When is Your Horse Refusing to Work a Good Thing?

When she wants to offer you healing!!!

Very often, your horse knows what is best for you- because she’s more in tune with Truth and what’s really going on inside of you both!

But if you aren’t listening, or worse, think your horse is mis-behaving, you’ll miss out on some pretty powerful experiences for your own benefit!

Here’s an example.

The other day I went out to ride Charm. I really, really wanted to ride. It didn’t have to be a long ride, in fact, all I was looking for was a short bareback ride in a halter. But I wasn’t having a great day and really longed to feel her back beneath me.

She was cooperative enough, until I brought her up to the mounting block. Then, she just wouldn’t step up the last 3 steps so I could hop on her. She planted her feet and basically refused to budge.

I was disappointed, it was getting late and cold, I didn’t have a lot of time to fool around.

Now, it would have been easy to see her behavior as “disobedient.” I could have INSISTED she step up. Frankly, I am sure that would have worked.

But these days, I know better. So I take a deep breath and try to tune into what’s really going on.

I sat on the mounting block, and explained to Charm what I wanted to do, then I asked Charm what was going on.

She responded with a sort of concerned look in her eye and took a step further back from the mounting block. Ok, so we definitely weren’t going for a ride.

What were we going to do?

Charm was awfully interested in my hands, so I let her smell them and lick them.

When she began repeated yawning, I knew what we were doing- we were having a healing session.

Charm was right- what I really needed more than riding, was time to tune into the heavy weight of depression that had been bearing down on me lately. And she was ready to help.

She got busy moving stuck energy from a variety of the charka areas, but she kept returning to my hands.

Then she did something I’ve never seen any of the horses do while healing- while licking my hand, she kept her tongue on my palm and began to yawn, without removing her tongue from my hand.

I would have thought it was a coincidence, but she did it deliberately, more than once.

And it had an immediate effect: I retched a couple of times, until I actually threw up.

Charm calmly waited, ever attentive to her mission, even though she wasn’t restrained in any way. Never once did she try to grab some grass to nibble, or take off to the freedom of the surrounding pasture.

Then it occurred to me: I just witnessed an Equine- Energy Extraction Technique!

From previous healing work, I’ve discovered that sometimes a stuck energy actually needs to be physically thrown up from the body, by a series of violent retching, or actually throwing up. It’s quite effective in dislodging really stuck energies.

Then the tears came, and I allowed them, knowing they were helping to cleanse away unneeded energies that were no longer serving.

When the emotions passed, I felt lighter and clearer than I had in days.

I thanked Charm for having the wisdom to refuse to ride and the loving kindness to offer me what I really needed instead: A Healing.

What would change in your life if you started to tune into what really wanted to happen in any given interaction with your horse?

What would shift in your relationship with your horse if you made the assumption that your horse had a valid opinion of how to best spend your time together?

What would happen if you slowed down and took the time to really listen to what your horse had to offer?

Try it out and let me know what you discover!

Join us for a Spring Equinox Mask-Making Adventure

Calling Forth Your Inner Strength with Your Power Animal

Have you ever wished you could step away from your everyday stresses and walk into a creative wonderland? Now’s your chance to do just that and experience the profoundly healing effects of shapeshifting into an animal with just the magical properties you most need right now!

On the Spring Equinox, Sunday March 21, from 11am-7pm, the ranch will be hosting a powerful mask-making workshop, along with a potluck and drumming circle. Take advantage of the equinox energies to ensure 2010 is a success! This is a not to be missed event!

Recently, I had the honor of participating in one of these transformative events lead by Shamanic Practitioner Gavin Hughes, of White Raven Mystic Arts. It was a deeply moving experience that I’m grateful for because it allowed me to step into a dormant side of myself.

For awhile now, I’ve been aware that I’m being spiritually groomed for a leadership role. However, it’s a role I wasn’t sure that I really wanted. Couldn’t I just be a healer and let someone else lead?! I’d always been a bit suspicious of authority anyway- why would I want to be that person. And certainly, I wasn’t sure I was ready for it because on any given day, I was still having difficulty feeling like a powerful leader.

That is, until the mask-making workshop- which finally gave me a profound opportunity to feel what it’s like to be a leader.

During the guided meditation to discover my power animal, Lion showed up. But not just any lion. More than the leader of his pride, this Lion was Benevolent Leader of the Entire Kingdom!

First, I got to feel the raw physical power of Lion by sitting astride him as the pride went for a run through a glorious sun-drenched field.

Then I got to really experience the deep feeling of Benevolent Leadership as Lion assembled the whole animal kingdom, with a powerful roar. Standing on a cliff, I watched as all members of the natural world gathered in front of Lion.

I understood in that moment that the animal begins were not afraid of Lion’s powerful voice, but rather they respected it and felt comfort knowing that someone was overseeing the kingdom with kindness and gentle, but decisive leadership. And rather than resenting the Lion’s role as leader, I saw how the animals appreciated him, even felt affection to him, for his protection, which allowed them to go about their daily lives knowing everything was in rightful order.

A profound feeling of love pervaded my heart, as I realized that all of the beings stood together in cooperative unity, in comm-unity, each with a role that served the greatest and highest good for them all.

In that moment, I knew that THAT was the kind of leadership role I was being prepared for- a Benevolent Leader who United Beings under the Divine Spark that was Common to Us All.

Finally, I could feel what I was being called to.

And that was just in the first half hour of the workshop!!!

The remaining time, of actually making the mask and doing ritual exercises with it, allowed me to step inside Lion, to be Lion, to creatively explore him for hours so I could internalize his gifts on an initial level.

What better way to embody your renewed capabilities than to honor your power animal by creating a mask modeled on your very own face!

And allowing your intuition to guide you step by step in making, painting, and decorating this object which will now be imbued with the characteristics you most need to stretchinto at this time.

And when you are done- you leave with a physical representation that will remind you on a cellular level of Who You Are Becoming- every time you look at it!

What a meaningful gift Gavin’s workshop gave to me!! And it’s a gift I highly recommend you offer to yourself by joining us this Equinox!

BTW- you don’t have to be an artist or creative type to enjoy this experience- it’s all about discovering your inner strength. No matter what the physical outcome looks like- the process itself is transformative!

For more details or to RSVP visit our MeetUp Group: Spring Equinox Mask Making Circle

Listen In to Stable Scoop Radio: Should You Marry a Horse Person!?

Its an age old question. You are passionate about horses. Arguably- you've created an entire lifestyle around your devotion to equines. So when it comes to partnering up for love with a non-equine- should you pick another Horse Person?

Whether I answer you personally or professionally, my answer is the same:
A resounding YES!

Personally, my most rewarding days are the ones I spend immersed in my deepest passion, horses, with the person I am most passionate about- my husband- who is also a rider. Sharing something we both love makes us feel closer to each other, and gives us endless things to talk about, never mind, to do together.

Professionally from a psychological viewpoint- it's always best to chose a mate who loves to do the things you love to do- it minimizes conflict and gives you plenty of time joyfully doing something you both enjoy- which boosts your bond.

And we've all heard horror stories of the STRESS horses can cause in a relationship when one is a horse lover and the other, well, just isn't.


What if you aren't lucky enough to find the perfect partner who ALSO loves horses?

You can work around this, but there are some important things to consider!

To learn more while having a chuckle, listen in to my interesting chat with Glenn and Helena on the Valentine's Day episode of Stable Scoop Radio (I'm the second guest). Click the link below.

Stable Scoop Episode 78 – Annual Valentine Episode

And if you haven't heard my expert tips on the 5 minute Horse Tip Daily show, check them out here:

Dr. Jenn: Horse Tip Daily

Here's hoping you had a Valentine's Day filled with horse-y and human LOVE!

BTW- Did you know that my other passion is LOVE COACHING?

If you are still single and searching for the perfect partner, head on over to my other site, My Soulmate Solution to get all of the knowledge, guidance, and support you need to attract a love that will last a lifetime! Don't be single NEXT Valentine's day!

Join now and tell me you are a horse lover and get an extra month coaching membership FREE!!!

What It Takes to Heal: Willingess to Keep Peeling the Onion, No Matter What

The other night, I had a surprising spontaneous healing session with the ponies. It was nightfall, and they were finished eating. I was just giving them some love, when Seren let me know it was time for some healing “work.”

It’s one thing when I go out with an intention to work on something for myself, but it still surprises me when THEY decide it’s time.

Lately, I’ve been doing my best to listen to my intuition, both with the horses, and without. But sometimes I still argue.

So when I’m standing next to Seren and I get the sense I’m supposed to kneel down and put my forehead on the ground, I resist. It’s cold out, the ground isn’t exactly clean…there are a million reasons, but the prompting persists, so I acquiesce.

I’m hanging out with my forehead on the ground wondering what the heck this is about and Seren touches a spot on my back, and the tears start flowing.

Wow- sometimes that’s all it takes to access a hidden issue- a posture, a simple touch.

And then words start flowing with the tears, words I don’t have any meaningful reference for, at least in this lifetime.

Words like, “I couldn’t save them. I wanted to be there. I couldn’t get there. They wouldn’t let me. I should have been there.” Over and over again, with so much grief. I get the sense it must be a past life scene. It feels like maybe my family was killed when I was away.

And then the tears clear, there is a moment of rest, I’m sitting up and Seren is taking some energy off of my shoulders and the top of my head- she bites my hat, grabbing something that no longer is serving me.

Then a new prompting occurs- “Lie down on your back” this one says.

“Are you crazy? It’s freezing out here. What if the horses step on me? Can I be safe? I’m not doing that!”

But it continues. Ok, fine. I’ll do it. So I lie back on the frozen ground, with my head out of the paddock for a little more security. And I start crying again, and shivering, with my thighs shaking. I keep saying, “I’m so cold, I’m so cold.”

I really am cold, but it seems like that I HAVE to be physically cold because that’s part of this past life scene that is being cleared- a cold and lonely death sometime, some place.

The tears continue, until they stop, and there is some peace, before the next prompting.

“Continue lying there, but put your hands behind you back.” I’m thinking, that’s crazy- but heck, it’s not any crazier then what I’ve already done, so fine- here you go. Let’s get this over with because I want to go inside where it’s warm!”

And that posture sets off an entirely new healing scene, a clearing of a fiery death by persecution it seemed. That’s not the kind of death anyone deserves.

All the while, Seren is standing watch over me, keeping me safe, assisting with clearing the energy, guiding the process. And Charm is holding space as an assistant directly across the fence.

Apparently Frolic and Little Man aren’t invited to this party, because whenever they come close, they get run off. Even the dogs aren’t allowed close by. This must be serious healing time.

And Seren plays her role perfectly, majestically, lovingly as leader of the healing herd- always letting me know when the work is done.

When I finally rise from the ground, I give all of the ponies thanks and hugs for their beautiful, willing, life-affirming service and I hurry inside to get warm.

Arriving back in, a lot later than my husband was expecting me, I utter, “Darn I’m cold!”

“Good thing I have something for you”, he says, as he hands me a huge mug of homemade hot chocolate.

And I feel like the luckiest girl in the world- surrounded by such supportive healing angels- both inside and out!!

As my own healing journey continues deeper and deeper, I am discovering that true healing really only requires one thing:

That we show up and fully ALLOW whatever needs to take place, to unfold.

Today I learned about the added power of posture to trigger that which needs to be released.

And fostered a deeper understanding that past life traumas often get carried into this life in our bodies and need to be cleared and released. Especially traumatic past deaths.

That sometimes these will come up to be cleared just when you are ready to take an important step forward that those energies may be preventing. And so they come up to be released.

Healing is about your willingness to get still, to go within, and to allow whatever feelings & energies come up, to play out in their entirety- giving them whatever words, sounds, postures, or tears come naturally, until you reach the stillness again.

Knowing that one more layer of that which no longer serves you, is gone for good.

And we need to keep showing up, peeling the layers away like an onion, until we reach the pure love that resides at the very center of us all.

And always, when you are ready, the horses stand prepared to assist us on this most amazing healing journey toward wholeness and love.

Ice's Christmas Message: How to Connect with your Departed Loved Ones

I know the holidays can be a hard time for anyone who has lost someone they love. To never be able to see, touch, or hear a beloved again, particularly during special times- nothing makes the heart heavier.

So, if you are one of those people with a heavy heart this season, I have a message to pass on: Your loved one is really only a thought away.

When you put your attention on feeling your love for them, their energy and love will join you. You can be together again, if only in spirit- for now.

I am an unlikely carrier of this message, given that up until 3 years ago I was a proud atheist.

I believed that when you died, that was it. Kaput. Nothing. Blackness forever more.

Now I know different.

Now I know that your spirit lives on and can continue to comunicate with those who love you, because love is the universal language and your spirit never dies- it only changes form.

How can I be so sure?

Well, a LOT has happened to me to convince me of this over the past few years, but mostly right now, I want to share with you the story of how my beloved departed greyhound taught me that love can reach out through all time and space to connect you once more, whenever you choose- so that you too may know the comfort of your own loved one again.

You know those stories about how after someone close to a person has died, they feel like they have been visited by their loved one?

When it happens to you, you don’t just feel it- you know it and now it’s real. It’s truth.

I never expected it to happen to me.

Many of you may remember our greyhound Ice who passed away this summer (You can read more about him here: Serving with Love) But all you need to know is that shortly before his death, I discovered that he has been one of my spirit guides- holding a similar mission of spreading love on earth and supporting me on mine.

He crossed over after a very long, loving life, and it was time. Not that it makes it much easier.

Several weeks had passed and occasionally I’d still find myself breaking down in tears, missing a dog I didn’t realize how much I had loved.

One day, while I was driving on the highway, I suddenly noticed tingles on the right side of my head, and out of the corner of my left eye I got the impression that Ice had returned to tell me that he was well. I had a picture of him jumping around and showing me how much he enjoyed his new body. And tears of recognition shook right through me.

Just at the moment when the vision passed, my attention turned to the song playing on the car radio and I immediately knew it was a message from Ice.

I had caught the tail end of Lonestar’s I’m Already There.

This is what I heard:

I'm already there

Take a look around

I'm the sunshine in your hair

I'm the shadow on the ground

I'm the whisper in the wind

And I'll be there until the end

Can you feel the love that we share?

Oh I'm already there

We may be a thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you wherever you are

(If you’d like to hear the whole song, here is a YouTube link of the video: Already There )

Of course those words made me cry even harder. And right then, Ice’s real owner, my husband Greg called me on the cell phone to check in. Coincidence? Yea right!

What a wonderful and timeless message it was: A reminder that through our love, we will always be connected. And that I can feel his love all around me in the gifts of nature.

This holiday season Ice wanted me to remind you that that’s all you have to do to connect with your loved one:

Feel the love that you share and they will already be right there with you.

What a gorgeous gift Ice came back to offer to me and I feel blessed to have recognized it and allowed it into my awareness. My hope is that you will take his message and play with it, to lighten your heart and bring your loved ones near.

I know it wasn’t a fluke because Ice came back to me several times, always while driving the same stretch of highway, always with those same tingles and tears, and usually bringing a message via the radio!

Even now as I write this, there are those head tingles, letting me know I am not alone, and that writing this was not MY idea!

There was a time when I would have needed an explanation for how any of that was possible.

But not any longer.

I have seen the light and I know we are all connected by love.

I'll leave you with this poem that came through the Colorado Beagle Rescue, just in time to be included here. It echos my message and brought tears to my eyes- if only we could know how close our loved ones really are!!! It's written from the crossed over pet's perspective to his still grieving owner.

The End of my Journey

I stood by your bed last night. I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, you found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea.
You were thinking of the many times your hands reached down to me.
I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "It's me."

You looked so very tired as you sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know I was standing there.
It's possible for me to be so near you everyday,
To say with certainty, "I never went away."

You sat there quietly, then smiled, I think you knew.
In the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over...I smile and watch you yawning
and say "good night, God bless, I'll see you in the morning."

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand side by side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out...then come to be with me.

- Author unknown

Go forth in that love this Christmas, holding your loved ones close, and allow miracles to unfold around you.

May you be blessed with love.

A Mother-Daughter Healing Team Blossoms

In the last few healing sessions, my heart has gotten all warm and fuzzy watching how Serendipity and Frolic, mother and daughter, have been working together to assist clients in dissolving blocks.

It’s becoming ever clearer that they do their work best in a tag team format. Obviously, each has their own niche and role in the healing process, because when one is done with their part, they walk off and the other steps in.

Frolic, ever curious, open, and friendly seems best at welcoming clients in, making them comfortable, and getting them in touch with whatever block most needs to be released.

With the deeper core issue exposed, Seren steps in to lead the cleansing, clearing, and releasing that is needed to dissolve a block.

It’s a beautiful dance without an obvious choreographer, each simply knowing when the time is ripe for their work and stepping in silently, willingly, lovingly.

There are barely words for how it touches me, to watch these animals I adore so deeply, work their magic.

When Seren came to me all those years ago as a barely broke 4 year old who became my eventing show horse, I have to admit I never would have guessed that deep within her was a healer waiting to serve. It was never in the plans that we would take this journey of healing together.

And I never would have guessed the reason why I felt a compelling, illogical urge to bring Seren’s yearling Frolic back with her to Colorado when Seren finally retuned to me after 5 years as a broodmare.

“We needed a yearling, like we needed a hole in the head,” as my husband Greg likes to say. And he was right, but I just KNEW she was supposed to be with us.

It wasn’t till a few more years later that I discovered WHY she was meant to be ours.

My favorite animal communicator, Kali Crosby, explained it to me after the Healing Ranch was up and running.

She said Seren calls herself a healer and when she made babies, she did her best to create horses that could also be healers. But when the time came for Seren to return from Wisconsin to me, she had not taught Frolic enough yet so she wanted Frolic to come along with her. So that eventually, they would work together as a team.

Funny- with the cranky way Seren treated Frolic, you wouldn’t have known she WANTED her around! Ah, mother-daughter antics I suppose.

I’ve been fascinated watching Seren train up Frolic in the healing arts. In the very beginning, Frolic was only allowed to watch.

As time passed, Seren would step back and invite Frolic to try the work. And as Frolic worked, Seren would occasionally walk on over and offer some advice (by breathing into each other’s noses) before departing to keep her watchful eye on the process close by.

This summer, I could tell that Frolic was taking her final exams, as most often Seren held back and Frolic took the lead. I knew she passed her test because you almost couldn’t get Seren to step in- as she was allowing Frolic the space to grow her abilities.

And now, it has come full circle, where they work together just about as equals- each playing their own unique role in the healing.

I can tell there are still some times when Frolic has more knowledge to absorb. Especially when doing deep work with me, Seren will keep Frolic back, asking her to just soak in the process. Which being so curious and helpful by nature, Frolic has a hard time doing! She always wants to help!

What a beautiful gift they have been to me- and to all that encounter them. To have my very first horse, and now her daughter, beside me- all of us with the same intention- to lead people back to their magnificent selves-the selves they came here to be.

I couldn’t wish for any finer companions on this amazing journey of healing and discovery. Thank you girls for being angels in a horse-y disguise! The transformative power of your love never ceases to amaze me.

And I can’t wait to watch the path unfold even further along side of you and the other amazing members of the Healing Horse Herd.

Horse Wisdom: Trust Thyself

During a recent client session, the healing herd did a really unusual thing.

They all laid down. Not just down. But all the way out on the ground- all four of them. At least one was snoring in fact.

“I didn’t know horses snore!,” my client remarked.

This was astonishing.

As creatures of prey, horses are constantly vigilant for predators.

So, almost always when it’s sleepy time, at least one of the herd remains standing, as sentinel, guarding the vulnerable, resting horses from danger.

And humans, especially strange, unfamiliar ones, like a new client, fit in the category of potential predator, until proven innocent.

So, horses will rarely lie down with people they don’t know well. Even when they know you well, some horses never will lie down with you close by. When they do- it’s a huge sign of trust.

So, here were 4 horses, all who not only were on the ground, but laid flat out- the most vulnerable position possible for a horse- with me and my client standing nearby.

One of the tenants of equine-assisted work is to always assume that what the horses are doing is a message. Not just a coincidence, but that their behavior has a direct or symbolic meaning for the client.

This time, the message was clear:

It is safe to be vulnerable with others.
We trust you.
It is time to wholly trust yourself, in the same way.

The horses want you to know that until you trust yourself, success will always be just out of reach.

It’s time to heal whatever is standing between you and trust.
Trusting yourself, trusting others, trusting the universe.

The horses are standing (or lying!) willing, ready to assist!