Four Camp Red Cedar therapy horses were to be on hand for Boots & Bourbon, the camp’s major fundraiser. It would be a different environment from their barn and pasture, with lots of people and a live band. Theresa, the barn manager, was a bit concerned about how first-timer Lucky (the black and white Gypsy Drum Horse with Randy above) would handle it, but she was willing to give it a go. As it turned out, so was Lucky.
I communicated with each of the horses on the afternoon of the event, making sure they knew what to expect and knew their human handlers had their backs. Lucky was on board but asked that if he started fidgeting and shifting side to side, he needed to be done for the evening. Kat, the Gypsy-Percheron cross with Cyndi above; and Jake, the black Tennessee Walker on the left below with Dava; agreed too. So did Tuff, on the right below with Emily; but he asked if he could then have a day off. I promised to pass all of that along.
Then we shared a Let Animals Lead® meditation to help everyone handle their tasks and meet their supporters in a calm, refreshed state. I offered the Three Diamonds meditation I’d just learned, which brings light to and shares it from three energy centers: the hara or lower belly (groundedness), heart (relatedness) and mind (clear thought and heavenly energy). I was actually taught this with totem animals for each energy center (bear, eagle and tiger). How would bear or tiger energy go over with horses, I wondered? So I meditated on those three aspects of horse energy instead … what makes horses so good at grounding and connecting.
During the evening, I had a chance to offer some in-person encouragement. Lucky had a few anxious moments, especially when he spotted his buddy Jake from a distance and wanted to go join him, but he got to go home when he’d had enough. All in all, everyone fared well, and they were good and ready for more meditation time when I arrived for my regular rounds the next day.
We are all occasionally called upon to step out of our ordinary spheres for the sake of something bigger. That can be uncomfortable. Knowing what is expected, being able to express our needs and being among allies all help us meet those challenges for everyone’s good.
Having Mojo tell me what he needed, and relaying that to his human and an equine bodyworker, helped us all help him feel better.
As a non-veterinarian, I do not diagnose or treat. As an animal communicator, I do sometimes get information about sore hips and hooves, tummy discomfort, itchy spots and more.
Sometimes the animal’s human caretaker tells me about any health issues going in. When I’m on rounds I always check in with the humans ahead of time for any updates (health included). Sometimes the animal himself will tell me about a health issue — or show me through images or feelings — during a communication session.
When a client arranges a session, “What does your vet say?” is one of my first questions. I want to make sure that any medical reasons for the cat not using the litter box or the dog’s increased anxiety have been addressed and ruled out.
Medical or otherwise, “what’s wrong” is never the focus of a communication session anyway. That’s because all of us living beings are so much more than our symptoms, illnesses, injuries and seemingly odd behaviors. No animal’s illness or trauma changes the fact that she is a unique creation with an inner light all her own.
After an animal communication session I relay any information the animal chose to share, including anything that might relate to health, to the human carer. The human can then choose to ignore it, keep an eye on it or share it with the vet. As I tell clients: Take from this only what resonates and is helpful, and leave the rest.
Much the same goes for my Let Animals Lead® sessions. In this specialized form of Reiki, the practitioner never “beams” energy to the animal (or any body part thereof) the way a practitioner might in a human Reiki session. Because Let Animals Lead® is meditation-based, a session is a quiet time to relax and reset. Though this method is not about fixing anything (and I keep the Serenity Prayer close), relaxation can only help with healing, whatever healing might mean for the animal in that moment.
It’s important to note that Let Animals Lead® is hands off unless the animal initiates contact. Many do, especially if they’ve been working with me for a while. Mojo, a Tennessee Walking Horse, once backed up against the fence between us and asked for hands-on energy. He showed me some pain in his hips and along the left side. I placed both hands on his hips and began my meditation. After a while he began licking and chewing, then walked off to join the rest of the herd. I passed this along to Mojo’s human and to the equine bodyworker who also worked regularly with him. After her session with him a day or two later, she sent me a diagram to show how she adjusted a misalignment on the left.
The codes of ethics I follow for both animal communication and Let Animals Lead® are clear about not dispensing medical advice or treatment. They’re also pretty clear about showing up and doing what we can do. It does take a village, and I try to do my part in it.
The horse didn’t know he was moving that day, let alone why. He had no idea what awaited him at the end of that trailer ride.
As an animal communicator and Let Animals Lead® practitioner, I was working with other animals at the farm when this newcomer, an off-track thoroughbred named King, arrived.
With each attempt to coax him down the ramp, he panicked more. Once the humans finally got him off the trailer and into a round pen, he ran back and forth, stopping every minute or two to whinny.
The humans went into the barn. The horse took little notice as I slowly approached.
“Hi, King,” I said softly. “This place must look pretty scary to you, but you’re safe.”
I don’t recall how long I stood or sat next to the round pen. I turned to the side, as animals under stress can feel threatened by a human facing them head-on, and offered a quiet meditation. The running and whinnying continued.
It was one of those times when the animal’s nervous system was so activated that I wasn’t sure if the session was doing any good. Holding space for King, and letting him choose whether/how to connect with me when he hadn’t been able to choose or even know about this move, was all I could do.
Over the next few years, King found horse and human friends and gave it his all as a working horse. Then his person asked me to ask him how he’d feel about going to a different home as a pleasure horse with one or two other horses. It was up to him, she said, and he could come back if he wanted.
King thought that sounded good. He was loaded and unloaded without incident, and at last report was flourishing in his new home.
Things happen. Horses get moved. It may be for the best, and it may even save the horse’s life. Volunteers with a local rescue carried a miniature horse with badly overgrown hooves onto a trailer during a severe storm a few years ago, and I know they did so with as much calm and communication as humans can muster in such circumstances.
If you are moving, re-homing, selling or rescuing a horse, you both might be dealing with a fair amount of stress right now. Some self-care and animal communication techniques can help the horses and humans involved navigate the change in a way that offers everyone peace.
Here are two things to consider:
1. You set the tone.
Your horse already knows something’s up; changes like these rarely come out of nowhere. She may not understand financial hardship, divorce or barn drama, but she feels its effects. She is very likely to pick up on what you tell yourself about the situation and the pictures you hold in your mind. There is no blame here; we are only human and horses are only equine. Just know that how you handle it from here matters more than you think.
If you and your animals are all moving to the same place, picture all of you loading up and traveling, then all together in the new place. Picture everyone helping one another adjust even though it may be hard. If a horse is going to be with the horse friends he’s used to, emphasize that.
Maybe you’re moving your horses to a new barn. Again, picture an uneventful loading, trailering and unloading at the new place, along with the buddies he’s traveling with or any horse he knows there.
If you and your horse are parting, let her know she’s going to live with someone who can care for her better than you can right now, or where you think she’ll be happier. Picture the trailer ride, the new home, the new owner and friends, even the temporary safe space. If any animals are staying behind, let them know they’re staying and everyone will be cared for.
If you are moving a horse for rescue or evacuation, stay as calm as possible. Let him know his safety is your priority and he can help by trusting you … even just a tiny bit.
2. Help is available. Please ask.
I am not a horse owner myself, but have observed that horse people can judge one another mercilessly or help in a heartbeat if you’re dealing with major manure (literal or otherwise). A friend or neighbor of the latter variety makes a big difference and might be closer than you think.
I can help by communicating the situation to your horse and listening to what he needs. I can support him, you, and the other animals with Let Animals Lead®, a meditation-based stress reduction modality. Both of these also work from a distance and can bring greater peace of mind to even the hardest transitions.
Most importantly: If you are having trouble caring for your animals, please reach out to your vet or a reputable rescue or animal welfare agency. They’d rather help you now than deal with a more serious situation down the road.
All Creatures 