The Horse is a bit of a contradiction. Besides the Dog, no other animal has been more used (or abused) by humans. Yet Horse has always symbolized the free spirit and the wild frontier.
Truthfully, Horse is both loyal and free-spirited. If this power animal has entered your life it may point to a need to balance your own needs and desires with your need and desire to be of service to others. (If you ride horses, you will appreciate how important the concept of balance is where these animals are concerned!)
Horse can help you do this if you’re up for the ride. Few other animals can match Horse’s combination of speed, strength and stamina. Horse is a wonderful power animal for forward momentum. Depending on the road you have before you, it can carry you swiftly over the obstacles in your path, or patiently over the long haul. If you move or must deal with change, Horse can help you adapt to and move easily through whatever environment or circumstances you pass through.
Horses are also extremely sensitive and pick up easily on the
feelings and emotions of the people around them. In fact, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is a new kind of therapy in which horses help people overcome addictions, depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges. It is not uncommon for those with this animal totem to have empathic abilities.
The shadow side of Horse has a lot to do with two things: fear and impulsivity. Horses are prey animals and their main line of protection is to run. Unfortunately, when they get frightened they will sometimes run amok. If you have strong Horse energy you may struggle with a tendency to act impulsively. It may be hard for you to stay the course, or you may find yourself shying away from your true path when challenges come your way.
But of course you will always be challenged if you are on a path that matters. So Horse people are well advised to work on grounding and on training their minds to stay in control. Basically, you want to be a compassionate rider who can partner with your inner horse to keep him calm and happy enough to take you where you want to go with speed and power.
Beauty is, of course, subjective, but with their long flowing tails, tossing manes and elegance of motion, many people find themselves captivated by the beauty of the Horse. There is something highly spiritual about these animals, and about the experience of riding them, that can’t be explained in ordinary words. Perhaps this Arabian proverb says it best:
“The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears.”