An Experience treating Horses

Well, it has taken me a while to get back here, and am reposting a letter originally on MFR-Talk.

Hi All,

I took Equine a while back with Tamara Rapier and Mark Barnes in 2002. Since then I work on horses whenever I get the chance. For the past year, I have been treating the horses at a local therapeutic riding stable. This is hard work for the horses, and they need this work so much.
I love Equine work, but am not always confident in my skills. Even though there are times after I treated one, I go later, and they are sound asleep laying down in their stall!

Anyway, as time has gone on, they ask me to look at horses that are troubled, not just physically. There is a new horse, Gunner, who since coming to Mainstay (stable name) he has been a bully. He is half drafthorse, which means he is BIG. He uses his head to push you out of the way, and gets aggressive. He tries to dominate everyone especially the mares. He is sometimes wonderful, others awful. Won't tolerate a herd, kicking and biting the others horses. Some of the other horses who don't take his bullying, tolerate him, mostly not.

Anyway, they ask me to treat him. hmmm.

Just over a week ago, I decided to treat him in the pasture, where he is quietest.
So remembering all the grounding lessons of the horses from the past, I approach him in his pasture. He is isolated, because he has exhausted all his options but one, and they are waiting for me to look at him. I grounded myself, with both a tap root, and feeder roots. Open myself to the higher energies, and open my heart. He gets interested. He wouldn't let me into his energy field though, but I just waited. When he started messing about, I let him know I would leave. When he didn't stop, bumping me with his head, biting my clothes, I warned him once, then left.
This continued a bit. I went and treated someone else, then went back and asked him if he wanted to try again. He did.

When he let me into his field, I realized he is lonely, scared, and unsure of what he keeps doing wrong. I got the picture of a great big child who didn't realize his own size. Most amazingly,I realized he wasn't grounded, letting his energy ride over his head. Immediately the voice in my head started, who are you to tell this horse whether or not he is grounded.... that dang voice. I quieted myself again, and sure enough, this horse had no grounding. I am talking to Gunner with pictures and words. I show him what grounding looks like. I send him messages of how large he is, and how to handle it. He let me show him how to ground through his front legs. I explained that he was a little scary, and I would do more to show him grounding through the back legs, but I wasn't so sure of him. I left feeling pretty good, but in need of advice.

Here is where Cathy comes in. I contacted her to ask about grounding and if what I felt could be true. She responded with some wonderful advice, and along with the reminder to trust myself.
Cathy, your advice and encouragement made all the difference. I couldn't get back before Friday, but went with a whole new confidence. Gunner saw me and came over. so far so good. Then I went into his pasture, he followed me. Good. I asked him if I could check his grounding and see how his energy was, especially around his shoulders. Not right away. A bit of back and forth, then he let me in. Amazing. He started to swing his head, but lifted it over mine, Perfect. He gradually let me into his energy field, to touch him. I worked a few areas that were hot and twitchy. I told him in pictures which herd they wanted him to try. To my amazement he went over to the gate where this group was! I went to him, and explained he wasn't ready. Sadness. I showed him in my mind what a herd is like, how they interact. How he needed to act to be included.

I just kept saying to him," Let me show you" then I would show him a picture in my mind. Thank you John for all those visualizing exercises! When I went next to treat him, he allowed me to do so much more, and then! Unwinding!!! Oh my.

When we had finished, Gunner allowed me to show him how to ground and center himself again. I let him know (thanks again Cathy!) that he needed to choose it himself. And he needed to stay grounded. After I decided he was grounded, we introduced him into the herd. He wouldn't budge, until I went over to him and told him in both words and pictures that I believed he could do it.

Anyway, to shorten my rambling, it went perfectly well. Gunner went in, no issues. No fighting, no bullying. It was easy. Yesterday I got an update, he is acting like a different horse. Cooperating when working, and generally being the horse they thought he was when he was brought to Mainstay.
I was floating. This stuff is awesome.

Need I say that the treatments this week have been phenomenal?

Cathy, thank you so much for that push when I needed it.
Thank you John, for changing my life with this work.

joyfully,

Ami