Tag horse health

Dental anxiety? Reign it in

Nancy Crowe

Itchy with bug bites, Megan the gypsy horse was in no mood to have her teeth done. I’d been told she had dental issues and, even with sedation, anxiety to the point of rearing. Now her turn was coming up.

I told her what was happening and that I knew firsthand that tooth and skin problems are no fun … but not insurmountable. She’d indicated a few weeks earlier that she was “the queen around here” — so I said: “Be the queen. You’ve got this.”

She was skeptical but shared a meditation session with me. I pictured her bathed in a gentle light, regal and unbothered.

Megan reportedly had a good visit with the equine dentist. As befits a queen, all four feet stayed on the ground.  

We all require maintenance now and then. If an air of royalty helps you get it done, go for it. Just reign kindly.

(Image courtesy of Canva’s new AI wizardry)

Two kind horses, and one small shift, made the difference

Nancy Crowe
Photo by Nancy Crowe

I thought about canceling my animal Reiki rounds on a recent day. But the barn wasn’t far from the hospital, I had some time, and I’m always encouraging others to drop expectations about showing up perfectly. Time to walk that talk.

I greeted horses Emmie and Zam, explained that someone I love was in the human version of the vet clinic, and apologized for my distraction. They looked at me with their soft eyes, completely ready for whatever I did have to offer.

We began the session. I tried meditating on the Reiki precepts, one of which is “do not worry.” Sigh. I tried coming back to the breath and quieting the mind. The breath came back to me, but a quiet mind? Not happening.

Emmie, a sweet and steady Haflinger; and Zam, a kind Dutch warmblood, kept grazing. (Horses love Reiki over breakfast.) Every so often they glanced my way. They have come to trust me, but I wondered if they’d walk away. They deserved better.

Then the line from the Prayer of St. Francis floated into my mind amid the thousand other things: “Make me an instrument of your peace.”

I silently offered that up. And again. The healing energy, after all, comes not from me but through me.

After several minutes of silently repeating that prayer, I noticed the two horses had drawn closer to me as they grazed.

Sometimes the smallest shift will turn us in a better direction. (And the human in question is home and recovering well.)

“There is love in this world.”

Nancy Crowe

On a bright, muddy morning in March 2020, I arrived for my animal communication and Reiki rounds at Summit Equestrian Center determined to put aside my anxieties about COVID-19. 

But there’s no hiding stuff from a horse. 

Opal, a 27-year-old Percheron, met me at the fence and came straight to the point: “Please don’t be afraid. There is love in this world.”

Did she understand the pandemic? Probably not. Had she heard conversations about a sickness going around among the humans? Probably. Did she sense their worries? Absolutely.

Opal knew about uncertainty. She and her buddy Pearl, about 30, were cast aside after years of hard work. That could easily have been the end for them. Instead, through a chain of humans who saw hope where no one else did, they found new purpose as therapy horses. 

Before they passed last fall, both of them told me their last couple of years on this plane were better than they ever could have expected. 

When it feels like there is anything but love in this world, I remember and treasure this.