Learning to walk…
Most of us take walking for granted. We do it everyday, without a thought.
So when I was challenged on the first day of a clinic with James Shaw to slowly step out to the side with one leg without leaning, I was surprised to find I had trouble with this simple task. I struggled to keep my balance. James looked me in the eye and shouted, ‘LEANER!’. He might as well have spread his thumb and forefinger out and put it on his forehead in the universal sign for a ‘LOSER’, but the twinkle in his eye and his slightly dropped right shoulder reassured me that he was simply welcoming me to the club. We all lean.
So went the 3 days of self discovery. Where is my balance? Where am I leaning? Why do I stick my ear out to the right when I want to step into my right stirrup? Why doesn’t my belly button move to the left as easily as to the right. Where do I short circuit the brilliant functions my body was designed for? Observation without judgement (but with alot of laughter), experimentation and then feedback.
The feedback was profound. James took us through several Tai Chi based excercises every morning. These all start in ‘Standing Meditation’…a position foreign to most of us…..hips back, legs straight, weight on the TOES. Well after about 10 minutes in standing meditation, your body is screaming at you to lean back, cock a hip…do anything to take the pressure off your achilles and ball of the foot. Truth be told (and I’ve tested this theory several times since being home), you can do all the exercises in under 30 minutes and I expect, even with the addition of adding a few instructions about how to do them right, they could be done in less than 90 minutes. But James has an interesting teaching style…humorous, self deprecating, and prone to distraction….so the morning ordeal lasted over 3 hours. Now ‘ordeal’ might be abit of an exaggeration, as James is delightful and the education was delicious, but my body was screaming at me the whole time. STOP. RECONSIDER. DON”T LISTEN TO THAT EVIL MAN.
Well, we all persevered at whatever level we were capable of. There were two great moments of feedback for me. To be honest, there were many moments, but these were the bigs ones. First, there were two exercises in particular that gave me instant feedback. ’Bend with an arch’ and ‘Palms on toes’. You’ll have to get his DVDs or attend a workshop for details, but while doing these two exercises, two things happened to me. First, my spine literally snapped into better alignment and second, I discovered a way to move from a bent over position to a standing position without pain. Those of you, who, like me, trim horses feet or even garden, will understand the excitement I felt when I realized I could straighten up without feeling pain and spasm in my lower back. The other great epiphany was how I felt the next morning. I woke without any back pain. At the end of the clinic I felt better than I had for years. Typically, a clinic in which I was learning something new and riding, would make me sore, usually in my lower back or between my shoulders. I felt none of that. Nothing short of a miracle.
Breathing properly was a basic principle that we practiced over and over, both on the ground and on our horses backs. We learned to be more perceptive about where our feet were, where our bellybutton was pointing, how our seat bones were weighted and how to move the sternum and shoulders separately from the hips and bellybutton. The big mental challenge for me was to stop thinking about movement as a gross motor skill, one that occurs using a massive amount of muscle and energy. Instead, James challenged us to just think about moving the bone…be it the hipbone or the femor bone or the humerus bone or the clavicle bone or the sternum, and allow the body to do what it does naturally to get the job done. Generally, I found I simply used less muscle and alot less energy to accomplish the task.
I’d like to say I am moving my body better 100% of the time now, but the truth is, my old habits are difficult to change. I have found though that I am in observation mode alot of the time now. While interviewing a patient, I might check my balance and assume the standing meditation stance, which is becoming easier and more natural to me. Walking down the hallways and around the farm, I find myself checking in with the rhythmic movement of my bellybutton. Sitting on my horses I check in with my seat bones, breath way down into my stomach and lower back. I am simply a beginner at moving my body properly and that’s ok. I’m doing the exercises as often as I can and hope someday, walking will not require so much thought and attention 
Check out ‘Ride From Within’ and James Shaw here.
Clinic Season
The last few years have been pretty lean for me in regard to formal horsemanship training time. The farm, in general, has gotten so busy, its hard to get away. Last summer, when I managed to attend a Karen Rohlf clinic, I thought, ‘wow! I really need to make the time and money available to do more of this’. So I set aside some money each month, earmarked for clinic time this summer and I hired a teenager in town to help with farm chores while I was away…
So June is clinic month for me and the horses…
Manny and I at Karen Rohlf...
Memorial Day weekend, Manny and I will be learning Tai Chi for Horsemen with James Shaw at The Journey Horses Farm in Campton, NH. My dear friends Tim and Trudy are hosting at their beautiful facility and I can’t wait to see them and spend some quality time with my main squeeze, Manny.
June 3rd and 4th, I will take Beaugart up to Neal Perry’s Place, in Northern Vermont for a colt start. Bogie and I have made huge progress in our relationship over the past two months and as I predicted, taking the time to sort out the catching game has made everything else better. Now we are ready to move forward with the nuts and bolts of his foundation.
June 9-12, Dave Ellis, 5 star PNH Instructor will teach a Level 2/3 camp at the gorgeous Ladd Farm Facility in Bridgewater. I’ll be bringing Reno.
June 13-16, I’ll return with Manny for the Level 3/4 camp with Dave. The emphasis will be on vaquero style ranch versatility…..cowboy dressage…my favorite. Maybe I’ll throw Tbone and Porter in the trailer for some live cow work!
All of these clinics are open to auditors and I encourage you to get out there and expand your horsemanship. Your horses will thank you. Plus, these clinics are attended and hosted by some of the nicest people on the planet!
And don’t forget our own Resting Heart Farm Clinic series.
July 11th ‘Basics of Driving’ Workshop with Ripple and Reno.
August 7th ‘Reiki 1′ with Leela Olson of Bliss Healing Arts.
Some Horses….
Some horses come into our lives forever, others for a short time. I try hard to be open to whichever that is…
Many years ago, I fell in love with a thoroughbred named Canonize. I first saw him romping (literally all feet off the ground one second, on the ground rolling the next) in a demo at the Equine Affaire nearly a decade ago. At the time I was working through the Parelli Levels with my horse Manny, who was a naturally introverted horse. He has very little real play drive and I was craving a horse who liked to move their feet. It was love at first sight that November day and as soon as the trainer reported that he was available for adoption through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, I knew he would be mine. Many of my friends would tell me I was crazy to get a second horse…that I couldn’t keep two horses in work with a full time job. Those of you who know me well, know the easiest way to get me to take on a challenge, is to say I ‘can’t’ or ‘shouldn’t'…so of course, I did.
Here’s how he is described in the Jockey Club Registry: Chestnut horse, foaled May 13, 1997 in Florida. 10 Starts. Winner. Arbitrator and Bold Ruler on his sire’s side. Native Dancer and War Admiral on the Dame’s. Holy Crap! What the hell had I gotten myself into? I thought hard about changing his name to something cute, like ‘teddy’…but was told it was bad luck to change the name of a winning racehorse. Bad luck….I did not need.
Canon turned out to be my first real rehab project. He came off the track with a tendon injury. Although he was sound on it, his body was in a twist and he moved crookedly. Some of that is from the racetrack, some of it him, and some of it the injury. And it was probably a good thing I had to take some time to get him sound and healthy, so our relationship could get solid. Canon taught me alot about colic. He, like so many hot blooded horses, was prone to scarey tummy aches. Almost monthly I would get a call about him not feeling well. I had been researching equine nutrition prior to this, but his propensity for this really drove me deep into natural, holistic horse care and feeding. Over a year or so, he cured himself of this tendency and has been colic free since.
I remember the first time I cantered on Canon…like it was yesterday. I was scared. I’d had some bad experiences on racehorses in the past….have a metal rod in my lower leg as a result of a fall off one. And Manny, my other ride, was a consummate bucker at that time. So I had all this ‘stuff’ in my head.
Well, he wouldn’t go. Seriously? He would start to go, then resume his trot. I knew I was the problem, but couldn’t figure out how to let go of my fear enough to make it ok for him to move out. He was taking care of me in his way, and I never loved a horse more than in that moment. I happened to be in the arena alone that day and in what has now defined my style, I forced myself outside my comfort zone and took Canon’s bridle off. I set off around the arena with a string around his neck and asked him to move out, promising myself only that I would keep breathing, hold the horn of my saddle and go where ever he went. It was a profound ride. The two of us trying to figure out how to help each other. Stop. Go. Stop. Go, go, go.
An hour later, a woman entered the viewing area. A stranger who would later become a dear friend, she would frequently remind me of that day when I was zooming around on a racehorse, giggling like a school girl, without a bridle. Later that summer I would learn the exhilaration of galloping though the fields or on the beach on that horse. Pure joy and freedom.
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Canon would go on to challenge me to improve my horsemanship in so many ways, but more than that he required me to be a better person.
So when I noticed him becoming apathetic and thin 2 years ago, I had to make a plan for his future. My busy farm and work life had left me little time to play with or ride Canon and he was becoming disengaged and depressed. In a stroke of luck or fate, a friend who lived just over the river in Vermont was looking for a horse she could ride and give lessons on. Brilliant, I thought! He would love that. She had kids and lots of students to dote on Canon….it was perfect. I liked the idea that he was happy, but close enough for me to visit occasionally. In fact he did so well there, they decided to formally adopt him from the TRF last year. I was thrilled he had found a place in which he could thrive.
A few nights ago I dreamt of a big red racehorse. Having recently watched ‘Secretariat’, I assumed it was the famous ‘Big Red’ in my dream. The next day, I read the news on facebook that Canon’s family was moving. My thoughts returned to my dream, of a beautiful red horse carrying me around a racetrack…me giggling on his back. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him living thousands of miles away from me. I was sad. Maybe alittle worried. But the truth is…I had not really said goodbye to my friend. I had shared him with a family who loved him as much as I did, assuming I would see him whenever I wanted to. So now I really DO have to give him up.
I stopped in to see Canon a few days ago. He was happy, healthy and quiet as I stroked his face and kissed the cresent moon on his forehead. Good bye my friend…may your life be filled with green fields, lots of friends and games to play.
Spring Update 2011
Spring has FINALLY sprung (I hope). The flowers are popping, the pastures greening up and the animals are restless in their winter paddocks. Its my favorite day in the spring when I am able to release the horses out to the summer pasture. Its downright joyous, watching them romp and munch on the new grass. It will need to dry out alittle more before that day comes, but it will be soon.
This is a busy time of year on the farm, with lots to do…
Piglets have arrived. Three this year. My niece, Marina named them Salt, Pepper and Basil. Now there’s a kid who knows where her bacon comes from….
The calves, Tbone and Porter (aka Willy and Wally for my vegetarian friends), are settling in nicely. I recently moved them down to the lower barn in anticipation of some electric fence training and more space for turnout. Two days ago I let them out with Bogie as a trial. They went right to the electric fence and put their sorry little noses squarely on the lowest strand. Good boys. Some lessons just have to be learned the hard way…
Porter and Tbone kick it up in their new enclosure
Just now, I was called away from my writing by the sound of thundering hooves. I went to the window to watch Ripple and Reno tearing around their winter track. What a sight, these huge horses galloping full speed, stop, spin, buck, run some more. Ripple in particular is fun to watch, as he figures out how much better he feels this spring. He moves tentatively at first, then you can see the idea click in that it feels ok to him. Then he bucks and steps it up into high gear. You can almost hear a ‘weeeeeeeeeee’, like a little kid on a rollar coaster, coming psychically from him. Nothing says spring like a frisky horse!
What’s going on at Resting Heart Farm this Spring and Summer:
In the store, we currently have lots of eggs, both chicken and duck. All are organic, free range and antibiotic free. Our duck eggs are spectacular, with a rich buttery flavor. They make the best omelets and frittadas, a great way to clean out your fridge leftovers on a sunday morning.
We will have fresh Goat Cheese toward the end of May. We are expecting kids in the next week or two. You can check our latest store offerings here. For directions, click here.
Ripple Love Fest, Sunday, May 1st.
TBA, June 25/26
Hands on Driving Workshop. July 10th. Reno and I have been asked to come teach at the Animal-Power Field Days at the NOFA Summer Conference in August. I like to do a dry run ahead of time and this is it. So if you have an interest in driving and want to learn more, come on over. Donations will go to Frog Pond Draft Horse Rescue.
Reiki Level 1. August 7th. Leela Olsen will return to the farm for a more formal Reiki workshop. Proceeds will go to Frog Pond Draft Horse Rescue.
Northeast Animal-Power Field Days at NOFA Summer Conference. August 12-14. Amherst, MA. Info at NOFA Summer Conference.
Draft Animal Power Network Annual Gathering at Fairwinds Farm. Sept 16-18. More details to come.
Updates to follow…Happy Spring, everyone!
Support Henniker Farm Store….
If you haven’t already heard the Mock Family who own the Henniker Farm Store in Henniker, NH lost their home, several beloved pets and all their belongings in a tragic house fire last week. They are holding a bake sale at the store this weekend to help with the rebuilding of their home. Please take a drive on this beautiful weekend to support them.
Out of town and want to contribute? Donations can be sent to the store.
The Mock Family, 110 Bradford Road, Henniker, NH 03242
April Update on Beaugart
I’ve had Bogie home from the trainer for almost 2 weeks now. I’m sticking to my plan and have left out the timeline, going very slowly. I spent most of the first week in observation mode, trying to see where Bogie’s mind is at. Having him away from the main herd has been very helpful, in that I can see his reactions to me more clearly. Its amazing…he is all over the map! From pacing the fenceline looking for the safety of the herd (RBE) to stomping on the chickens (LBE) to frozen and tense while I work around him(RBI) and then to frisking me for cookies (LBI)…all in a matter of a few minutes. Phew…he’s like a friggin rollercoaster!
The first big ‘aha’ was that he really does not tolerate me approaching him directly. He might manage to stand still, but he is tense and suspicious. I had missed that before. If I have something in my hand, like a brush or a leadline, forget it, he is out of dodge. This is the response I have seen before and attibuted it to the ‘thing’, when really I was just putting more pressure on a RB horse in an introverted moment. What a dummy, lol!
So I have been really sticking to a consistent pattern..bring water, hay and grain, then cleaning up his paddock, in that order. I have been waiting for him to approach me to instigate any direct interaction. He has to be in a LB mode to get his curiousity up and I really want to keep him in this thinking frame of mind. It was about the middle of last week when we had a break through. I was down for his evening meal. He had pooped where he eats, so I had changed up the pattern and was cleaning his paddock BEFORE getting his hay and grain. So I was cleaning up his paddock, observing his behavior out of my peripheral vision. He was pacing the fenceline. Then he stopped abruptly (and so did I….surprised by his sudden lack of motion), looked over at me and started yawning vigorously. I turned toward him and waited. As he took one step toward me, I thought ‘There it is! A question! You forgot my hay?!” Thrilled, I set my manure fork down and walked over to the shed to retrieve his dinner. To my amazement, as I arrived at the shed door, he was at my shoulder. We had made contact…mentally…through communication. It was a profound moment.
Since then he has been way more left brain than right. I still have to be very careful about how I present my energy and about not putting more pressure on when he is unconfident. Its very hard for me. The other day I wanted to put a cooler on him. It was cold and had been raining and he won’t go in the shelter. I just wanted to get him dried off. It was a perplexing situation. I knew he would be unconfident about the cooler, and worried I would set us back if I pressed the issue. On the other hand, the night was slated to be cold and I would be up all night worried about him if I didn’t get him warm. I considered bringing him up to the barn and locking him in a stall, but that would have required catching and haltering…the one thing I promised I would not rush him into. So I decided to try with the cooler, but had a plan to abort the attempt if things went south. Put the relationship first, right. I presented my idea to him by letting him sniff the cooler. He obviously liked my idea and let me slide it onto his back and over his head, at liberty, without any resistance. When he needed to move his feet as the leg straps touched him, I acknowledged his apprehension and idea about movement by simply going with him without adding pressure. Worked like a charm. When I was done, he licked his lips and set about frisking me for cookies. Hysterical.
We’ve really made little progress on my list, probably still at step 1 and 2, but the tiny microsteps have allowed me to investigate other directions we might want to explore first, For instance. Bogie likes treats, when in a LB state of mind. In fact, one of the ways I can tell he is LB, is that he is looking for treats from me. But he always keeps me out in front of him in zone 1. I realized this was a game he was pretty good at and it allows him to block my approach to the ‘catching areas’ in zone 2 and 3. So I plotted a strategy to convince him that I am way more interesting in zone 2 or 3. My initial approach into these zones would make him move away from me, sometimes in a RB over-reaction, but sometimes in a ‘you can’t catch me’ snotty manuveur. I found that I could more easily back into that space, keeping my energy off Bogie. Once I could do that, I started to only give treats from that spot near his shoulder. Its good for him to bend around like that as well, as the trainer was concerned about his unwillingness to bend in the neck. We’ve progressed right along with this game and I am now working on getting him to position me there by himself. In the meantime, I can now stand in zone 2 or 3 and rub his withers, neck and even adjust his collar without losing him to the dark side.
Bogie and some typical NH spring weather...
New Format…
Some of you may have noticed the style and format of my blog has changed a few times this week. I’ve been searching for the right theme. Both appealing to the eye and functional. I think I have settled on this one. Check it out. I’ve updated our home page and added a page that highlights what the farm is selling each week. Feedback appreciated.
Starting Over with Beaugart…
Beaugart aka ‘Bogie’ is a young arab X NSH that came to Resting Heart Farm last winter. From the start he has been difficult for me to read….hard to catch, head shy, evasive….sometimes anxious, sometimes curious, sometimes over-reactive. He is a rescue and I don’t know alot about his history, but I can see he has some old wounds on his legs, and asymmetric eyes, so there has been some trauma. The question is….does the old trauma create his current state of mind or did his innate way of dealing with life make him more likely to have accidents. Doesn’t really matter, I guess…I have to deal with the horse that is here right now. And where we are right now is, well, complicated. Last summer, I was working pretty successfully with Bogie, or so I thought. I wrote about it here. Over the winter, our partnership started to deteriorate. He became impossible to catch without chasing him into a stall and cornering him. I can hear you all, rolling your eyes, in exasperation thinking…. ‘TELL ME YOU DIDN’T!’ Yes, I did. I let my task oriented nature make decisions. He had to have his feet trimmed, he had to see the vet, go to the trainers, etc….and my agenda forced the tactics. What I got for my trouble is MORE trouble. He now totally mistrusts me and we are back to square one. On the one hand I feel ashamed that I put that kind of pressure on him…a failure in my stewardship toward him. But one thing I know for sure about horses, is there is no place for feelings of regret or shame. I am either building trust, rapport and respect or I am tearing them down. Its a simple choice which side of the equation I want to be on.
Bogie spent the past month with Neal Perry and Bekah Bailey at Perry Farm in training. My fears were confirmed when they reported very slow progress with Bogie. Some of their comments: He seems scared and tense most of the time….over-reactive. He has some trouble with his vision on the left (something I was beginning to suspect prior). He adapts to new objects or situations quickly when a human is not attached…very slowly if a human is present. Every teaching session seems to have to start with alot of review, like he is retaining the previous lesson poorly. He seems extreme in how he reacts differently with people or objects in either eye or switching from one side to the other. Very hard to catch and halter without alot of resistant behavior. It wasn’t until the last week that Neal thought he might be ready to put a saddle on. He also does not seem to transfer learned behavior between people, so that if he learns something with Neal, Bekah could not necessarily start from the same spot and certainly I could not. But it was not ALL bad news. On the positive side, they thought he was smart, a beautiful mover, and had the capacity to be a great problem solver if he could be convinced to think instead of react. They also thought he was very kind. Not the type to purposefully hurt you, kick or strike no matter how scared he was.
All of this feedback was worth the training fee. I realized I had gotten into trouble with this horse a.) because of my agenda and lack of time, b.) because I was misreading him in many ways and c.) because I had talked myself into believing that ‘he was just not MY type of horse’ and gave up on the partnership.
So I brought him home a few days ago and we are starting over.
I’ve dug hard over the past two weeks, reading, watching old PNH videos and thinking about how my approach needs to change to fit Bogie’s horsenality. I did his chart. While he is primarily a Right Brain Extrovert, I see behavior all over the chart, which is why he is hard to read sometimes.
I have little experience with Right Brain Introverts, and I think that is where I am getting into trouble with him. But in truth, in order for this to work, I need a strategy that will set ME up to succeed as well. I’m very task and goal oriented, though I have learned over the years with my Left Brain Introvert, Manny, I can tone that tendency down by breaking any task down into tiny tiny steps and removing any timeline. But I have to have things to check off a list….its just how I am built.
So I have built a temporary paddock for Bogie, down by the chicken and goat house where he can be across the fence from the main herd, but not loose with them. Its a place where I spend a fair amount of time doing chores that have nothing to do with him and as such can serve as ‘undemanding time’ without forcing me to sit still (which would make me quite anxious). I have removed the water trough and plan to be his only source of water. So this first stage will serve to restore trust and rapport, the ‘goal’ will be to be able to approach Bogie and halter him without being resistant or bracey (either of us). However, if I just go directly to haltering, I will fall right back into the old pattern and get no where. So I have broken down the steps into microsteps, first bring water to Bogie, then taking him out to the water trough first with a collar and then with the halter, using a consistent pattern to help us both stay calm, focused and connected. So the steps might look like this:
1. Can he approach me and drink water from a bucket
2. Can I walk in a circle around him while he drinks…in both directions. No touching. Big circle at first (whole paddock), make it smaller as his threshold allows.
3. Can I touch his body all the way around while he drinks his water without him leaving.
4. Can I snap the lead line on his collar while he drinks.
5. Can I snap the leadline on his collar and lead him to the bucket.
6. Can I snap on and lead him outside the pen to water and then back again.
7. Can I put a halter on and lead him out of the pen, to the water and back again.
Each step might take a day or a month….and I might find there are other even smaller steps between these that I want to explore. Once we are getting close to the goal, we’ll add some distractors, like obstacles, balls, balloons or barrels. In truth, I believe if I can attain this small goal, the partnership will come very easily.
So the rules I am setting for myself: Never leave his paddock when he is braced, tense or anxious. No task can be checked off the list until it is consistently soft and responsive for 7 attempts in a row. Expect alot, accept alittle….every day.
What Horses have to Teach us about Healing…
I have been struggling to write this piece for over a week now. Its not typical for me to experience ‘writer’s block’ but there is is. And as it turns out, totally germane to the topic. Its been a tough week for me mentally and emotionally. Engaged in some politically charged organizational rhetoric….within a task I took on voluntarily to help a cause I believe in….I found I was not thriving. No details are required, but as a result of this turmoil, I have experienced indigestion, muscle aches, headaches, and poor sleep. Late last evening I was given the opportunity to remove myself from this situation and I gratefully accepted. I did feel better, but it wasn’t until the wee hours of this morning …..when I was roused from bed by the hospital to come in to care for one of my patients emergently ….that I fully released all that toxic energy. At my patient’s bedside, as I laid my hand on her shoulder to reassure her that she would be OK…wham…I felt it. My head cleared, my heart opened, and my body resumed its vibrant hum. That sensation, folks, and I know you have all felt it, is a chakra (or in this case chakras) opening or releasing.
Sit for a moment and think about how it is you are alive right now. How do you work…I mean what keeps you as an organism going everyday? What keeps your brain thinking? What keeps your heart beating? What makes your muscles contract on cue? What allows us to love, to care, to laugh? Why do we cry or feel pain? Where does our intuition come from? We are complex beyond imagining. Energy. Kinetics. Power. Connection.
Not to oversimplify, all living beings are made up of circuitry, energy banks that rely on each other for us to function properly. Visualize with me a house on a hill, at night, with all the lights on, inside and out…not a very ‘green’ image, but bear with me. Cut the power and everything goes dark, right? But its not just the lights. In addition, all the stuff in the house stops working…the TV, the stove, the computer, the refrigerator, the washer and dryer, even the water runs dry in some cases. So keep the image of the house in your mind and flip the breakers in the basement one by one. As you do, a section of the house comes alive. You see the effect because of the light, but you can also feel it…the hum of electricity! Now the house is functioning to its capacity and all sorts of complex activities can now take place within it. This is how I describe the chakra system to people. Chakras are our internal circutry, our energy banks. We need them to function physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Can we survive in a dark house without electricity? Sure. But we flourish when the power is on and all the connections are working.
So there are 7 main chakras…actually there are 8 major and many minor chakras, but we’ll concentrate on the 7 for now. For more specific information on each go here. Reno, below, will be our Chakra model. Pictured here at the height of his rehabilitation, all chakras humming with vibrant energy. These power sources are associated with different physical organs and body parts as well as emotional and mental aspects of our being. Power from these sources can be dialed up or down depending on many inputs. Injury and acute pain, for instance, can shut down one or more chakras very quickly. Our thoughts and emotions can also dial down these energy points, sometimes so slowly, we don’t even realize it. In some cases, our mental and emotional effects on our chakras can be so powerful that we develop physical manifestations within that chakra. And vice versa. So you can see its very complex.
My work with horses has taught me just about everything I know about chakras. As in most aspects of my life, horses are amazing teachers.
We’ve all seen neglected horses…thin, depressed, lethargic, injured. Like the dark house without any power, they are surviving, but shut up within the simple structure of their bodies. You’ve also probably seen the opposite.
I remember being at a Parelli gathering a few years ago. I just happened to be near the entry to the arena when Pat was coming through with his stallion, Casper. I was maybe 6 feet away as he passed by. I was stunned by the presence of this animal (that’s Casper, not Pat). He was not just beautiful, he was connected, energetic and powerful beyond belief. I remember feeling his presence so vividly, so positively…he made me feel joy. I’ve since studied photos and video of Casper and have to admit, he is not the perfect horse…not perfectly built and surely not a suitable partner for most, but he is all there. His energy centers are charged up and the juice is flowing.
Most of our horses are somewhere in between. Just like humans, these energy centers are sometimes open, sometimes closed. The energy flow changes, weakening or strengthening, affected by injury, nutrition, environment and socialization, herd dynamics and past history. The powerful lesson I’ve learned from the horses is that if you provide what they need nutritionally, mentally, socially, physically, you can open these chakras. Actually the horse opens them, we simply provide the raw materials. When they are open, the horse has the amazing ability to heal itself….just like it was magic. For years I focused on the physical ailments and injuries of my horses. Manny, who has been with me for a dozen years has had all sorts of afflictions over the years, arthritic hocks, S-I joint instability, uveitis, and sarcoids. I used every medical trick in the book for him. I was sometimes successful and sometimes not…mostly not. My horses have always had the ‘best of care’, but something happened when we moved to NH, they moved home with me and I began to give them the environment and social life that was natural to them. At the time, I had not tuned into the chakra phenomenon, but I watched Manny change over that first year here. He became sound, engaged, comfortable in his own skin. His uveitis cleared, in fact a follow up Opthalmology consult had the doctor baffled…’this horse doesn’t have uveitis!?!’ His arthritis and back issues resolved and his sarcoids dissappeared (seriously), without any intervention from me outside good nutrition, lots of room to move and engage with a herd and horsemanship that protected his dignity and natural power.
Since then I have been rehabilitating rescues. These are the horses that have shown me the way in regard to what was happening with the chakras. I was introduced to dowsing many years ago by a dear friend, Sheila Ryan and have developed modest skills over the years. Dowsing the chakras was always part of my program, but I didn’t see the connection to the healing I was seeing until the last two horses, Reno and Ripple. You can read about Reno here and he is pictured above. The initial work in his rehab was painstaking and I feared we would lose him several times. But one day he just seemed better. My dowsing revealed all his chakras were open and flowing, despite being on stall rest from a second injury. I was perplexed. Shouldn’t the injury be affecting his energy in at least one chakra? But there it was. The power of the energy available to him for healing was evident over the ensuing weeks as he made a record breaking recovery in less that half the vet projected time period. Whoa…that is some weird science!
So I was anxious to test my theory with Ripple. Rip has some hind end issues, probably OCD in the stifles. He came to me pretty weak in the hind end in general, so its hard to know exactly what is wrong. Instead of focusing on a diagnosis, I simply used my dowsing to figure out what he needed in regard to nutrition, turned him out with the herd and waited. It was over a month before the first chakra opened….the heart…a product likely of attention from me and acceptance by the herd. A week later came the third eye. This one I saw immediately. In stead of watching me move around the paddock out of one eye or the other as was his habit, he was following me with both eyes. A couple days later the crown opened followed by the throat chakra. The front half of the horse connected. Not surprising given the lack of physical power in the hind end. So I waited another week and then bam, in rapid succession the last three opened…solar plexus, base and finally the reproductive chakra. I knew these had opened just by looking at him…relaxed, integrated, soft expression. So now the healing can begin. Its the power of animal healing. We all have this ability. I have believed that for a long time as a physician, though never understood its power until now.
February Farm Update
Squarely in the middle of the herd...
Ripple has integrated nicely into the herd. Still the low man in status, he can be found sharing hay with everyone, but Reno at this point. He is starting to stand his ground more when getting pushed around and I see alot more sparring going on now. He can be found in the middle of the herd and in the barn lying down, now.
I did fecals on everyone this week and was happy to see that Ripple did not have a heavy count, so I’ll do a course of Worm Foe from Silver Lining Herbs over the next full moon. Its a natural wormer than simply creates an inhospitable environment for parasites by alkalizing the GI tract. I also use Herbal Tonic from Dynamite , which is very similar. I like to get everyone cleaned up before the snow melts, to avoid overloading the spring pastures with parasites.
We have alot of snow, so it will be some time before we see green pastures, but the days are definately getting longer and the chickens have started back into production, sure signs that spring is around the corner. So if you are looking for some farm fresh, free range (an oxymoron in the winter), organic eggs, stop on by…the farm store is open. Hope to have duck eggs soon.
Every February I get the gardening itch to grow something. I will start some seeds indoors next week. Artichokes and Hot peppers to start with…..keeps me hopeful for spring.
