ByRobyn Harris
The tension that we sometimes see in our domestic herds is due to the unnatural conditions in which we keep our horses. There could be perceived competition for precious resources – eg food, water or space – or frequent changes in their surroundings or herd members resulting in them exhibiting stressed behaviours. In addition, when…
ByRobyn Harris
In this series of 5 blogs I will look at the interaction between our horses and ourselves: how we can develop a deeper understanding and connection with our equines how having us in their lives affects them how we can do our best for the horses in our care The traditional approach to working…
ByRobyn Harris
When talking about body language, another point I’d like to mention is that, just like us, the horse’s body language obviously shows how he’s feeling. But the reverse is also true – ie the shape we encourage him to hold will affect how he feels. Just as the act of smiling and standing up straight…
ByRobyn Harris
Another common concern is when people see their horse standing still with his head lowered for periods of time. Is he depressed? Or is he just resting? Horses can sleep standing up, due to an inbuilt locking mechanism in their legs, meaning that they can stay upright without any conscious effort on their part. Their…
ByRobyn Harris
One question that people often ask is: How can I tell if my horse is in pain? The signals given by a horse in pain will vary depending on the horse and the location and severity of the pain. Any sudden, unexplainable, change of behaviour could be due to pain and so it is worth…
ByRobyn Harris
In the following diagrams I will look at each feature in isolation, but this can be misleading. These comments are therefore just a guideline. You will need to take the whole face and body into consideration. For example, if the ears are facing slightly backwards the horse could be listening to something going on behind…
ByRobyn Harris
As humans we use a verbal language and often we place so much emphasis on this that we are no longer used to reading visual clues. This is compounded by the fact that much of our communication is done at a distance – by email, text and telephone – and so we are less familiar…
ByTeri Dluznieski
My journey as a medicine person has come to a place where most things come down to 2 very simplistic foundations: awareness and integrity. Also, energy-in, energy-out.. Awareness applies to everything: that we operate on many levels, and we need to become aware of what we transmit and receive on all of them. Physical level–…
ByRobyn Harris
The right fuel As someone who’s experienced food intolerances in the past I’ve become very interested in reading labels and knowing what’s in the food that I eat. Also, through my work with horses I’ve seen the consequences of a diet that is not appropriate to the animal’s needs. Many of the commercial horse feeds…
ByRobyn Harris
The importance of Rest So often we are looking for a magic wand: that pill or procedure that can make us well, but in doing this we are relying on others to heal us when the only real and lasting healing comes from within. Our bodies have a blueprint of how they should work and…
ByRobyn Harris
Relationship Working with horses has taught me that relationship itself can bring healing. As I mentioned in Part 2, trauma can be very isolating. Our system goes into the ‘freeze response’ and we dissociate from the trauma, pushing it away into our subconscious. This disconnects us from those painful emotions, which can serve us for…
ByRobyn Harris
Listening and Observing When seeking to establish the connection that I wrote about in Parts 1 & 2, listening and observing are essential skills. As humans we have come to rely heavily on spoken language in our relationships with others, but words are often inadequate or misleading when talking about emotions. With horses words aren’t…