Compassionate Mind, Compassionate Horsemanship
An introduction to the psychology of compassion
How can our understanding of compassion and emotional regulation help us in our relationship with ourselves and our horses?
The theory of compassion inspires my work in supporting horse owners who are seeking a more connected, mindful and horse-friendly ‘way of being’ with their equine partners. In this article, I’ll explain and unpack a small part of this that might be helpful for those interested in human psychology.
Professor Paul Gilbert, a British Clinical psychologist and founder of the Compassionate Mind Foundation and Compassion Focused Therapy is perhaps an unlikely person to inspire an article on horsemanship. However, I think his work on compassion has clear applications to inform our interactions with horses. I’m fortunate to call Paul a professional colleague in the School of Psychology at the University of Derby where I teach. I also get to work with other inspiring colleagues such as Professor Frances Maratos and Dr Caroline Harvey who are building upon Paul’s work and …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Curious Equestrian to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.