“These deceptively simple techniques embody a powerful set of spiritual teachings.

”
–andrew weil, m.d.

z e n
M I N D
The Science and Spirituality of Working with Horses

ZEN
h o r s e

a lla n j. h a milton, m.d.

au thor of t he sc alpel and t he soul
forewords by mont y roberts and robert m. miller, d.v.m.
 contents
foreword  vi
introduction  1

day s o f t h u n d e r   11
th e t w o s i d e s o f me   22
ch i & eq u u s   33
gr o o m i n g as a t ea c er emo n y   46
se a r c h i n g fo r c h i   65
g r o o m i n g a s an a c t o f lo ve   74
th e m agic do g   90
pr e y , p r e d at o r & th e r u les o f lear n in g   108
pat ien c e   124
le a d i n g t h e way   134
no w & th e o c ean li n er   152
ti n y b u b b les o f c h i   156
pi c k i n g u p t h e pa c e   178
m i n d i n g y o u r man n er s   184
se n d i n g o u t & ba c k i n g u p   197
te n d i n g t o h o r s e s   215
si d e ­p assi n g & ju mp in g   228
co m e t o me   235
fr o m sa c k t o s a d d l e   244
a l eg u p   257
sto p p i n g & sp o o k in g   269
tr a i l e r i n g (or n o t )  278

epilogue  286
twenty exercises 289
acknowledgments 297
bibliography  301
index  306

Text © Allan J. Hamilton, m.d.

Illustrations © Elayne Sears
A Letter from the Author
Dear Bookseller:

Zen Mind, Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working with
Horses is a primer on spirituality, brain function, and the bonds between
the equine and human species. It is written from my unique perspective as a
Harvard-trained brain surgeon and an experienced horse trainer. It is both
a technical manual for training horses and a guide to extracting the deeper,
spiritual lessons we can learn from these animals and applying them in our
daily lives. It looks at horsemanship as a spiritual journey, open to anyone,
at any level of expertise, and at any stage in their lives.
Ground work with horses provides a vital tool for humans — from
a complete novice to an accomplished horse trainer — to reawaken and
strengthen the capacity of our dormant right brain. With the lessons in
Zen Mind, Zen Horse, we can discover a reliable way to silence our inner
voice. We can move from an isolated, self-absorbed “me” to a connected,
interactive “we.” Developing a partnership with a horse teaches us to sum-
mon and focus our own vital energy, the non-verbal life force of chi, in our
interactions with others.
Zen Mind, Zen Horse is not just for those who feel the deep tug of
affection for horses; it is also for anyone who has the spiritual itch to
become a better, happier, more fulfilled individual, and wonders where to
start and how to accomplish it. No horse experience is needed to make
these lessons work. How often do we attempt to adopt spiritual principles
without any way of understanding them or seeing them in action? Zen
Mind, Zen Horse uses the exceptional powers of horses to demonstrate
dozens of such principles in action and then allows us to decide for our-
selves which ones we need most in our own lives: clearing our mind; focus-
ing our intention; adopting the infinite patience of a fencepost; living in the
moment; forging partnerships based on integrity, not ambition; earning the
responsibility of leadership.
Anatole France wrote: “Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s
soul remains unawakened.” This book addresses how each of us can
undertake this vital step to enhance our self-awareness.

Sincerely,

Allan J. Hamilton, m.d.

 chap ter t wo

The Two
Sides
of Me

The education system and modern society generally

(with its very heavy emphasis on communication
and on early training in the three Rs) discriminates
against one whole half of the brain.

Dr. Roger Sperry,

winner of the Nobel Prize for his work on right- and left-hemispheric brain function

22
M
y own life has developed along two divergent themes. The
first is my profession as a brain surgeon; the second, my avoca-
tion as a horse trainer. For four decades I have pursued these
two seemingly contradictory callings. The first finds me in an operating
theater dominated by stainless steel and digital monitors. The second places
me in wide open spaces, in the embrace of earth and sky (see figure 2.1 ).
One, all sutures and antiseptics, belongs to science; the other, with its dust
and sweat, to nature.
It might seem as though there’s an irreconcilable tension between the
two. Neurosurgery requires a surreal ability to maintain focus, what Sir
William Osler, a nineteenth-century physician, called “. . . coolness and
presence of mind under all circumstances, calmness amid storm, clearness
of judgment in moments of grave peril . . . .” For brain surgeons to reach
the heights of their technical abilities, they must learn to suppress any
interference from their own emotions.
Horsemanship, on the other hand, relies primarily on personal insight
and intuitive assessment. Its practitioners must plumb their own emotional
depths. And mastery does not come from personal sublimation but rather
through intimate transformation.

out of my right mind   This schism that runs through my

life represents more than a mere opposition of profession and hobby.
It contrasts two different approaches to being me. One way, by impos-
ing an ­unwavering dedication to technique, requires suppression of the
ego in order to perfect surgical method until it becomes its own form of
expression.

2.1  The high-tech neurosurgical operating room (opposite) depends largely on

cognitive, logical, and mathematical left-hemispheric functions. Working with horses
in the round pen (above) depends largely on empathetic, emotional functions housed
in the right hemisphere of the human brain.

the two sides of me

23
 The Four Aspects
of the Round Pen
S o m e n u m b e r s j u s t f i t s n u g ly . Four is one of them. It’s the first
composite number, meaning it’s the first number that can be created by
multiplying numbers other than itself. The simplest geometric solid, a tet-
rahedron, must have four sides. There are four seasons and four primary
elements. Time is the fourth dimension. And there are four directions.
To me, looking at the round pen encircling my horse and me, it seemed
only natural to amplify my groundwork by attaching specific concepts
relating to each of the four cardinal directions on its circumference (see
figure 7.7 ).
These four directions are assigned colors in the Native American tra-
dition. Traditionally these four colors, all pigments found in the natural
environment, also representing the four races of humanity, were assigned
as follows: black for the North, white for the East, yellow for the South,
and red for the West.

the north   North, associated with the color black, embodies the
concept of empathy. Derived from the Greek empathē s (from em- + pathos,
feelings, emotion), empathy is defined as “the action of understanding,
being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feel-
ings, thoughts, and experiences of another of either the past or present
without having the feelings, thoughts, and experiences fully communicated
in an objectively explicit manner.” It is epitomized by the expression “see-
ing the world from someone else’s perspective.”
North represents the direction of the leader, the alpha mare — the one
who takes responsibility for the group. It is also the embodiment of the
Golden Rule: namely, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you.” North is the faithful, invariant direction upon which we depend for
our moral compass, to show us the way when we are lost, to help guide
our next steps when we wonder where to go: to make sure we do the
right thing.
Why black? Yes, it is the color of darkness and shadows, but it is also
the color painted under the hunter’s eyes so he’s not inadvertently blinded
by the sun or the snow. It is the color of charcoal — what’s left after every-
thing is burned, consumed by fire. It is the color of death. Grief implies
empathy, the ability to see loss and comprehend the world through the
suffering of others. Empathy is a fundamental ingredient of compassion-
ate leadership.

the magic dog

100
 7.7

colors of the round pen

north south
color: Black color: Yellow
concept: Empathy concept: Intention
role: Leader role: Visionary, entrepreneur
additional: The Golden Rule additional: The archer is one with the
­target, seeing the end before beginning.

east west
color: White color: Red
concept: Learning, illumination concept: Wisdom
role: Teacher role: Shaman, elder
additional: Imprinting, ritual additional: Walking the red road

w e

The north is the leader, responsible for the herd or group. The east is the educator, the
teacher, and stands for illumination and knowledge. The south is the visionary, the one
who sees the goal, the objective. The west is the shaman, the individual responsible for
bridging what is physical to what is not, for lending meaning to the existential struggle.

tth
hee m
tw oi cs i d o
ag e sg o f m e

101101
H o r s e “Combining brain science, horse sense,

zen min d, zen horse

and fine storytelling, this spiritual hand-
book points toward a special and com-
T r ainin g pletely real form of enlightenment.”
stephen kiesling
wiTH emoTion, editor-in-chief,
spiritualit y & health magazine
inTuiTion, and
“Zen Mind, Zen Horse is far more than
Transcendence a book about how to care for a horse,
though it stands out as one of the best on
A new road to training horses the subject. Rather, Hamilton has given
and a new journey toward humans a way to achieve their highest
self-awareness good by allowing horses to be our guides.
This beautiful testament to the power
and magic of equine energy captures the
Zen Mind, Zen Horse soul of a horse perfectly.”
Full-color; photographs and illustrations susan richards
throughout author, chosen by a horse
320 pages; 7 x 10

Paper: $24.95 US / $29.95 CAN

ISBN: 978-1-60342-565-0 “Zen Mind, Zen Horse is both practical
No. 62565
Releases and profound, offering sound advice for
eBook Available August tapping the wisdom of horses as natural
2011! mindfulness teachers.”
linda kohanov
author, the tao of equus

Marketing and Publicity:

• Book trailer to promote author dr. allan hamilton
for interviews is a Harvard-trained brain
• Forewords from equine experts Monty surgeon, professor of neuro-
Roberts and Robert M. Miller, d.v.m. science, and renowned horse
• Author events at equestrian trade trainer who has given clinics
h a m i lto n

shows and bookstores all over the United States and

in Europe. He is the author of
The Scalpel and the Soul: Encoun-
ters with Surgery, the Supernatural, and the Human Power
of Hope, which received the Silver Nautilus Award in
Publicity Contact: Adam Carmichael
2009 for nonfiction works in spirituality. Dr. Hamilton
(413) 346-2139 • adam.carmichael@storey.com
serves as the medical script consultant for the televi-
sion series Grey’s Anatomy and also consults for the
spin-off show, Private Practice. He raises Lipizzan horses

www.storey.com
and pasture-fed Angus cattle on a small ranch on the
outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. ß
Storey