I've referenced this quote before, and I'll do it again:
"Feeling safe is the treatment and creating safety is the work."
This was said by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges. When I heard this quote years ago, it became a guiding light for my practice, and remains so today.
Being a good listener is a foundational skill for equine manual therapists. Application of technique has little value without first obtaining consent from the body. You cannot receive consent from the body until you have tuned in to the needs of the horse, of their nervous system, and of their tissues. This is a practice, and we can hone our deep listening with every horse that we work with.
Being a good listener doesn't end with the horse. Half of the partnership that we are working with in equine manual therapy is the horse's human steward. And I can say with confidence, having been a horse owner for almost twenty years myself, that they are rarely truly listened to. As a horse owner, you get very accustomed to people telling you what to do - and what not to do - with your horse. Why you're wrong, why you're worrying unnecessarily, why someone else knows best.
A bodywork nay-sayer once said to me that the reason horse owners call equine therapists is just to have someone listen to them talk about their horse. While of course we know there are many benefits to equine therapy, I do wonder why the desire to have someone listen to you is considered a negative thing. I believe that there is a massive benefit to spending an hour or more with a horse, truly listening to them and their human partner. How else would you get a true picture of how you can provide support for their individual needs?
I have been told by many clients over the years that I'm the first one their horse has really opened up to - especially those horses who are touch aversive, anxious, or extremely stoic. I think they just need someone to listen. Truly, deeply listen. I hope that I can bring that sense of safety and validation to the human half of these partnerships as well. We all need someone to hear us.
Thank you Isabelle for these adorable photos of me working with her lovely mares. Peep Dezi's muzzle heart!