Archive for horses naturally
Cajun’s Recovery
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Cajun the wildly spotted appaloosa featured in the chapter titled, Come Together, of my most recent book, Hope from the Heart of Horses tore his digital tendon in his rear right leg in July. His owner cared for him after the surgery but unfortunately he injury became infected. He came to my ranch September 4th. We became the “last chance ranch.” If he could not heal here he would be put down.
Reticent to put any weight on his injured leg he stood on three legs. It had been two months of this posture. He was tired, had lost weight, and was showing signs of atrophy in both his leg and his neck. For two months the human conversation around him was filled with thoughts such as: shall we put him down, he is not getting any better, he doesn’t want to live, I don’t know what to do, what will become of him. Read More→
Transitions – What New Territory Are You Experiencing in Your Life?
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Corazon has been with me for just 1.5 years. It is hard to believe how much has changed in such a short time. The last month I have noticed a significant difference in his demeanor. He still responds with a bit of fright to large dark objects he has not seen before and prefers not to walk next to trailers – a slab of ice sliding off the roof may give his body a jolt. However, he has settled into his new life and continues to shed his hyper protective instinctive reactions. Read More→
Integrative Riding – Another Way that Horses Help Humans to Heal
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In my last article I talked about how horses are teachers for humans in areas of personal, emotional and spiritual growth. What a person holds emotionally in the body, and mentally in the mind, affects how a horse responds to them. Interacting with a horse on the ground can teach a person a tremendous amount about them selves (if one is willing to listen).
Horses also serve humans when they are ridden. For years now therapeutic riding centers have employed horses to carry mentally, developmentally or physically disabled children and adults on their backs as a method for healing. The power of the horse to heal is not mystical, but is directly connected to the motion created when a rider sits on a horse’s back. The rider benefits as their hip and pelvic area begins to follow the flow of the horse, moving side to side. With each of the horse’s stride the rider’s hips shift back and forth pumping spinal fluid through the spinal column. The spinal fluid then flows through the nervous system and stimulates the brain and all of the nerve endings of the limbs of the rider. Read More→
Get a Handle on Fear
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When I came back to working with horses, after being thrown and dragged, I had a lot of inner work to do around fear. My horse Moon helped me work through my fears while riding. I practice the Mind Body Method (a coaching process I developed) to slow down my automatic responses and stay present in my body. Moon helped me integrate new positive ways to be with my fear instead of the old trauma loops and breakdowns based in dissociation. Read More→