Horses and the Mystical Path:
The Celtic Way of Expanding the Human Soul
B Y   A D E L E   v o n R Ü S T   M c C O R M I C K   P h D
M A R L E N A   D E B O R A H   M c C O R M I C K   P h D
a n d   T H O M A S   M c C O R M I C K   M D

Chapter 4
Mysticism and Horses - An Ancient Way of Being

IN RETROSPECT, IT'S CLEAR that our perceptions about horses began to change quite radically well before we met Alicia, back when we acquired Trianero, a stallion from Peru. For some time we had had Peruvian horses in our stable, which we had found to be excellent for the therapy work with our clients. But Trianero, our first stallion, stood out from the rest. The story of how he came to us is, in itself, extraordinary, and we tell it in detail in chapter 9. For now, suffice it to say that from his first appearance in our lives his extraordinary charisma and quality of spirit awed as well as puzzled us.

As he walked off the trailer the day he was delivered, he seemed to us dauntless and unapproachable. But it was his elegant style and commanding presence that struck us most. Once on firm ground, he stood and surveyed his audience, observing us intently as if to make certain we were watching. Suddenly his eyes flashed, and he peered down at our little group, almost daring us to look away. He obviously wanted our full attention, and in that magical moment he got it.

Once certain that we were watching, he began what could only be described as a dance - his way of expressing to us who he was. He captivated us with spectacular movements, such as leaps in midair. Every movement was executed with great deliberation and consciousness. He was exuberant and spontaneous but in no way rebellious or disobedient. More than anything else, it was a statement, and one that made an impact on us that would guide us toward the next level of understanding of and appreciation for the tradition from which he'd come.

Totally captivated by his performance, we drew closer to him. The atmosphere was electric. Trianero had taken us to a place of enchantment. Everyone fell completely silent and remained focused on this extraordinary exhibition of his capacities. Through his dramatic display, we felt small and insignificant. Trianero exuded something special, something ancient and not of this world.

Observing his power and energy on that first day, we assumed we would be unable to handle him. One week later, much to our surprise, we were riding him in the moonlight with neither saddle nor bridle.

It was through Trianero that we began to comprehend what the Spanish mean when they say the Iberian horse has a "noble disposition." From that day forward, this stallion has continued to inspire and teach us about the transcendent spirit.

With Trianero's entrance into our lives, we began to look at horses differently. He validated what we had felt for many years - that horses embody the sacred and bind us to the life force. Yet this life force, like Trianero himself, is not always comfortable. It has highly charged polarities, generated by paradox, that often throw us into a state of tension and chaos. Unlike the dualism of the human mind that separates the world into this-or-that, either-or, horses teach that both ways are true. Through our acceptance of this paradox of our own perceptions - an insight the horses teach us so well - we begin to see the underlying unity of all things. We are freed from our inner rigidity because the paradox crashes through the illusion of opposites that we so easily create for ourselves.

This, the divinity of paradox, provides us with a tangible way to make contact with the ineffable Source of our being. By stretching our minds, often to the point of absurdity, we open the floodgates to a wellspring of divine attributes within the universe, as well as within ourselves - generosity, love, truth, gentleness, spirit, boldness, loyalty, and graciousness.

Marcia, a woman who recently took one of our equine retreats, wrote about the penetrating nature of the horses and how they helped her and her own divine attributes. These are her words:

A prayer emerged for Marcia from her week's experience with the horses: "Fill me with your spirit, Lord, that I might lead my horse with a firm hand and a gentle heart." In this prayer, Marcia, who had never traveled to the Iberian Peninsula or Peru or been involved with horses in any comprehensive way, echoed the sentiments of some of the finest Iberian breeders and equestrians. She beautifully captured the heart and soul not only of the ancient equestrian but the mystic as well.

Like so many others over the years, Marcia found that the flamboyant style of the Peruvian horses allowed her to connect with a side of the horse that may at times be elusive, the divinity implanted within Creation. As we learn to interact with the imago Dei, or divine presence, in the horse, we do not worship that animal as a god, but we consciously begin to look for and recognize divine attributes residing within it. Through that process the horse sparks an inner expedition, connecting us with the same divine attributes within ourselves.

In a very real way, horses and humans try to speak to the divinity in each other by intentionally meeting on the holy ground found in the spark of connection between them, a place that is quite beyond exclusively human turf. Holy ground is not a state of bliss but a heightened consciousness and awareness, a growing desire to cultivate inner resources, to embrace the God within.

When a rider approaches a horse in this sacred manner, not only does the horse flourish, but many problems between the horse and the rider also spontaneously, and mysteriously, resolve. Seeing this happen provides humans with a direct experience of the unseen world and how it affects all of our lives.

Living and working with horses in these ways expanded our awareness of Creation and allowed us to experience and enjoy a new dimension of intimacy with it. We were intrigued by the way certain kinds of relationships established between humans and horses helped to unveil the divine presence in both. Looking at our venture in this way shed new light on previous encounters we'd had with the breeders of Iberian horses. Many of the stories we had heard about these animals began to make more sense. We remembered stories of breeders who were willing to put themselves and their families at risk for their love of the horses. In other stories, horses and humans under very stressful circumstances chose to act with dignity and decorum. These stories became increasingly important to us as we found in them further proof of the spiritual connections between humans and horses. A few of these stories are repeated below, and they can easily take on the aura of legends. However, it is important to remember that these events actually occurred in the normal course of everyday life.

Noble Acts
In 1960, Peru instituted what it called agrarian reform, a euphemism for redistributing the wealth. The government removed families from their vast plantations, often at gunpoint, and the land was handed over to untrained workers. Most workers had never managed a farm, and the government's interest in the program proved to be short-lived. Within a brief time, a country that had been rich agriculturally could not feed its own people.

To add insult to injury, a group of terrorists took refuge in the mountains, randomly bombing buildings, raiding farms, and kidnapping successful men and women. They terrorized both rural and urban areas.

The political climate and general upheaval took its toll on many horse breeders, who were for the most part landowners and hardworking agriculturalists. In fact, many lost their lands and homes, and they watched helplessly as their animals were senselessly slaughtered or died from lack of proper care. In spite of the devastation that it caused, the tragic fallout of agrarian reform rarely made the international news.

A breeder we once met, Don Alfredo, related to us the story of how he and his family had to flee their home during the upheaval with only a few hours' notice. Their sole refuge was a friend's ranch in a neighboring country. As they prepared to take only a few personal belongings, the entire family became depressed as they contemplated the fate of their beloved horses, which they had no way to transport with them.

Torn by their difficult choice, they decided to set their horses free. Motivated by their deep love for their animals, the family decided they would take their chances, even against great odds, to run their twenty horses out of the country and over the border to safety. They had mares they couldn't part with and a twenty-five-year-old stallion that had been a fabulous sire and trusted friend. Even at the risk of their own lives, Don Alfredo and his family could not abandon these animals.

While the family was packing, Don Alfredo went out to the barn to have a heart-to-heart talk with his stallion, Moche. He told Moche how grave the situation was and that both human and animal lives were at stake. He begged Moche to stay within range of the trucks that would be carrying the family's belongings, and to make sure that his band of brood mares did the same. Don Alfredo was very concerned because this run to the border would be a difficult, if not impossible, challenge for their aging stallion.

With great anxiety and sadness, Don Alfredo opened the corral doors. At once Moche made contact with the lead mare. They seemed to have a few words. Then Moche took his position at the back of the herd and ran them forward. The family followed the horses in trucks and cars. Moche and the mares ran for three days without rest and with only small rations of food and water. At last, they crossed the border into the next country. By some miracle, they all arrived safely and without incident. Every horse was intact; not a single one had been lost or injured.

Don Alfredo immediately went to care for Moche, to praise him for his courage and a job well done. As soon as the stallion knew his mares were safe and Don Alfredo was pleased, Moche took one last look around and lay down. The heroic horse died that day of a heart attack. It seemed he had held onto life just long enough to fulfill his mission.

Don Alfredo and Moche's story is not unique. Don Luis was another breeder who was caught in the crossfire of agrarian reforms. Over the course of many years, he and El Capitan, his Peruvian stallion, had become loyal companions. The horse was so good-natured that he learned everything very quickly. He knew a wide range of skills, from dressage to reining for the bullring. El Capitan would do anything for Don Luis, and Don Luis would do anything for him.

Then one day Don Luis learned that neighboring farms were being raided and their animals murdered. He feared his ranch would be next. He was beside himself with worry over El Capitan, and he spent many sleepless nights waiting for the worst to happen. He finally confided in his family that he could no longer tolerate the thought of losing El Capitan. They decided, at risk to themselves, to hide El Capitan in their hacienda. El Capitan lived inside the house during the crisis period and was escorted out at night, under the veil of darkness, for exercise and fresh air.

What was amazing about this was that this active and vital ten-year-old stallion, who was accustomed to lots of exercise, the company of other horses, and fresh air, seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. He was able to stay quiet and calm in the cramped quarters of the hacienda. He adapted to this foreign way of life out of love. It seemed he truly grasped the ominous potential of the situation and decided to trust Don Luis' judgment completely. Fortunately the plan worked.

Then there is the story of Don Diego, a horse breeder who was imprisoned by terrorists in Peru. Uncertain of his fate, Don Diego needed something to give him hope, and in time his mind was flooded with images of a beautiful herd of horses. He was captivated and inspired by their radiant beauty and proud spirit. If he survived, he knew he needed to continue breeding fine horses. In fact, he felt compelled to do so. Future foals meant life was moving forward. So he began to envision a new breeding program for his ranch.

In his dreams and visions, he instinctively knew which mares to breed to various stallions. As he made these decisions, he saw each colt and filly in his mind's eye. Each foal came into view like a hologram. His ability to visualize became acute. He was so excited by what he envisioned that he became determined to stay alive in spite of the many great hardships of his captivity. He wanted to see the offspring he was envisioning. It was this desire, during his imprisonment, that kept him going.

Ultimately, Don Diego was set free. He immediately put his dreams into action, and a little over a year later, his fantasies began to come to fruition. What he discovered was hard to believe. The things he'd visualized during his captivity were not idle fantasy, for what he had seen in his mind's eye was in fact becoming a reality. The offspring were almost identical to what he had imagined.

From these stories, as well as our experiences with Trianero, we quickly came to appreciate the power of this boundless love between human and horse. These were not just isolated stories of noble acts; they suggested a special bond between horses and humans that was quite extraordinary. We developed an intense desire to learn more about these Peruvian horses and their incredible spirit.

Return to Iberia
Once we began retracing the roots of the Peruvian horse, we discovered equine traditions deeply rooted in the spiritual, with whole cultures dedicated to the horse. People within these cultures looked for and found imperishable life lessons while spending time with their horses. In our very midst in Spain we found a group of breeders who had continued this tradition of horse-human interactions for centuries. The cultural traditions of Iberia were still very much alive, providing us with living models of an ancient way of life in which deep friendships with horses was the norm, not the exception. Those who maintained these traditions made a deliberate effort to consistently seek the sacred aspects of being that their horses embodied.

Whether the horse had been bred in Spain, Peru, Portugal, Mexico, Puerto Rico, or Colombia, the Iberian signature made itself known in the animal's noble character. It was fascinating to discover that after so many centuries breeders still consciously nurtured the signature characteristics of this horse-human connection. They did this by choosing horses with a more highly developed spiritual sense. This goal became the main thrust of their breeding program, not an afterthought. The Spanish horse was bred, above all else, for its keen mind, courage, dignity, generous disposition, and convergence with humans.

To Iberians, working with horses is a religious endeavor, and as we witnessed the passion in their endeavors, we became convinced we should bring these horses into our own work. They perceive the horse as a direct agent of God, set apart by its ability to transcend its base instincts and transform them into spiritual traits. This distinction is manifest by the equines' capacity to love, forgive, obey, remain loyal, and show tenderness. For Iberians, horses are four-legged prayer, and the example of their lives can guide us toward passionate living.

Learning of this numinous tradition only begat more questions. What other philosophies and unique ideas had these people embraced in their unique relationship to horses? Why did they choose, first and foremost, to breed a horse with so much allure and loyalty, a horse that transformed humans by its very presence? We set out to understand what went into developing the Spanish horse and its many descendants, and why its temperament and character became so extraordinary.

© 2006, Adele von Rüst McCormick, Marlena Deborah McCormick, and Thomas McCormick

From the book Horses and the Mystical Path. Copyright © 2004 by Adele von Rüst McCormick, Marlena Deborah McCormick, and Thomas McCormick. Reprinted with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.