WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NORTHERN HORSE SOURCE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Every day we face challenges in equine training, in life and even our interpersonal relationships and health. Sometimes those lessons are in closer relation than we imagine they really are, and hit very close to home. October was National Breast Cancer awareness month; in that same month my mother joined the long and beautiful list of survivors who celebrate every day of life, like it is a brand new beginning, and learned how to walk through life with peace that the rest of us struggle for. I have read some incredible stories about how animals heal people, and experienced a few as well. I know more than once they have healed me, or given me a reason to keep going onward with life when I thought I was too tired to do so. An example is watching my four year old colt Pao trot up to my mother who he hardly knows one week after her surgery and give her the closest thing to a hug that a horse is able to give, which gifted me a moment frozen in time to the kindness and compassion our horses are capable of and the look on her face made it all the more profound. It was as if the horse hug had lifted the pain and for a moment there was no worry, sickness or weight of life, just release and freedom of love. The planet battles illnesses both mental and physical every day, and thousands of people fight diseases that plague them and time and time again we reach for our four legged friends who lead us out of the darkness and into the light where we can find both peace internally and this peace is reflected in our outer lives as well. So by perhaps sharing my own experience, we embark upon this editions topic together.

It’s that bit of release from hurt and doorway to healing that we see in organizations and companies flourishing all over the world that are set up to give those who either are dealing with an illness or recovering after one a place to go to reconnect and find the path to healing and the return to peace.

As long as there have been domesticated horses, there have been those that train them, or rather try to understand them enough to work with them and ask the horse to fit into our lives. What exactly transpires in the brain for us to learn to seek an opus with horses? What exactly is it that happens chemically in our human brains to make the horse such a profound healer? Winston Churchill once said that “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” I’ve always loved how true this expression is, and I often joke that there is Zen to be found in the raking of your paddock and grooming your horses coat to a magnificent gleam.

There are many theories to the spiritual side of healing that horses and animals do to aid us on our way to wellness, yet there is very little written material in the form of statistics to back that up. Some of us like me and perhaps you too, need no statistical information; we know it in our soul and in our bones. It is still nice to understand how things work. Every day as I go through my workday I hit the afternoon blahs – it’s pretty infallible unless I am immersed in some part of my day job that inspires me which is usually the breaks I take to work on these columns or some other piece of writing. Then upon my arrival at the barn within moments I am charged with energy, ideas and in an instant transported to a reflective state of mind. I don’t notice that my back hurts, or even think about the bills to be paid (which are usually generated by my joy of horses), my office or worries.

The scientific explanation that is that Endorphins are released into your bloodstream. Endorphins are a group of peptide hormones that bind to the opiate receptors mainly found in the brain. Endorphins have many effects, including those that ease pain, relax you or create a sense of mental well being. Endorphin simply translates to mean inner morphine. So you see that “I’m high on life” statement really does mean something! When we are in a happy or reflective state of mind, the endorphins are released and we instantly feel better. Our pain is lessened; we are happier and ultimately more relaxed. When you are relaxed you are naturally more connected and “open” so to speak. Of course that goes hand in hand with our advancement as riders and our bonding exercises with our horses.

Our horses release the same endorphins as we do only in much larger amounts this specific endorphin is the beta-endorphin. Any activity for your horse can raise the levels to 15 times what their resting level is, that’s pretty huge considering humans running a marathon at best get 5 times their resting rate. I joke that horses by nature are adrenaline junkies as they have evolved to flee from attack and I think some small part of the domesticated horse still likes a good ol’fashioned flight session. This is the common reason for those that exercise extensively get what is referred to as a “runners high”. There have been studies that horses release these endorphins by cribbing, some think due to boredom or at times I think that they may do it to relieve discomfort as it also releases the same endorphins that ease pain or dis-ease. I have noticed horses may crib more after a shoeing, vaccinations, weather change, etc. I want to be clear here as to not stir up anything that this, is just an attribute I’ve noticed in the horses I work with that are known cribbers.

So with the basic scientific explanation out of the way, what I personally am most interested in is how horses heal us which was my topic in the last publication as well and how can we make sure we are sitting up and taking notice of what an opportunity we have to help not just ourselves but extend it farther. Perhaps as we move forward and our horses assume new roles, they can become a doorway to a world where healing is available not just to us but the entire planet. Healing doorways are all around us, to be found everywhere. For some of us it’s that look in our horses eyes, or to sit in the saddle, and even to some their doorway to healing is their own front door.
Next time you visit your equine friend, pause and take a moment to thank them for the healing that they have given you and just by recognizing this, you create a bit more to pass on. Until next time Ride Arete!