I have just spent 4 days on my Equine Healing Diploma Course. I LOVED being with the horses! I have been drawn to horses since I was very small and can still remember Christmas when I was 12 years old and I was given a riding hat, a pair of jodpurs, a pair of riding boots and a whip (never used of course!). I was so excited that I was going to actually ride a horse!
At my first lesson I got on my riding school pony and I flung my arms around her neck (her name was Lady) and hugged her as if she was my very own pony. She was such a wee sweet heart although she loved to run up the back of the other ponies making them kick out!
I learnt so much in those lessons that stood me in good stead for riding into my adult life - I remember all the fun pony club games like riding whilst standing on the saddle - I have no idea how I managed to do that as there is NO WAY I would try that now - although whilst in Argentina in January I did canter hands free and I thought that would never happen so never say never!!
The relay races were my favourite - I loved cantering like a loony to pass the baton on. I came from those days with a huge love of horses but also a great understanding and up until I was 30 I would ride any horse in any circumstance - bareback, jumping, cross country, galloping with a loony horse called mulder down on the beach - all of those things i took in my stride until when I was 31 I went to trial ride at the International League for Protection of Horses in Aberdeen and was looking to take an ex race horse called Cigaro home - he was a big beautiful bay gelding (boy horse with his bits chopped!) with a pin in one of his front legs from a jumping injury - they said he would never jump again but he would be a fab horse for hacking out and that was what I was looking for. So I got on him but for the first time in my 18 year riding history I was riding a horse that didn't have a Martingale - not sure if it was part of my test but I failed!
A Martingale stops the horse from raising its head high up which can unbalance you and the horse. So Cigaro didn't have a martingale which made it harder to control him as he did lift his head high and when I tried to bring his head down he would fight against me and over a period of 30 minutes we fought with each other until he would go into fast canters that I kept bringing him in from but then everytime we went into a corner of the riding arena in trot he would transfer straight into canter and he would get faster and faster until we were so fast I lost control and as we careered across the school and were heading to the side wall at high speed I made the decision to exit so I half fell and half jumped off, bouncing on the soft sand in the school. I wasn't injured but I have spent the last 12 years trying to get back the confidence I had that led me to riding Cigaro in the first place.
I tried going back for lessons but just ended up in tears knowing that my life of riding was over - I was devastated as I was so ready to have my own horse. I still wanted to be around horses though so have spent the last 10 years visiting friends horses and helping my neighbour with hers when she needs help so I have kept my hand in.
It was 2 years ago on my trek from Nepal into Tibet that I began to learn that I could ride again and that I would get my confidence back - it was on the back of a beautiful little mountain pony called Ginger who took me up some of the most terrifying mountain paths that I learnt to trust horses again.
Since then I have pushed myself forward, with the help of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which really helped get me over my fear and I have been riding regularly for the last 18 months and made it my mission to ride in each country on my travels through south america and I am so glad I did as this has now lead me to my year of horse learning!
I have now started my Equine Healing Diploma with Elizabeth Whiter who I did my Small Animal Healing Diploma with and also my Natural Animal Food Remedies course.
The last 4 days have been extraordinary, I have worked with ex race horses and future show jumping champions along with pet pony's and horses that are just good hackers. All of them had the most amazing energy. They have such a high vibrational energy although the feeling from each horse does range from being very grounded to those that are really not that grounded at all. We got to work with old horses and young horses. It really was a fantastic experience.
Horses themselves have such a great healing energy that it is so nice to work with the horses that are happy and well balanced - healing for them is just like have a nice massage for us - we are maintaining our bodies rather than dealing with any specific emotional issues.
I am so looking forward to getting started on my case studies and working with my friends horses and seeing how I can help make their life a bit easier and from September I start my Equine Behaviour Qualification which will be pretty full on - I am a bit rubbish at all the science stuff but I am so interested in horse behaviour I hope I will thrive on the course and my brain will be made to work in ways that it is just not used to!
I am looking forward to making a difference in the lives of the horses that I know but also hoping that I can do a bit of horse rescue work too. I may have the opportunity to go to Egypt in January to work with ACE who are a charity that treat the working horses and donkeys for free. We watched a video from the visit last year and although there are some really harrowing stories the volunteers who went out were able to make a big difference in a short time.
I can't wait to continue my work with these amazing animals with the most amazing energy!
suzxxx
No comments:
Post a Comment