HORSE - WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

God first made Man.
He thought better of it and made Woman.
When He had time, He made the Horse,
which has the courage and spirit of Man
and the beauty and grace of Woman.       -Brazilian Saying-

So you knew I would HAVE to respond to this one. Didn’t you?

Horses to me are in the greatest sense, patient teachers. They have given their lives and many times their Spirit in service to humans so that we may evolve. The Native American Indians understood this gift that the Horse brought and thus they honored and respected their fellow equinwe beings. Indian and horse worked as Brothers. At times the horse carried the man and at times the man carried the horse through protection and care.

Somewhere along the way, through a great amount of greed and ego, the horses became something to control and use for the benefit of man. Respect fell by the wayside to material gain and public acknowledgement. Horse racing and polo and rodeo became “sports” and the animals were left to suffer. In the name of “safety” horses Spirits have been broken in order that man might dictate how they behave.

Fortunately, a few kindred spirits still remained for the horse and they used their lives to bring attention to the abuse and suffering that these gallant steeds are witness to. Men like Monty Roberts and John Lyons And GaWaNi Ponyboy have begun to return us to that place of respecting the soul of the horse. The movement is still in it’s infancy but it is strong and thriving.

And all this time, the horses have remained stoic. They have given their lives so that we might learn from this experience. They have sacrificed their freedom so that we might use them and grow from our interaction. They have carried us across planes and through fears and into new consciousnesses. They have given themselves in service to our journey.
 
I am forever grateful to all my animals, but especially to my horses. My horses are my greatest mirror. They reflect to me my exact place of emotion, consciousness and understanding in each given moment. They have taught me compassion, patience, understanding, empathy, intuition, communication, and so much more. They have and continue to help me overcome fears. They remind me to live in the moment. As a young woman they taught me responsibility. And as a grown woman they teach me to be humble.

One of my favorite books on this topic is by the above said GaWaNi Pony Boy. It is called: Of Women and Horses and is a beautiful compilation of equine art and stories about what a horse means to a woman. Women have always “felt” the kindness and gentleness in the soul of the Horse. I believe that is why we have always been so drawn to them.

">Don Vincenzo Giobbe circa 1700

Wonderful gracious animals.

Horses remind me of beauty and power merged with deep passion for living.

Besides what drives me around everyday? ;) I ride a Mustang everyday…I love them that much!

Wonderful animals…they speak with passion you see in their eyez!  I try to bring new kids to feed horses carrots about once a week and let them experience a warm encounter with these great gentle animals. Wish I could do more.

What is your passion for horses based on?

SixthSense your simple wish to do more is exactly what will bring you to doing just that. You have a beautiful, BIG heart and it is being used for Great Good with these children and animals.

You remind me of an amazing book called Horse Sense and the Human Heart by Adele and Marlena McCormick. They bring very “at-risk” children together with horses for healing and acceptence. Their specialty are the kids that  have walled themselves off from the world because of pain and suffering they have experienced. The horse being the perfect mirror, enables the therapist to watch the horses emotions to discover the childs hidden feelings. To add to that, the simple act of caring for another being that has been abused and abandoned makes them feel kindred to the animal and that they are less alone. It is beautiful to witness.

I am certain that you must have already discovered these treasures also but I offer them for the rest of the group who might be interest in the topic of the healing bond between humans and animals. The first is a farm for inner city kids in NY. It is called Green Chimneys. Their motto is: Restoring Possibilities for Children Through Nurture and Nature. The founder has been so gracious in helping me with the creation of Light Heart Ranch. There is a segment of the farm on the video Kids and Animals- a Healing Partnership. Have tissue in hand while watching. It is beautiful to witness the healing that takes place.

Thank you Harmony for opening the conversation so that we all may be inspired. You have an uncanny way of reconnecting me to aspects of my past that are ready to resurface in the creation of LHR. I have no doubt that you are a Divine messenger.

Many blessings.
Shelly

Thanx, Shelly, for the great thoughts and links to further explore the connection between kids and animals.  I will check out the links. Here in LA there is a place where kids can visit and spend time with animals, learning how to interact and care for them:
http://www.animalacres.org

I have yet to check it out in person…

Harmony, great post! Why you care about animals so much?

>>you both are helping me explore a part of me that has been dormant for awhile.<<
Awesome! Nice to see people discovering their passions and making them a reality, especially when it involves compassion!

BTW, I am in the process of doing something good for our animal friendz. Will let you know soon whatz up;)

What else can be done?

Horse:  She was my first spiritual companion, her name was Blaze.  She was a rescue situation, you see…. she was a beautiful american quarter horse who at a young age had become entangled in barbed wire… so, her future plans had changed…. and somehow she became my horse (parents were helping a friend somehow - still not sure to this day how she became mine but I was blessed that she was).  Blaze was the sentient being who - like me - needed tenderness in order to live… she would receive hoof trimmings to try to straighten her hoof out from the damage incurred by the barbed-wire.  In time, she was able to be broken to ride… and that in itself was HILARIOUS… my step brother saddled her up…. she didn't move…. he got up in the saddle….. she didn't move…. he makes sudden movements and loud sounds…. she didn't move….. he added a little bit of a rougher kick to the flanks…. still she didn't really move (a small flinch)…. he finally decided to grab a shotgun and shoot it into the sky while in the saddle… she did not move.  I walk up to the fence to see how things are going (my step dad at that point was furious with her and insisted that she was deaf and that we would never ride her)…. I sense her looking back at me… I smile…. I call out to her…. and she turns to come visit me at the fence…. with my step brother in saddle…  she just wasn't one to force… she and I were so deeply connected…. she and I were one in the same Spirit… she needed me as much as I needed her.  Together we rode in rhythm to one heart beat…. I will never forget what it felt like to be in full gallop while riding with her… she and I escaped from it all during that time… we ran as far away and as fast as we could … breathing in sync to the hoof beats…. running away in Love.

There is nothing like the love of a Horse.

What a story!

Wow, this has turned into a really beautiful thread. Thanks for starting it Tajana.

Awesome story Kelly. Somehow I can still see you running on the back of that horse. You remind me of my old horse Chatter and I. When I was younger and living with my parents, our home was in a rural neighborhood about three blocks from the freeway. Back in those days he and I could ride forever and never run into a paved road. From time to time we would ride on a path next to the freeway. It was clear and straight and the perfect stretch for “opening it up”. I would ride bareback with only a hackamore so he was free too. There was never a time that he wouldn't listen to or protect me so I trusted him even with so little personal control.

Once we would turn onto that path I could feel him well up underneath me. He knew this was our place to let it all go and run like the wind. He would begin prancing and sidestepping like the racehorses at the track. I would giggle in my little girl voice and hold him back like I was some sort of parade contestant. Then I would squeeze my legs as hard as I could, wrap my fingers in his mane hair and set him free to run.

Chatter would drop his head one ear forward in anticipation and one ear back to check on me. His little 13-2 hand frame became a towering race steed, tail flying in the wind. We would pace the semi-trucks as they passed blowing their air horns at us. I couldn't see through the tears in my eyes from the wind that swept in my face. We were the wind. No other horse could ever run so fast…. or at least that is what he and I believed.

As the path would end he would gently slow down. Gradually he would return to his normal gate and his “little horse that could” body. We would both be breathing heavily in unison as if we had just one the greatest race. I imagine that someone looking on might have seen a smile on both of our faces.

Looking back I can't imaging that I ever did such a crazy thing. Riding with no bridle or saddle and running full out like that. The smallest stumble and we both would have been dead. But that is the beauty of trust and love….. we don' t think about the consequences. We just ride full out. Chatter taught me courage and inner strength. Chatter taught me to trust myself through trusting him. He taught me to relax and be free. And most of all he taught me to love deeper than I ever could have imagined.

I am not sure where she went; parents made a huge move from one end of the state to another and sold Blaze to friends … I can only guess at this point… it devistated me to be separated from her (added to abandonment issues that my mother kept racking up)…. but we moved into a small city into a small apartment complex… I did not like my parents for a while after the move; actually quite a bit happened after the move… but that's a different post all together.  I think the Cherokee in me understands your perspective about the connection between a horse and it's rider…. it really is beyond words.

i don't know of anyone who actually goes to the horse auction to educate people although i think it is highly needed. i have to wonder if the auctionhouse would even let such folks in since it is private property. I bet HSUS and some of the other groups fighting slaughter could tell you more about what is legal and possible and would love to hear about the education idea. Even if it were to hand out a pamphlet to trailers arriving at the auction, I bet it would save at least a few horses. 

I do know of a horse rescue here in Vegas that I volunteer with that goes to auction and buys horses being bid on by the killer buyers. Her address is http://www.shilohlasvegas.com/ 

i know the greatest thing we can do right now is pray and hold the highest intention for the legal battle that is happening right now for the horses. Support the initiatives and spread the word to anyone that will listen for them to do the same. I've been following this issue for many years and never before has there been talks of shutting down the killer plants as there is now. We are really close to the end of it all at least in America. We just have to stay true to the cause.

Here's a link I just found while looking for the bracelet that they sell…..
http://www.habitatforhorses.org/thehabitat/contact.html 
They are in Texas Harmony and doing lots of work on horse slaughter.

The bracelet I mensioned will be sold, all proceed donated to ending slaughter and is inscribed with the name of a horse who was saved from the killer buyers. http://www.thehorseloverssite.com/product_info.php?cPath=52_55&products_id=1007

Horses to me:

I grew up riding them, taking care of them, rodeoing on them.  They were the my family, my friends and they never argued to me when I did something wrong.  I have a sense of ease with horses.  I spent a couple years learning to train horses, but the more research I do into horse nature I realize that they are really needing me to figure them out rather than me trying to change them.  Since that point, I see horses are the wonderful creatures they are.  I see the fear, the love and the grief ( and sometimes a lot of aggrevation) in their movements. 

My job, thankfully lets me be around horses all the time.  But one of the biggest reasons I love horses is because they have, and will always have, a wild unbridled spirit.  They were the first to make me question religion and faith (and find my truth beliefs), they made me reconsider my direction in life, they made me realize that humans spend more time trying to change everything instead of just co-existing. 

Animals and nature are my passion and my life, without them I just wouldn't feel whole.