In a herd of horses there is always a lead mare.
She’s at the top of the pecking order. She tells everyone where she wants them to stand, she eats first (and at whichever hay pile she wants).
The lead mare is established as soon as you put the horses together. Sometimes they have to fight it out, but they always establish it.
If you take the lead mare out of the herd, a new one rises to the top. There is always a lead mare.
The herd doesn’t take it personally. They allow her to direct them, no matter how unreasonable I think she is. They accept what she says and move out of her way.
As a human working with a horse, you need to establish that you are the lead mare. If you don’t establish this, then the horse doesn’t trust you and tries to take over lead mare position.
When the horse is scared and tries to take over lead mare position it becomes a scary situation for the rider. A scared horse is scary to be with.
One scared horse will scare any other horses around him. When one runs, they all run.
When horses don’t have leadership they become frantic if they feel threatened. What is threatening the horse is never as scary as the horse is when he’s scared.
I’ve noticed the same pattern with humans. Humans are a bit frantic at the moment.
Social media has created a frenzy around Covid19.
We don’t have much leadership and people are feeling threatened and scared. Our prime minister put himself into isolation because his wife is sick – so he’s not really leading.
Someone has to be a lead mare right now. There always needs to be a lead mare. You will need to take on a leadership role if it is needed. When there is frenzy and panic, someone has to lead and believe in our ability to pull through.
Things may or may not be good right now. We don’t know the end result of our actions and choices.
But we will figure this out, no matter what happens next. This is not the end. It may be a new beginning as things change, or it may simply be a hiccup.
What I’m certain of is that humans have an incredible will to live, and not only live, but thrive. That’s how we got to where we are in society today.
You probably need to step up as a leader somewhere in your life. We need leaders at all levels. What will your role be?