Natural horses health involves learning subtle and gentle ways. Listening to your horse is one of those subtle and gentle ways to connect with them.

listening to your horse

One of the most common complaints people have against anyone serving them, is that they are not being listened to. It doesn’t matter who that person is – their GP, their garage mechanic, the bank tiller, a shop keeper, whoever.

People in a position of service have been trained to have a notion of what to expect. Often they can’t work outside this comfort zone. It means a scary area, one they may not be able to manage, because they have not been told how to react. So, it’s easier for the receiver of the complaint to go to an area they can deal with. But it’s not the complainer’s area.

However, the statistics speak for themselves. Just look at any survey dealing with complaints. Or think back to why you complained.

It is quite often enough just to allow the person to talk, just to listen. Then they know they have been heard, and may not need anything further to be done.

You could call the art of listening empathetic. It is empathy that can act as a  healing agent. It is empathy that can release the tension, the anti- feeling, the frustration that is not necessarily the fault of the person on the receiving end. It is empathy that confirms the importance of the complaint, that they are not being a hypochondriac or making a mountain out of a molehill.

I recall hearing of a therapist attending a dying man in hospital. She cheerfully entered the room, where the man’s wife was sitting beside his bed. Before the therapist could get past introducing herself, the woman went into attack. She ranted and raved about everything that was wrong with her husband’s treatment, the staff and the hospital.

Wisely, the therapist simply stood passively, focusing entirely on the woman, hearing her out, not a trace of defensiveness.

After several minutes, the woman fell silent. Still the therapist gave her space, without speaking or judging. Suddenly the woman came round the bed and hugged the therapist and tearfully whispered, ‘thanks for listening and being there’.

The woman was distraught at the thought of her husband’s demise and was lashing out. The therapist’s empathy allowed this woman to release this growing pressure.

You might ask, what has this to do with horses?

Horses are incredibly sensitive animals, as all animals are, but even more so than some as they are a prey animal. So they have to be super alert, super vigilant to survive being eaten.

If the most common complaint of humans is the lack of respect in being heard, then I am quite sure this is magnified many thousand times with sensitive animals such as horses.

Sadly, many horses are simply ‘used’ to further the ego or the profit of humans. Very little attention is given to them as a sentient being, with feelings of their own.

If you have ever circulated among ‘horsy’ people, you will hear remarks such as ‘my horse is so lazy’, ‘my horse is playing up’. It’s always the horse’s fault.

But is it?

Do we really take their true needs into consideration? Do we really try to understand what life might be like from their perspective? Colic is one of the most common ailments a horse will have. This mostly occurs at weekends, when people are out doing things with them.

Unless we really try to listen to our horse and really try to understand their psychological as well as biological needs, then we can never call ourselves horsemen or even animal lovers.

A professional homeopath always looks for the mental/emotional factor that came before the pathology. In humans, we can ask the person. So we know what mental or emotional factors are common in our remedies.

The most common homeopathic remedies for colic bear this out – they deal with the stress that manifested into colic, and so the colic is also healed.

Don’t wait for the colic. Learn to listen to your horse. Why you were attracted to horses no longer matters. A win at the next show is nothing compared with what you can learn simply by learning to listen to your horse – one on one.

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Madeleine Innocent

You know how often people struggle with their horse’s health? They want to know WHY they suffer with health issues and all their veterinarian can offer is drugs and more drugs? They feel helpless and at the mercy of another. Well, what I do is to help you pinpoint WHY your horse is getting sick and implement a strategy that takes you to a feeling of empowerment, of being in control of their life. A strategy that restores their health and allows you, and them, to enjoy life.

    2 replies to "Listening to Your Horse"

    • Lisa Hill

      Hello Madeleine, always enjoy your post on horses. Have you ever heard of the Carolyn Resnick Method? I believe this method would be something you would like. Try Carolyn Resnick Horsemanship Blog. Blessings~Lisa

    • Madeleine Innocent

      Yes, I have and I feel she has a lot to offer. I came across her after I had discovered Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling. For me, he goes to the next level. Life is a journey, one step at a time, so it’s important to find the person that can help you get to the next step.

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