The Healing Power of Horses

Even if you are scared of horses or don’t ride, it’s hard not to be inspired by these magnificent creatures. As the Arab saying goes: ‘If God made anything more beautiful he kept it to himself’.

Horses have played a key role in human progress. When humankind first tamed the horse it opened up increased mobility – don’t forget up until then we were confined to travelling everywhere on foot! Today, horses are still playing a key role in our evolution but now on a soul level as the benefits of interacting with horses, even for non-riders, is now well documented via equine assisted therapy.

Ask any empathic horse owner and they will tell you that their horses mirror their moods or the emotional state of those around them, says Michele Knight reader and animal communicator, Helen. I know this from just being with my horse, Duchess and with my work with other horses over the years. If I am tense then Duchess will reflect that tension in her own body even if she does not know the reason for my being upset. If I am riding her she will often turn and touch my foot with her nose as if ‘checking’ I am okay and seeking reassurance. Conversely, if I am relaxed then so is she, enjoying her surroundings and relaxing her neck.

To further illustrate how horses mirror our emotional state, one day I was working with five horses who were loose in a field. These horses had a distinct ‘pecking’ order in their small herd with the alpha, Wurzel at the top. Wurzel would assert his authority over the others, often driving them away when food or treats were available. This day however, they abandoned their usual rivalries and all stood together while I performed a healing meditation with them. Incredibly all five horses stood with eyes closed in a healing trace state for over 10 minutes. I was enjoying the shared healing between us when the horses’ owner turned up. He was angry the horses were over the far side of the paddock and he had to walk across it to get to them. His entire body language reflected this even before he started shouting. It was as if a spell had been broken as instantly all five horses’ eyes snapped open and they started to run around biting and kicking one another – a clear reflection of the ‘negative’ vibe that had suddenly intruded!

So, how can a horse’s innate ability to reflect our emotional state help us? By seeing how a horse reflects our inner state, we can identify emotional problems and blockages we are facing to our soul growth, and release them. We can see clearly how we react to situations and by understanding the horse’s reaction, change our own. Furthermore, as we develop a relationship with a horse – even a therapy horse, we can overcome our fears, build trust, respect and self-confidence, develop better communication, problem solving and coping techniques and learn how to set appropriate boundaries. We can then apply these skills to any other area of our lives!

You don’t have to be able to ride to benefit from this type of interaction with horses. However, it is essential to find a qualified equine assisted therapist – it is not as simple as just going up to a horse in a field and seeing what it tells you. And if you are inexperienced with horses you should never approach a strange horse on your own. A Google search should reveal a qualified therapist in your area.

As Buck Brannaman – the man on whom the book The Horse Whisperer was based, says ‘The horse is a mirror. Sometimes you’ll like what you see – and sometimes you won’t. Horses give us the opportunity to change that reflection for the better.

If you would like a reading with Helen, please call reception to find out her availability and to book a reading.

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