Wellness and Horsemanship

I grew up in a small town in interior British Columbia, and one thing that I was always obsessed with was horses - orcas a well but that is a story for another day. Why horses? That is the big question. I don't even remember where the obsession started, but I do have vague recollections of my best friend and I being enthralled by a movie called The Silver Stallion. A quick overview of this movie for any who are unfamiliar is a cowboy who becomes obsessed with capturing a beautiful silver stallion who runs the ranges in Australia. The horse is clever and alludes capture all the way to the end when the horse opts to jump off a cliff rather than being caught and forced to work on the cattle ranches. Why an eight-year-old was watching such a sad movie I will never know, but the reason this movie caught my attention was that it highlighted the fierce intelligence and sensitivity of horses. Add in movies such as Black Beauty and Wild Hearts Cannot Be Broken, and my childhood desire of befriending a horse was born. Over the next three decades, my love and respect for horses would only continue to grow. As a teenager, horses because my refuge against the complexities of high school, hormones, and loneliness. Everything I did revolved around being able to go horseback riding, including avoiding excessive partying - no one wants to horseback ride hung over, zero out of five stars, do not recommend (from what I hear of course). Weekends, early mornings, evenings any spare time I had I found myself out in the pasture with the horses. I would lie on their backs while they enjoyed grazing, cool off in the river, explore mountain ranges, and found peace in this freedom that outshone the anxieties of being a teenager.

With my training as a therapist, I can now see how horsemanship and riding guided me into the person I am now. Now, it is my coping mechanism against grief, loss, anxiety, depression, and recently, c-PTSD. When I enter the barn to do chores, my blood pressure and heart rate drop, I remember how to breathe, and for just a few moments, everything that plagues me outside disappears. Discussion with other avid horse lovers has led me to the conclusion that it is not just me who feels this way. Which begs the question, why?

Due to being prey, horses are extremely sensitive creatures. Over the course of millennia, horses have become able to sense and reflect the energy of those around them, human or otherwise. As riders and handlers, when we are calm, our horse will be calm, when we are anxious, our horse will be anxious. This becomes useful for those of us struggling with emotion regulation, anxiety, or depression, because even if we are not consciously aware of the energy we are putting out, our horses will give us away. One of the main symptoms of mental unwellness is the lack of a mind/body connection. When we work with our horses, we have a chance to help our mind and body reconnect while also ensuring we are mindful of our energy and focus. Using the body language of our horse allows us to examine our own body language and headspace in a non-judgemental and safe space. Learning how to control our energy and thought patterns helps us recognize negative automatic thoughts that support the negative core values, which can then be used inside and outside the ring.

Based on this understanding of mirroring energy, Shifting Narratives, in partnership with Sacred Equestrians, has developed a new Wellness and Horsemanship program developed to help empower youth and adults to examine how they cope with complex emotions and life changes. Using narrative therapy and CBT clients will explore their personal identity while learning how to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation through skill building in the arena and individual personalized therapy programs. For more information please contact me at 250-351-5802.