If it seems dangerous, remove yourself and re-eval from a distance

If it seems dangerous remove yourself and re-evaluate the situation from a safe distance.

The horse is a prey animal – in many respects, a somewhat frail prey animal.  Nevertheless, the species has survived when other seemingly more formidable mammals such as the mastodon became extinct.  The wisdom of the equine can teach us about financial survival. 

The horse has an amazing capacity to detect and to respond to threats.  They basically have two options when confronted with danger.   For the horse it is either fight or flight.  Their preferred method is flight.

Nature has equipped the horse with a very well developed detection device system.  With access to either bi or mono vision, the horse can see almost 365 degrees without moving her head.  Her ears are amazingly flexible and can be maneuvered in an instant to capture the minutest sound waves coming from just about any direction.  Horses also have an incredibly well developed olfactory sense.  Often people think that when a horse snorts she is being threatening but this is not the case.  He snorts to clear his nostrils to specify the odor and detect its source. Horses also have an extremely refined tactical sense which when understood by a human can facilitate extraordinary communication between the two species.

Along with these detection devices comes the ability to run at speeds of 30 to 40 miles an hour over a distance of a mile or more.  She can go from zero to thirty in a split second, stop on a dime, in an instant do a 360, and then fire off in the opposite direction.
It is easy to see that while the horse can viciously strike and bite he much prefers to use his speed and agility to remove himself from perceived danger.  This instinct to flea danger serves the species well.  These athletic skills combined with a favorable disposition probably explain why the horse rather than becoming a meal became human’s servant and companion to survive through the millennium.

Wise investors have many of the same instincts.  When an investment seems dangerous, she removes herself and re-examines the situation from a safe distance.  Like the horse, the successful investor is not frozen by fear but after re-evaluation moves forward but with never ending vigilance.  Even when committed to a particular investment, like the horse, the successful investor will always remain vigilant to insure the growth and survival of the investment.

Posted via email from Equine's Apprentice