The Healing Power of Horses
There is something about the gentle wisdom in a horse’s eye that can put even the most troubled soul at peace.”
Towards the end of 2015 my father was diagnosed with cancer. I remember the time after the diagnosis being a whirl wind of scary activity. My brother and I took the original call from the doctor saying that they had found something suspicious and wanted to do a biopsy. Our parents were out of town at the time so we had to deliver the news to them. Shortly after they returned home the biopsy was done and within a month we were heading to the Cleveland Clinic to have surgery. My father, mother, and I spent New Year’s Eve between the hospital and our nearby hotel. It was a very difficult time for our family.
Fast forward to now, two years later, to us preparing to once again walk the “Cancer Road”. If I thought out original battle with this terrible disease was difficult, this second time has been worse. It’s been hard to grapple with the fact that our lives have gone from peaceful to chaotic in a matter of days. Finding our new “normal” has been increasingly difficult this second time around. I have spent more days than I’d like to admit since the diagnosis in tears and anxious worry over what the future will hold.
As therapeutic riding instructors we are always quick to see the good our program’s horses are doing in the lives of our riders. I can’t even tell you how many times, in my almost two years of teaching, that I have seen amazing developments in my students. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!
But have you ever stopped to think about just how much we as instructors have to gain from working with our amazing groups of horses? I personally, up until about two days ago, had not. Or I hadn’t paid much attention to it if I ever had. But a moment I had with one of our therapy horses shortly after my dad’s diagnosis brought this fact to the forefront of my mind. And I was floored by just how amazing it made me feel!
The program I work for is relatively small. It’s an amazing group of people that have done so much good in our community and the lives of our riders, but because of our size, we our housed by a larger boarding/riding barn. One of the things I enjoy about being situated in a larger barn is that we have access to the Hunter/Jumper and Dressage schooling shows that are held there several times a year. Due to our insurance policy, our therapy animals cannot be taken off of the property to show, but if the event is taking place at the facility we are allowed to take the horses in. I’m excited to announce that four days from now I will be taking part in one of these shows and I couldn’t be more excited!
A few weeks ago I started riding one of therapy horses, an Off The Track Thoroughbred mare named Alice, to prepare for the show. I have immensely enjoyed getting to know her better, not only for my own personal riding, but for when I have her in my classes. She’s a great horse!
We received the results from my father’s bloodwork going on five days ago now. And it was a kick in the guts for sure. As much as I had been enjoying my rides with Alice that past week, I gave her two days off just because I wanted to finish work at the barn and head home as quickly as possible. I had no desire to take the time to tack up and ride. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and I’m not even the one physically dealing with the cancer!
Earlier in the week I had had a day that was so emotionally taxing that I can’t express it fully in writing. I had spent the majority of my morning crying. As much as I am trying not to think of cancer as a death sentence, it’s been hard not to. There are so many treatments out there and we hadn’t even heard from his doctor yet. But my mind was wandering. How would I live my life without my dad? I was a mess.
But I knew that I needed to take my mind off things. I also knew that we were now under a week until the horse show, so I needed to get my butt in gear and do some practicing. So I decided to leave early for work and tack up Alice for a quick ride. I figured it might give my brain a bit of a rest from worrying by putting all my focus into riding.
I read a quote somewhere once that said: “…When I ride, all I feel is free”. My ride with Alice was exactly what I needed both mentally and emotionally that day, and I never realized it until several days later. All I was praying for was a good ride. I didn’t want to have to struggle through a workout of trying to suppress a previously run Thoroughbred’s instinct to race the chubby little Halflinger pony that was having a lesson next to us. I just wanted to get on and ride. I wanted to feel FREE. I wanted to forget, if even for a little bit, that my dad had cancer and that our lives were changing drastically. And Alice did that for me.
Say what you will, but I think animals have an amazing way of seeking out the people around them that need them the most. Have you ever noticed how, when you are sick, hurt, or upset, that your pet will almost cement themselves to you until you feel better? It just blows my socks off the way that animals seem to know!
That day I had one of the best rides of my life. It wasn’t without its flaws, don’t get me wrong, but Alice became my bright spot in a very dark and difficult day. She did everything I asked of her and more. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about!
As instructors, I think it’s important to take a step back periodically and remind ourselves that we have just as much to gain from being with our horses as our students do. It doesn’t matter if you are personally riding them or not. They are there as a comfort to you on your bad days just as they are to everyone else in the class. There is so much we can learn from them about ourselves. They can help us to achieve a better form of ourselves if we just take the time to listen and observe!