I'm a Horse in a Human's Body

Yesterday, something strange happened in a Dubai hotel conference room.

I was watching a hypnosis demonstration with 100 other people. Went under. Worked on the belief that's haunted me forever: Am I enough? Is my gift with horses enough to create the life I want, the impact I need to make?

The hypnotist, Ebrahim, had this incredible presence I recognized immediately. He never rushed, took perfect pauses, stayed completely calm in front of everyone. After he spoke, I knew I needed to ask him something but didn't quite know what until I stood in front of him.

"Have you ever done hypnosis with horses?"

His energy shifted and he smiled. "Yes, actually. We're working on that now."

Then he said something that gave me goosebumps: "I say I'm a horse in a human's body."

There it was. I'd said the exact same thing to someone at a completely different event, totally unrelated context, same truth.

The Gift Horses Give Us

Every time I feel myself getting frustrated when I'm with a horse, I remind myself that it's not the horse - it's me.

I'm grateful because I can't pretend in front of a horse. They create space where pretending becomes impossible, where shame and judgment simply don't exist.

When I understand that frustration and do something about it, I feel free.

But here's what most riders miss: Your horse isn't judging you.

They can't. Judgment requires holding you to a standard you're not meeting. Judgment requires comparing you to some ideal version of yourself. Judgment requires disappointment in who you are right now.

Horses don't work that way.

What Horses Actually Do

Your horse responds to your presence. They mirror your state. They reflect what you're carrying in your body, your breath, your energy.

When you're tense, they brace. When you're anxious, they become reactive. When you're disconnected from yourself, they disconnect from you.

This isn't judgment. This is honest response.

Think about the last time your horse was "difficult." They were showing you something you couldn't see in yourself.

The stiff neck. The resistance to the bit. The refusal at the jump. The spooking at nothing.

What were you carrying in that moment? Where was your breath? What were you holding in your shoulders, your jaw, your hips?

With horses, I feel completely accepted. Pure presence without the "am I enough" question even arising.

But with people? The fear shows up. The worry. The hiding.

I kept thinking people needed something different from me than horses do - something more polished, more perfect, more professional.

They don't.

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

People need the same thing horses need: calm, grounded presence. The real you, not the perfect version.

Your horse doesn't want your perfect version either.

They want you breathing. Pausing. Making eye contact. Being honest about what you're actually feeling instead of pretending everything's fine.

The same presence that works with horses works with people. I just had to trust it.

Trust my wings, as I told myself in that hypnosis session. Which really means: stop worrying, breathe, pause, show up as I am.

Here's what changes when you stop believing your horse is judging you:

You stop trying to prove yourself. You start being yourself.

You stop hiding your uncertainty. You acknowledge it and work with it.

You stop pushing through when something feels wrong. You pause and listen.

You stop treating your horse like a test you might fail. You start treating them like a mirror showing you exactly what you need to see.

What This Means for Your Riding

Every interaction with your horse becomes an opportunity for honesty instead of performance.

That anxiety before you ride? Your horse already feels it before you even walk into their stall. Not judging it. Just responding to it.

That frustration when they won't do what you ask? They're showing you where you're forcing instead of asking. Where you're demanding instead of inviting.

That magical ride where everything flows? That's what happens when you show up present, honest, and real. Not perfect. Just there.

The horse in the human's body is my gift. Your version of that - whatever makes you naturally understand your horse - is yours.

The question isn't whether you're good enough for your horse.

The question is whether you're willing to show up as you actually are.

Because that's all they've ever wanted from you.

Nika Vorster works with equestrian women who know their horse is mirroring them and are ready to do something about it. Learn more at nikavorster.com