The Gift of Horses; Teaching Humans to FEEL

My obsession with horses started at a very early age. Like a lot of young girls, I loved to draw horses, read horse stories, take riding lessons, and fantasize of one day owning my own horse. To me horses were majestic and beautiful, and they possessed a magic that I couldn’t quite explain.

Little did I know that one day I would share my life with these amazing animals, helping people to navigate through life.

Twelve years ago, I became a FEEL Facilitator. I partnered with horses to help people obtain greater self awareness, learn to be honest with themselves, and how to live a more present and heartfelt life. But the true gift that horses offer people is their amazing ability to facilitate emotional intelligence.

As animals who are preyed upon in nature, horses developed a highly sensitive ability to pick up and interpret emotions to survive. As a predator approaches, horses can, from a great distance, pick up the physical and emotional energy of that predator. A message of fear is registered which quickly spreads amongst the herd. In a split-second decision, horses will move to a position of safety, and then as quickly as the emotion came, they let go of the fear and return to grazing (a balanced state of being). They no longer dwell in the past or worry about the future. They remain comfortable in the present moment.

This ability to read emotions readily transfers over to humans. When in the presence of people, horses will pick up the person’s emotion, mirror it back to them, and wait until the person is able to acknowledge those feelings. The horse will then teach the person to let go of the emotion, and return to a neutral state perhaps by physically shaking it off, taking a deep breath or yawing (as a form of release).

One of the most powerful experiences I had with the teachings of the horse was with my very first FEEL client, Manuela. When it was time to enter the round pen with Leo, Manuela froze. Over taken by fear, she was unable to do the exercise.

During my six months of training to be a FEEL Facilitator, I was only exposed to people being excited to be with the horse. They normally couldn’t contain themselves around the horse and all they wanted to do was to make physical contact. Manuela was a new challenge for me.

The exercise that we were about to embark on is called “Reflective Round Pen”. This exercise requires the client to enter the round pen and share with the horse their heart’s desire; for example, the client may wish to know how to bring more joy into their life, understand how to let go of anger or frustration, or perhaps learn how to be at peace. Horses use their body language to send messages to the client to help them achieve their heart’s desire. The messages would stimulate an “inner awareness” in the client’s body, allowing them to “feel” a response. Manuela’s heart’s desire was to learn to face fear.

To make Manuela more comfortable, I offered to go into the round pen with her. She graciously agreed. Leo was already standing quietly in the pen trying to look as small as a 1000 pound horse could. We stopped in the centre of the pen, the safest spot to stand, and took a deep breath together. Leo immediately went to work. With deliberate intent, he walked towards the exit gate, turned to face us, and strategically backed up, pressing his behind into the gate and sprawling his front legs as if he were a tripod.

Manuela took one look at Leo and tears began to well up in her eyes. I checked in with her to see if she was ok. She shared with me that as a survivor of trauma, where ever she goes, she always feels “stuck at the exit”. She never feels safe, and knowing where the exit is helps her from fleeing. Leo so clearly demonstrated this point.

Leo walked quickly towards us, which was rather intimidating (which was very unusual for this gentle horse). He stopped about a foot in front of us and then proceeded to use his head to push me away from Manuela. I told her that he wanted me to leave. She acknowledged that she understood his message and gave me permission to step aside. I kept reminding Manuela to breathe as this would help her to remain in her body. As I gave them space, Leo gently placed his head against her heart and Manuela brought up her hands to caress his head. They stood quietly for some time. Suddenly Manuela began to cry. All her fears began to wash away with her tears. She was able to let go of the fear from her past, and the fear of this horse. Leo allowed her to see her own bravery, and in doing so, she was able to embrace this beautiful teacher with love.

Manuela told me that all the years of therapy couldn’t accomplish what twenty minutes of spending time with Leo did. She explained that talking through her fears with a therapist was extremely helpful on an emotional level, yet the message she received from Leo was also felt on a physical level. She could feel a significant shift in her body going from a state of fear to a state of inner peace.

What she took away from this FEEL session was that she could face fear head on and remain safe in her body. She no longer felt the need to flee. If fear crept in, she had to remember to breathe, stay present, and recall how brave she felt standing with Leo.

Not all FEEL sessions are this powerful. Some people find it very difficult to stop thinking with their mind and allow their heart and body to be their compass. Other people aren’t ready to feel and understand their emotions. Manuela had a profound experience because she was ready to try something different. She was ready to take back her personal power that we all possess.

I now understand why I am so attracted to horses. I can see and feel the magic that horses possess and are so generously able to share with us. Imagine a world where humans were more like horses. We would better understand our emotions, how to sit comfortably with them, and once processed, let them go. This freedom from our emotional pain would allow us to live a more joy-filled life.