Tag Archives: equine healing

Horses and Christmas Eve: the night the animals talk

January 20, 2016animal communication, bodywork, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animal communication, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine training, equines, healing, health, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty traininghorsesatliberty

There is a Norwegian story about the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem, that claims that the animals in the stable watched the birth and then they began to praise God for what they had just seen. Apparently this went on before the shepherds came on the scene. When the shepherds appeared the animals fell silent. The only ones purported to hear the animals were Mary, Joseph and the Christ child. (Originally published December 24, 2015)

Painting by Persis Clayton Weirs

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Creating sacred spaces with horses

January 20, 2016animal communication, chakras, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, rescue horses, riding, sacred geometry, sacred spaces, telepathy, therapy horses, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, energetic connection, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine liberty training, equine training, equines, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty training, riding, sacred spaces, telepathyhorsesatliberty

I moved my horses recently, and I took the gravestone I’d had made for my departed gelding Khami with us. I was concerned that we would have to create a new sacred space at the new location, because the horses would no longer have Khami’s grave to roll on. A few days before the move I went out to the grave and it had rained hard so the center was squishy, smooth mud that took on the appearance of the surface of peanut butter upon opening a new jar. One of the horses had walked around the mud center, hoofprints marking the perimeter of the grave. (originally published November 20, 2015)

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Reading your horse’s mind and thoughts

January 20, 2016alternative therapies, animal communication, bodywork, chakras, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, energetic connection, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine liberty training, equine training, equines, healing, health, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, liberty horse training, liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

My mare Zuzka comes to stand beside me at the gate, ready to have her halter slipped on. She is one who often will want to play games about being haltered, suggesting, no, I’m too busy today to go ride. Or maybe it’s just the game she likes. But this day she really wants to go out. I can often tell if she wants to go out on the trail, by how she stands looking off in the distance, when there is no activity on the horizon that can be seen with the naked eye. A sort of longing to be out there. (originally published December 14, 2016)

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It takes a horse and human village

October 9, 2015abused horses, alternative therapies, animal communication, bitless bridles, bodywork, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, Uncategorizedanimal communication, energetic connection, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

The phrase, “it takes a village,” refers to the raising of a child and the “village” involved in raising him or her.

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Support groups for people and their horses

October 2, 2015abused horses, alternative therapies, animal communication, equines, exercise, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animal communication, bodywork, energetic connection, energy work, equine, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine liberty training, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horseback riding, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

Sometimes we find ourselves in communities of horse people that are not supportive of our goals and dreams with our horses. These communities can take the shape of boarding barns, performance horse groups focused on a particular equine discipline, equine riding clubs, and just people who are wedded to the notion that “this is the way we’ve always done it.”

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Spirit horses, rituals and sacred ground

September 18, 2015animal communication, energy work, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, trail ridinganimal communication, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine training, grief, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamicshorsesatliberty

I stood there at the side of the grave, then knelt there and heard hoof falls behind me. Zuzka, my dear black mare and lifelong companion of our departed Khami, came up behind me. She left a respectful distance and looked at me as though to say, if you want some time alone that’s okay. I said and motioned to her, let’s be here together.

Khami_before_death1

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Conversation between horse and rider

September 12, 2015alternative therapies, bodywork, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, horses, Ortho-Bionomy, performance horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedbareback riding, bodywork, energetic connection, energy work, equine, equine healing, equine liberty training, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, ridinghorsesatliberty

What is the conversation between horse and rider?

Recently I’ve been working with a horse and rider team who are deeply bonded. After an accident the owner is building up her riding time. Her concern was that he would not sustain a trot for a length of time and that her body was not seated in the saddle evenly. Each side of her felt different, and one side felt unwieldy and unable to really connect.

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The art of becoming horse-like

July 14, 2015abused horses, alternative therapies, animal communication, chakras, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, mustangs, OrthoHorse, rescue horses, riding, trail riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animal communication, animals, bareback riding, bodywork, chakras, energetic connection, energy work, equine, equine healing, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine positional release, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horseback riding, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty training, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

Liberty work takes on a life of its own. Even when I know the horses involved, they do not always do what I expect.

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Horse listening extraordinaire

June 21, 2015abused horses, animal communication, bitless bridles, bitless riding, bodywork, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, therapy horses, trail riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animal communication, animals, bodywork, energetic connection, energy work, equine healing, equine liberty training, equine rescue, equines, exercise, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, rescue horseshorsesatliberty

After I had some time to think about it, I think the theme of this past Saturday’s Liberty Foundation Workshop was “horse listening.”

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Moving into a new herd

June 14, 2015animal communication, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, rescue horses, riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, bodywork, equine, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine liberty training, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine rescue, equines, grazing, herd behavior, horse trainers, horse training, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, OrthoHorse, rescue horseshorsesatliberty

Jazzmine joined the herd of three on Sunday, first over the fence, making introductions. Then she was insistent the next day, on being with them. I must go through that gate to be with them. She has been without a real herd for a couple of years, but grew up with one from birth. The herd of three was already quite well established in their rhythms, so she would face some challenges as a newcomer.

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