*Pulling Them into Our World or Stepping into Theirs

So brilliant watching an Equine Facilitator asking the herd, "Who wants to come to work today and help me with this very special client?" And then watch one of the horses answer.  Walking up to the gateway waiting patiently for the halter to be put on and walk through the gate and say they are offering their services.

We ask and they answer. 

Amazing to experience.  Amazing to watch. 

Brilliant is so many different ways.

The horse leaving the herd behind to come into our world.

An offering, freely given.  Saying, "I can come and help." 

But there is another possibility.

A different experience we can have.

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This is having one horse saying I want to be with you. 

And we can have the horse step into our world, or...

We can step into theirs.

Do you feel the power of that last statement?

The incredible possibilities that offers. 

We can have the horse leave the herd, walk through the gate, get ready to step into our world, or we can step into theirs.

We can step into theirs.

There is so much power in that concept, a different experience being offered. With vastly different possibilities.

But also, so much harder.

When the horse offers to come work with us, we know before we even start that all are safe.  That this horse is ready to take care of our client. Because they've made that choice. Made the choice to be the one to help today.

When we want to access the many possibilities that are possible when instead of asking them to come into our world, we step into theirs, that is no longer true. 

Not that they are out to hurt us but there has been no offering of cooperation.  No offering that they want you with them.

No offering of any protection.

No promises made.

To some extent instead, you are challenged.

Or maybe better said tested. 

And this is something that is important to realize, the danger inherent here. Because now you have no more protection than any other horse in the herd, maybe even less, because at least they know each other quite well.  You on the other hand are an uncertain quantity and to be honest they are more concerned about how to stay away from the bully of the herd.  Here in the herd, quick movements, a flash of a hoof kicking out, a quick dash quite possibly squashing you, as they jump to get out of harm's way.  Here you have no special immunity. 

To be clear there is danger here.

And because of that, it is so important that before you ever, ever consider offering an Equine Facilitated Herd Program, which is incredible to experience, that you realize that you have a lot of hard work ahead of you dealing with the dynamics of the herd. The first step before opening up this experience to your clients.  Not to do so, puts people unwittingly at risk.    

But this is said with some caveats.  The more wild the herd, the less of an issue that is. Different with a herd running wild and free than when we pick who gets to cohabitate together.  The Conscious Herd Program incorporating the preparations necessary specifically designed for the horses that have no choice with who they live with.  

And this changes everything.

In the wild, herds are either a family group or a band of boys playing endlessly through the nights and days.  And what we create is neither.  What we bring into being isn't natural to them and introduces strange dynamics into the herd created by us humans.

And this is something that we need to recognize. An awareness of the different attributes that we need to deal with.

Preparing the herd has benefits beyond preparing the herd to be safe to work in an Equine Facilitation Program, you will find that it can completely change the personalities of the horses and your relationship with them.  Horses that you once thought bitchy, cranky, suddenly aren't.  Horses that were constantly proving their dominance, become accepting, more friendly to the other herd members.  Horses that you thought flighty, quick to jump, and now you realize they were scared and didn't feel safe and that is why they were behaving the way they were. 

Doing this work does so much more than preparing the horses to work with your clients it creates a peace, a quiet tranquility in the herd that is truly incredible to experience, especially as it influences their relationship with you and not just with one another.  

And it is this herd that you need to have.  This is the herd that can allow a completely different experience for you to help others experience.  A peace, a generosity, a sense which might sound strange to say, like you now are somehow in touch with the Garden of Eden.  A space calm, beautiful, joyful, fully caring. Like you found a piece of heaven and brought it home for everyone to experience.

Just imagine what you could do with that. 

Just imagine the beauty that you would be creating.

Just imagine the healing that would bring to all.

And it is only then that it is appropriate to offer a Conscious Horse Herd Program. Now, we can begin to learn from the horses. Learn about energy control. Learn how we influence without knowing. Learn about the energy of the herd. Learn how to recognize the energies present. An ability which is the key in beginning to learn connection. To learn true awareness.

The herd healed and made whole, and when we come to them open and aware, they know it and they look at us in a different way. It is like they finally lift their heads, turn and look at us and say, "Aha, I see you are ready."

It is like they look at us for the very first time and this is when the real work begins.