When I was a child I loved to ride bareback with my jeans sticking to the sweat of my horse’s back. I didn’t know that the healing power of horses was at that moment infusing my very spirit. As I rode for hours upon hours, my connection to the horse supported my inner being and brought true joy to my heart. Through a lifetime of having horses as my most trusted companions, I have come to deeply understand and now teach others how horses have an innate capacity to be present with human pain and help to transform it.
The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method® deeply respects the healing power of horses, which they freely offer. Because we view the horse as a true partner in the coaching work, when a client is working through deep emotional issues, the horse is in close proximity. They exist totally in the moment and thus are completely present with every emotion and body sensation that arises within the client.
Horses are natural somatic healers, and as the coaching work progresses, they gently touch or move parts of their own energy centers in their bodies toward the client. This connection and energy is deeply felt by the client. In the round pen, as a client is walking and encouraged to speak their truth, the horse will follow close behind. The moment the client either loses touch with what is authentically coming up for them or starts to intellectualize and disassociate with their truth, the horse will lose interest and walk away.
These experiences stay with the client for a lifetime because it is so different from merely “talking about” a challenge, an impending decision, or a traumatic event. The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method® is experiential in its very nature. It is in this full experience with both the human and equine coach that the magic unfolds, leaving clients with a lasting reminder that supports their continuing transformation. The work with horses often brings more clarity of thought, an expansion in awareness, and emotional healing.
I believe we are here to live our lives more like the horses live theirs: in awareness, in serenity, and fully present—simply and in joy. I am blessed to have these wondrous healers in my barn. They offer a warm shoulder, recalibrate my heart, and gently encourage me to continue my own journey on this planet. Horses are my teachers and my friends. May the healing power of horses touch your heart as they have always touched mine.