Animals and Humanity

Hooves and Healing (The Equine Influence on My Counselling Journey)

How a lifetime working with horses gives me a unique perspective as a counsellor

Horses find a way into our hearts and can invite a deepening of our own humanity. Image LAL Gallery

Horses, for millennia, have held a certain charm. A valiant combination of archetypal resilience forged through story and the sheer grace of their existence and willingness to connect with humans.

This connection was all at once spiritual, physical and practical. Sure they could pull carts and ploughs (hence the origin of the term ‘horsepower). But they could also pull the heart strings of even the hardest humans.

For me, animals in general were an insulating factor growing up on a farm where every season was fraught with a new level of stress.

But, there truly is something special about a horse.

Horses pushed me to find my authenticity in order to honour theirs

I came to be owned by a horse at 11 years old. He would be the harbinger of dreams and freedom, along with some painful lessons.

He taught me respect for his body, but also for my own. To care for me, was also to care for him.