Horses transformed that.
If anyone would have told me I’d be working with horses to improve their wellbeing, I would have totally seen that coming! In one way or another, I have spent my entire life loving, learning, caring, and living with horses.
My first experience, I’m told, is when I was about three years of age. I was destined to walk behind a horse, promptly got kicked, and had the dirt brushed out of my mouth before I was placed back up on my feet. I haven’t stopped talking about them since.
I didn’t start out owning a horse and I think that helped build my desire to want to be near them. We lived in the city and were limited to a dog named “Penni,” a parakeet named “Charlene” and a family of hamsters. That all changed when I was 11 and Dad started his own company and we moved to the country!
We soon had cows, chickens, pigs and I got my very own baby white goat named “Princess” and a dog named “Champ!” And then…
I got my first horse.
I named her “Dancing Beauty,” we had a magical connection that you read about in books. Sadly, she passed at a young age. I mourned her loss by writing poems and drawing pictures of her.
To lift my spirits and keep me engaged, my parents bought me a four-month-old Arabian colt named “O’Hara.” He would help continue my education. I joined 4-H and FFA which gave me the foundation that helped me start an Equine Business when I was just 16 years old. It was called Carter’s Quarters. I had a training program, gave lessons, judged open shows, and incorporated an AQHA breeding program with a standing stallion named “Guy”. He was another horse that was a big part of my transformation.
By the time I was 19, I figured that I had it all. I had a good steady job, was a 4-H leader, trained horses, and built a good client base. I lived comfortably in the same place I had grown up and had a future that seemed foretold. But one thing that I had no power over was, I was falling into a repetitive lifestyle that seemed like there was nothing more I could learn. I felt stuck.
At the same time, I hurt my back working my night job at the sawmill. Coincidentally, due to my lack of time to work with my own horses, I put my stallion in training with Wil and Beverly Howe while they were living in Sisters, Oregon.
And then… my real education began.
Horse trainers Wil and Beverly Howe were relocating to Medford, Oregon, and needed an assistant horse trainer. I was offered the job working with all kinds of horses, disciplines, and opportunities to expand my experience and knowledge, including that of veterinary care.
At first, I turned them down with the idea that I had everything I needed to be successful in life. However, I realized when I went back home, I knew that I didn’t want the limited future I had of being a “big horse” in a little herd. So, I sold everything, dissolved my business, and went to work for $500 a month plus room and board. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I wanted to be a veterinarian
I was the typical kid that loved horses and thought that being a veterinarian was the only occupation available to work with horses. It wasn’t long before I realized that even though I took advanced classes and excelled in other areas of school quickly, my math skills were not going to be sufficient. I’m grateful because that so-called “failure” opened other doors for me to explore.
As it turns out, I now get to work in numerous components that make up the horse industry, including, working with health issues and veterinarians. So, getting back to how horses opened my heart to humans…
Trainer seeks something new
Being a horse trainer by trade, I believed one should learn their industry from the bottom up and the inside out. That principle, I believed, also applied to the horses. From the feet up, and from the heart out. With that said, I’ve always had an interest in energy work and anatomy, which could help the horse reach optimal levels of performance, health and well-being.
In my work, I realized when too much resistance showed up with the horse, it usually meant they had a mental block, physical disability, or both, which were restricting the energy flow and movement within the horse’s body. I thought long and hard about this and began tracking the symptoms to the root of the problem.
My new goal was to lessen or prevent this cycle of resistance so the horse would be able to live and relax even under pressure.
It’s all connected
A big plus and blessing in my life has been that ALL my teachers and mentors work with the horse’s body as a whole, not just individual parts. They believe whether it’s their feet, teeth, organs, structure, or emotions, they are all connected in one way or the other, which affects the entirety of the horse and ultimately, us.
During the seven years, I worked for Wil and Beverly, where the motto was “training is conditioning,” I continued my education in energetics and healing. At that time, it was all about getting the horse out of pain so they could perform better, but soon we were headed on a path that would do both.
We incorporated energetics and healing for horses at our barn and put the word out to others. I also brought in a variety of veterinarians and other practitioners for alternative services such as dental, acupuncture, chiropractic, sports medicine, massage, centered riding & TTouch. Before they were popular and knew the benefits, we integrated infer-red lights and special supplements as well.
Helping others with equines
When Wil and Beverly decided to move to Richland, Oregon, Sam and I got married and we began our own business in Lincoln, California, using the letters in our last name which, being teachers, ironically is spelled HOWE… Helping Others With Equines. It was here, we started to help people with their horses, incorporating alternative therapies, traditional methods, and veterinary care.
In 1995, when the ranch we were living on changed hands, we changed direction and stopped managing a training/boarding/lesson/sales stable. I then traveled to the western states for several years teaching horse training with a twist: addressing injuries, performance, or mental challenges and teaching different types of bodywork along with training techniques to create long-term results.
Once again, I was driven to learn more and sought out advanced classes that would help me understand not just the body and the energetics of healing, but how it is all intertwined.
I thought it was important that I acquire valid credentials. At the time, all the classes that were available were only for humans, not horses. However, the thought of touching someone was not something I wanted to do initially. The last thing I wanted was to work with people…Ugh!!! And yet, I knew that in order to learn what I needed to know to help the horses I would have to get out of my comfort zone and work with people. Even more confirming was the support I had from my husband to develop my natural talents.
My heart met a horse
I was emotionally discouraged and mentally challenged in my choice to trust myself and deciding to commit to a two-year educational program for humans.
I ran out to my best horse ever, Jester. I wanted to cry but couldn’t. I stood next to him and began brushing his shoulder in silence. I felt the heat rise from my gut as I stood in line with his heart girth. It slowly rose and filled my heart. I placed one hand on his withers and he reached around and lightly touched my chest with his soft nose, dropped his head, and closed his eyes. I felt his heart beating and expand until it encompassed us both and energetically there was no separation between us.
I closed my eyes and let what be, be. No words were spoken. I don’t know how long we were together like that. The bubble morphed as we both processed this feeling of a broad future and our unconditional love. As he raised his head and we made eye contact, it was like we both grinned at the bigness and the simpleness of our experience. I realized that I was a conduit of love and was a server, ready to share from my heart in a way, that until then, I didn’t know I could. Especially with people.
Up to this point, I had based my perception of people on what I had witnessed in hurting each other and animal abuse. I had very little faith in the human race when I started facing my resistance to working with their anatomy, emotions, and biodynamics.
I found, to my amazement, two things that resonated. First, individuals came into my life at the right time and in the right place to help me grow. And second, that working with people allowed me to share and enhance my listening skills while at the same time being able to work on my verbal communication. I believe this was my first conscious thought towards visualizing horses working with humans.
My stride with horses today
That was over 25 years ago. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many people and their horses, touching lives and living in a world mixed with the reality of Earth and the miracles of Heaven. I am Blessed!
In conclusion, Helping Others With Equines has a double meaning today.
Not only are horses being helped…horses are helping humans! They are awesome co-facilitators in the process of developing a heart connection with the amazing capacity of the horse having a mirror effect on the person. Once you get past the surface and go a little deeper, you will find horses and humans are able to connect with one another in ways you never imagined.
When you include exercises, energy, and bodywork with a beautiful horse, it can be life-altering. To date, working with humans and their horses are one of my favorite things to do.
If you know me at all, if it’s got horses, you’ve got me!!!
