Healing with Horses
– for horse lovers and novices like me

By: Maggie Marshall | Posted in: Connection with Animals | Monday, Oct 27, 2014 - 10:30am

Have  you ever wondered what it is about the healing nature of horses? Why do people say they help them with emotional and physical issues?  Does establishing a relationship with them really help people feel more confident?

I went out tonight to the paddock to see the two visiting horses, where I am currently staying. I have not had much to do with horses since I took riding lessons when I was 12 years’ old. I hesitate to say how old I am now but it is many years later.

When the horses first arrived, I was nervous of them. These huge creatures could do great damage. I know you have to be aware, especially if they spook. I volunteered to help out the owner by letting them in and out of the paddock, while she was at school teaching. But I was hesitant. 

Then I read that if you approach a horse with clean and good energy they will respond. If you don’t, they will ignore you. So I decided not to be afraid, and be calm and assertive, like Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer says.

It seems things changed from then on. Or could it be the carrots I started feeding them? But what a release! Now I could just enjoy these beautiful creatures. They now come up to me and nudge me. Sometimes they try to eat my shoes or my pants. And those big eyes that see so much.

So tonight I just went out to be with them. The full moon was hidden but I could still see them in the dark. They came up to see what I had and then they left. I stayed and they kept coming back to see what I was doing.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to be them, with their huge bodies and hooves. And that grass that they love must feel awful stringy. And what would it be like to race across the prairies, especially when they were wild. Such freedom!

But it was so peaceful to just be with them, to watch them, and feel the breeze caressing my face. And when one would come up and just put his head up to mine and exchange breath with me, it was such a beautiful, healing moment, an inexplicable connection with another spirit.

Why are we so connected to them?

And why do they give what they do, to people with disabilities, or emotional issues, or just low self-esteem. We have used them in horrible situations, such as war. And we use them for our entertainment. Why do they give back? In some ways they have no choice. And maybe they like performing? But maybe they understand the true meaning of connection more than we do.

Thank you Shiraz (left) and Daylight (right) for challenging me and my fears, and reminding me to just be.

Maybe all you horse lovers out there have way more to say on this. For novices like me, see what you feel when you try to connect with them, when you pass them in a field at the side of the road, in a stables, in a photo, or just in your mind.

I would love to hear your comments.