Reciprocal movement or “mirroring” – when horses mirror each other’s movement – helps horses help each other in healing and is supportive of the herd as a whole. I use this movement in horse bodywork and it is also used in liberty training – a prerequisite to dancing.
Ray Hunt used to say, is it getting better with your horse, is it the same, or is it getting worse? If it is getting worse or remaining the same without any improvement, it’s time for a change or maybe to do some things the same but add in a little something else.
Very often we hear about horses that need homes – desperately, right now! They can be horses that are rescues, or horses that have fallen on hard times, just moved from place to place after having had a long life with people who love them. Sometimes the people can’t take care of them any more. This has happened a lot since the economy crashed and more horses ended up without homes. A divorce, serious illness or job loss can be disastrous for much-loved family horses.
You might laugh and say, “oh, how can that be? What’s wrong with loving your horse too much?”
It actually isn’t the loving, it’s the tipping over to please the horse that is the problem. One you tip, you lose your center. You’re no longer able to hold your leadership and your horse may take advantage of that and stop listening to you.
Many times people ask me what to expect in an Ortho-Bionomy session, either for themselves or their animal. That’s a broad question, because it will depend largely on what is going on in the body at the time of treatment.
Continue reading What to expect in an Ortho-Bionomy session – for people or animals!
The other day I was working with our gelding, Patches, on a liberty ritual that involves a pile of hay and him walking to me rather than to the hay. We then walk to the hay together, and include stops and sometimes backing up on our way there.
In the beginning of horse liberty work, there are rituals to follow such as: Sit with your horse. Wait until he/she engages with you. Keep him away from you if he gets too bossy, etc. The idea behind this is what is important: in doing this and the other rituals you are establishing a bond that has the potential to deepen your bond or change it if necessary.
But why does one person succeed in getting that horse to move off and another has trouble doing it? Why is our own personal energy so different?
Continue reading Establish an energetic connection with your horse
Happy New Year!
Between breaking the ice in the water tanks or dealing with tank heaters, regular maintenance such as hoof care and illnesses, there is always something to do for horses in winter. Complicating matters here in the Southwest has been the extreme cold lately. The following is an update of an article I wrote in my newsletter of January/February 2011.
This Discovery News Channel headline: “Dogs Sent to Newtown to Comfort Grieving” caught my eye.
“Discovery News – A team of specially trained dogs just journeyed 800 miles to help grieving children and adults at funerals and other gatherings this week in Newtown, Conn.
Continue reading Interspecies bonds provide a comforting presence
A lot of times owners ask me if their horse or dog is in pain. Generally they don’t ask about their family members because people can verbalize their pain. When I work on humans I rely heavily on what they tell me as far as pain goes, and how it’s going – is it getting better, worse, is there any change whatsoever?
