The hardest part about being your horse’s healer is to determine which imbalances you are working on.

As your horse’s healer, there are three dimensions of the body that must be assessed before deciding on an approach:

1. Physical
2. Emotional
3. Spiritual

For the sake of simplicity, let’s say you identify both physical and emotional imbalances in a horse you are working on.

Before you proceed, here are some questions that you may want to answer:

Do I address the physical symptoms before the emotional?

Or do I address the emotional symptoms before the physical?

Do I place half my focus on the emotional symptoms and half on the physical?

Or should I start with the physical symptoms but add in a little bit of emotional support?

Every horse that you support as a healer requires a lot of listening, observing, learning, and intuition. But the more experience you have, the easier it gets to figure out the best approach.

There are no two cases the same…but here are two scenarios that I see most often:

Scenario one

1) An emotional trauma or experience manifests into a physical health problem.

Unhealthy emotions, when stored for long periods of time, can and do manifest into physical health conditions. Over time negative emotions will alter the chemistry of the organs or body systems. And eventually a physical imbalance will develop.

For example:

Let’s consider a horse that has lived in isolation or without friends for most of his life. The emotion attached to that experience is most likely loneliness. After years of carrying a heavy emotional burden in his heart, he suddenly develops heaves.

In this case, both his physical and emotional body need to be supported. If this horse if forced to continue to live in isolation, the emotional charge will never lift from his physical body and the respiratory condition will persist no matter how you well you support his physical health.

Recommended Approach

1. Find him a suitable companion he can touch, groom, and play with.
2. Address his respiratory imbalance by formulating an appropriate natural health program using diet, nutrients, and natural medicine.

Scenario two

2) A subclinical health condition is present for several years before it gets triggered by an unexpected emotional trauma.

Horse’s are very good at adapting to their environment. This means that their physical body can be out of balance for a long period of time before it manifests into a physical health problem. Often times, the occurrence of one emotional trauma or stressor is enough to trigger the body to express the signs and symptoms.

For example:

A horse has developed subclinical imbalances over the last five years from too much sugar, not enough exercise, and infrequent feedings. During that time, S/he didn’t show any outward signs of physical unwellness. And then one day, her best friend passes away. Two days later the horse is extremely unsound and is diagnosed with an acute laminitic episode.

In this case, the emotional trauma just brought the physical imbalances to the surface. The grief that the horse experienced was not directly the cause of the physical condition. The traumatic event just triggered a cascade of stress hormones that tipped the scales. The body didn’t have the strength to withstand one more stressor. And now, the once subclinical imbalance has become a clinical physical condition.

Recommended Approach:

1. Determine the underlying cause of the physical imbalance.
2. Identify any other conditions that may be contributing to laminitis such as poor trimming.
3. Formulate an appropriate natural health program using diet, nutrients, and natural medicine.
4. Help them process their grief with energy work or flower essence therapy.

A couple of factors to consider

• Even if you suspect an emotional imbalance it is still always important to support the physical body. The healthier it is, the more strength and vitality it will have to clear unhealthy emotions.
• Sometimes physical health problems can present as emotional ones. For example, when the physical body is affected by too much stress, a toxic diet, or nutrient deficiencies the emotional body also affected. Horses that are physically unwell can often exhibit emotions such as anxiety, stress, depression, melancholy, and fatigue.

In Summary

The hardest part about being your horse’s healer is to find the imbalances and decide how you are going to split your focus. Identifying the source of horse health imbalances is a complex process.  But with a little guidance and education you will be empowered to peel back their layers, and help them show you the deepest parts of themselves.

Meet Elisha

I am an animal lover, health consultant, scientist and educator. I am passionate about delivering safe and effective health care to all animals but horses and dogs have a special place in my heart. I believe that through education and awareness of natural animal health we can drastically improve their quality of life and longevity. I invite you to join me on my quest to make the world a better place for all of them.