With Horses
"Horses ... give us a comforting sense of familiarity, a safe reminder of all things basic, a primal memory and perhaps an ancestral connection to our grounding roots to Mother Nature." Chris Irwin, Horses Don't Lie, 2001
Horses have come to represent man's relationship to the natural world. As a symbol of the past and a more natural pace, the horse brings us closer to nature and reminds us of when we were more in harmony with the living environment. Horses have come to symbolize nature and are often linked to the rhythm of the sea, the speed of the wind, and flames in a "fiery steed." Elizabeth A. Lawrence, Hoofbeats and Society: Studies of Human-Horse Interactions, 1985.
Participants will be offered guided practices for mindful observation of horses at a distance.
Mindfulness with Horses
A ... study out of Washington State University has revealed children who work with horses are able to dramatically reduce their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Horses Reduce Stress Hormone Levels in Children, Could Cut Mental Illness Risk, Medical Daily.
"The simple act of grooming horses is a powerful agent for promoting positive, regressive relaxation. It ... involves tactile sense and rhythm. The mind slows down with each stroke of the brush... Smoothing the horse's warm body, separating the mane to make it soft and silky, listening to the horse's breathing and witnessing its obvious comfort are satisfying. Breathing in unison with the horse induces a serene state, helping to further relax, expand and transcend stress and move toward an oceanic feeling of peace." McCormick and McCormick, Horse Sense and the Human Heart: What Horses Can Teach Us About Trust, Bonding, Creativity and Spirituality, 1997.
Armed forces veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are finding stress relief through interactions with horses.
Reining in PTSD with Equestrian Therapy, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
'I Came Back. I Hated Myself.' How Mustangs are Helping Vets Heal, The Chicago Tribune.
The Barn
The Horses
