at the last minute, to attend a fundraiser ride for breast cancer this past Sunday organized by Diane Chafee and Janna Combs. Hope Held by a Horse is a non-profit organization, their mission is to provide a safe, positive environment, in the company of horses, to support women with breast cancer to learn, grow, and heal. This ride was in support of those with or recovering from breast cancer. What better way to support this cause then a fun ride in early April, riding as many miles as you wanted with up to 40 miles possible. I was looking forward to being outdoors. On Saturday I joined together in Boulder with others in memory of a dear friends passing. What better way to celebrate his life later that day, in the outdoors, where I could reflect on all the goodness he was. Sunday’s weather looked perfect and the driving distance, near Fort Morgan, led my friend Jane and I to leave late Saturday afternoon. This would be our first campout of the season at the Prewitt Reservoir (a new place for us). Prewitt’s 3,047 acres and allows hunting of Waterfowl, Pheasant, Bobwhite quail, and Deer. There is camping, a boat ramp and restrooms. Prewitt is a lovely place to camp, on the water with cottonwoods, riparian activity (pelican, heron, bald eagle), and very few people. As a state wildlife area, all that is needed is a fishing or hunting permit to camp. We arrived late afternoon and set up camp, then enjoyed cocktails and a potluck in Diane’s trailer with Janna, Brian