Corazon (aka Romeo) coliced on July 5th. After a stressful night he was taken to the vet at 10pm. The vet did everything he could to make him comfortable. When I arrived in the morning he had a temperature and was in complete distress. Once he stabilized they put him back into his tiny white stall. It was a long day. I was alone and the only thing I knew that I could do was to massage him. I massaged him on and off for six hours stopping only to take him out to walk. I had to leave him at 9:00pm. When I walked into my home the phone rang, it was the vet letting me know that he had passed some manure. I was elated.
Unfortunately by morning he was not doing well again. The vet had done all he could. Because it was a small intestine impaction, and I said I would not do surgery, the only option left was to put him down. I was exhausted from our intense two days. I picked up my phone and called everyone I knew for help.
Susan Gibbs (my co-facilitator of the Spirit Rides) showed up 20 minutes later. All morning Corazon had been staring me in the eye, never taking his eye off me wherever I went. I knew in my heart he did not want to go, but I felt the pressure of my vet’s opinion. With Susan’s help we decided to wait. She then took over the massaging and worked even deeper in this belly area. Every time we massaged we got noises from his gut. However, the vet continued to hold that he was not going to make it, and I needed to make a decision.
I decided if Corazon’s destiny was to die, that he would die a death of dignity and with the joy of eating green grass before he ventured to the heavens. I went and told Corazon that we were going back to the ranch. I felt better than I had the whole time we were at the vet. He passed more manure 10 minutes later. We loaded him up and took him back to the ranch. As soon as we returned to the ranch his health improved 70%. Two days later I visited my vet, who was still insisting that Corazon was not going to make it. Today, July 25rd, he still seems in good health.
There are so many more pieces to this story; the significance of who I spoke to and when and how they helped me make decisions, how Corazon was through the whole process, and the conflict between my intuition and my vet’s science based thinking. It was a significant spiritual experience for me. It will be a chapter in my next book. It is so important to have your ‘team’ of support and to trust what your horse is telling you, even when it is counter to what science has “proven.”
Thank you to all of the individuals who supported me and Corazon: Ginger, Hugh, Bridget, Susan, Barbara (and her extended pray community), Lisa, Cassandra, John, Theresa, Willow, Eileen, Leeanne and Nancy. Horses continue to teach me the importance of belonging and community. I love you all and thank you.
Every live animal is communicating with us. There is an invisible bond that can form. I know that now, after this experience, that Corazon and I will be bonded for life. I know that he understands that I made a significant choice in his benefit. I leave you with a clip to watch on YouTube. It is not of a human horse connection, but of a profound display of recognition, gratitude, and connection between two species. Get a tissue before you start it. Christian the Lion
Listen deeply to yourself and to the animals around you.
