The Four Agreements: Horse Sense?

On a hillside in Marshall, NC, clothed in the glorious colors of Fall, sits a horse ranch of sorts called Horse Sense. They offer equine-assisted therapy and various trainings. Having recently seen the movie, Buck, I was curious to learn what I could discover about myself by interacting with horses. So I registered for a training that was right up my alley called Beyond Words: Lie to Me? The focus was on reading body language objectively.

I was surprised to learn that the lessons of the horse are the same lessons of one of my all time favorite books, The Four Agreements, by don Miguel Ruiz:

Don't Make Assumptions:
Just because a horse is smaller than the others doesn't mean he's the youngest, and just because a horse behaves one way all morning long doesn't mean it always behaves that way.

Take Nothing Personally:
Just because a horse turns its back to me as I approach doesn't mean it doesn't like me.

Be Impeccable with Your Word
To lead a blindfolded partner walking a horse through a maze, it is essential to know when to say left and when to say right.

Always Do Your Best
A horse with a compulsive need to bite wood is doing his best. While the original stimulus for the behavior is, of course, long gone, the behavior has become part of the neurology.

So what does any of this have to do with anything anyway?

That's the really amazing thing about working with horses. They teach us about ourselves. They clearly reflect ourselves back to us. If I can accept that a horse ignoring me isn't doing it on purpose, then why not a stranger? If I can stop myself from jumping to conclusions about a horse's behavior, then why not a lover's? If I can be clear with my words and body language to direct a horse, then surely I can focus my intent at work. And if I can accept that a horse with an annoying habit isn't all bad, maybe there's hope for me too.