Horsin’ Around: The Fabulous Truth about Horses and Healing

I’ve often said that it’s in the blood. Like an unshiftable genetic factor, horses are built into the fabric of our being, a pre-disposition we can’t seem to shake or deny. Horses prance their way into countless hearts, eliciting in even the most closed and wounded of souls what can only be described as wonder. They leave us spellbound, the spirit sensing incredible possibility. Perhaps this is exactly the reason why there has been an exponential rise in the number of facilities working with horses for healing purposes. And perhaps, when we dive deeper, we see that that feeling of awe has a source, an ancient pulling to the power, strength and wisdom that these beings reflect in each one of us. 

I was born with horses in my blood. My family, confused about my obsession at first, recognized in time that horses would remain forever at the forefront of my life. I began formal lessons at 13, coming home covered in horse hair and contentment. Ten years later, still doggedly committed, I found myself face to face with my dream, Diva a 4-year-old Percheron-Morgan mare. 

It is worth mentioning that at this fateful meeting over ten years ago I had never once pondered the connection of horses and healing. A scientist’s daughter with a world view that was as black and white as a Charlie Chaplin movie, I had never considered a deeper motive for my horse addiction. To give you a some further perspective, I was, at the time, an in-the-closet sensitive person, fighting tooth and nail to be tough, together and “normal.” I attribute the crumbling of my defenses to none other than my passion, horses. 

Here then is the brilliant truth about horses, one learned during two decades of their constant company. Horses are pure reflection. When we look at horses, we see ourselves, who we are becoming and who we are releasing. We see the detrimental patterns and the solutions. And we know that we are going to be just fine. 

On that note, here are three potent ways that being around horses heals…

Congruency

Horses have a finely tuned BS meter and they know how to use it. Congruency, by its definition, is when the inside of something matches the outside. Unfortunately, the emphasis of much of our cultural conditioning has been on hiding and masking what we are really feeling and thinking and enduring both inner and outer discomfort without complaint. 

Prey animals by nature, there is nothing that upsets a horse more than a person who’s faking it. Why? It was necessary for horses to be deeply in tune to the true intentions of those around them, particularly their predators, most of whom had an ulterior motive. Having my very own BS meter, aka my horse Diva, in my backyard forces me to assess my levels of congruency daily! 

Through the wise eyes of a horse, we receive an incredible opportunity to get completely and perhaps disconcertedly real. It may be the first time in our lives where we’ve felt safe doing so, allowing healing to happen at great depths as our neural patterns rewire and rejoice. 

Boundaries

Horses are big, huge really. Many people are overwhelmed by their sheer mass, usually 900lbs plus and their impressive athleticism. It is a combination that demands respect and a healthy dose of humility, but more importantly, a good solid grasp of your personal boundaries. Yes, you could be injured by a horse, but that possibility soars without boundaries. 

As woman, we may have been taught that saying no or setting a boundary in certain situations is weak or even disrespectful, that you will not be accepted if you choose to do so, that in essence it is not safe. Horses are brilliant teachers in this area. If you don’t exert your boundaries your safety is in question. Take, for example, a horse that is pushy about their food. Without boundaries, this horse would easily become increasingly dangerous at mealtimes. Because horses work in a hierarchy, in not setting boundaries, this huge animal has effectively become your boss.

With horses, we are quite literally forced to find our voice and our big no, something we may not have felt safe doing anywhere else in our lives. By pushing us to this new level of self-respect, this shift can translate out into the rest of our experience, a powerful ripple in the way we interact with our world. 

Community

As I mentioned a little earlier, horses work in a hierarchal manner. A balanced herd is, in many ways, a brilliant and thriving example of community. If we use the language of archetypes, there is a queen in the lead mare. Her role is as leader through wisdom, as she is both in tune to the unique needs of the herd and her environment. There may also be an alpha mare acting as an enforcer of rules, with the essential role of enforcing boundaries and therefore creating safety. Each horse finds their place in the herd hierarchy. 

When we watch horses interact in a herd dynamic, the take-away aha’s are endless. Merely the realization that horses take nothing personally is worth the price of admission. From there we recognize their ability to engage in “conflict” with each other or experience a stressor in their environment and immediately go back to grazing. Where we might find ourselves stewing and creating elaborate stories, horses move to release built-up tension and return to their favorite activity of grazing as soon as possible. They can share incredible love and be totally authentic, setting boundaries whenever necessary to establish space or express what they need. 

I could sit for hours watching herd dynamics, still picking up subtleties and horse wisdom to bring into my daily life some twenty years down the road. Experiencing horses in this open-minded way is a constantly deepening process with infinite gifts and teachings, particularly where community and relationship is concerned. 

Needs

The final, yet most valuable teaching from horses centers around how to express needs. When we ponder a world where we feel uncomfortable expressing our needs it looks very bleak indeed, without zest or dreams. Horses make it possible to bridge this seemingly impassable gap. 

When I first bought Diva over ten years ago, my sole experience was with horses that had learned to “deal”, feeling unsafe to express their needs and attempting to get them met through other, more interesting means. Diva, on the other hand, was a whole different ball of wax, living up to her name brilliantly, and, once my frustration ebbed, becoming my mentor in the art of clearly asking for what I need. The transformation in my life from this one teaching is remarkable, allowing me to dream big, get clear and focused and express easily. 

Horses are powerful teachers. In observation alone, there is no end to the light bulb moments! Are they calling you to come out and learn?