Cindy Kraft has contributed to Natural Horse Magazine. The following articles have previously been published in the magazine.
The Basics of Energy Work
All living creatures are a complex combination of physical, mental and emotional levels. Any or all of these becoming imbalanced can cause a problem in the body. Accidents, injuries, illnesses or emotional traumas are all sources of imbalance. Our veterinarian is very well equipped to handle physical problems, but at times, there is also an emotional situation that remains after the physical wounds are healed.
Fear, anxiety and misunderstanding cause imbalance in the system. This negative energy can cause blockages along the energy fields of the body, commonly referred to as chakras or meridians. Our energy force flows along these electrical channels and have been photographed using infrared photography. This is all scientifically proven.
We all possess the gift to share the energy that is in our bodies. Learning to direct and use this is a wonderful opportunity for us to benefit not only our horses, but ourselves as well.
By using the natural God-given energy that we all possess, a person is able to open up the blocked energy fields, allowing for the full strength of the body to heal itself with complete balance.
At our fingertips, we emit electromagnetic pulsing (energy) that connects with that of the other body. By using that, we open up these electrical energy fields to allow the free flowing of energy to then do its work of naturally healing. This will benefit the receiver on all levels – physical, mental and emotional.
This technique works ONLY if it is love-based. If the purpose of the human is to benefit financially or to win at all costs, this will not work. The horse’s energy will connect with that right away. As an advocate of the horse, we want only what is best for him. If his heart and body are able to do what we will ask him, he will achieve those goals. Remember, this is a relationship based on love, trust and communication. A horse never lies, nor does he believe a lie.
The second time I visited, Harvey taught me more than any other horse ever had. I am a certified Equine Massage Therapist and kinesiologist. I am not a veterinarian, nor do I claim to be, and I do not practice veterinary medicine, although unfortunately I have been accused of doing that. I simply love horses and share with them loving energy and touch. They heal themselves.
I had first met Harvey at the local veterinarian who had recommended my services to the owner. I applied my abilities to Harvey at the veterinary clinic giving him my basic routine, releasing negative emotion, and answering his owner Mary’s many questions. As a barrel racer, Mary needed to keep Harvey in tip-top shape in order to compete and win. She was doing her best, but also noticing some locomotion problems that seemed to slow him down. The problems were related to emotional issues, which were easily handled.
It was about five months later that I received a pleading call from Mary again. This time I drove the 50 miles over to her place to work with Harvey. Mary’s desperation was obvious and easily understandable. She had paid $30,000 for Harvey, a fine-tuned barrel horse who always won. Mary wanted to win, and for the first three months with Harvey, she did. Then, things started to change, and he would overshoot the barrels, knock over the barrels or just not perform well. Mary’s confusion also mounted as her husband, a team roper, would take Harvey and work him in the arena where he would do perfectly.
As normal, I asked Mary to hold Harvey’s lead rope to connect both the human’s and horse’s energy fields, so I could deal with them at the same time. About 30 minutes into this session, Harvey pulled away from Mary, walking out of the barn toward the pasture. I told Mary I would let him go because frequently, as the negative energy releases, the horse will then feel the need to go roll as this provides nature’s chiropractic adjustment. However, in this case, Harvey walked behind his barn where this neat horse always made his manure pile. As we watched with extreme curiosity, Harvey lay down in the middle of this pile, flat down on his side, and then put his head down as well and closed his eyes. I looked at Mary, and she looked at me. Of course, you can imagine all the questions we asked each other, but with no answers.
I went over to Harvey and checked out his energy to see if there was a clue there and basically, he was telling me he was just fine and to leave him alone, which we did. So, Mary and I discussed world events for the next 15 minutes, waiting to see what would happen next. I checked Harvey’s energy about every 5 minutes, and the results were always the same.
Finally, Mary could stand it no longer and said, “What have you done to my horse?” Not knowing how to answer that, I honestly said, “I wish I knew what was happening here, but I don’t.”
After another 5 minutes, Mary said, “Is there something I can do?” Ah. I went over and checked HER energy, and the answer was a resounding YES!!! So I gently asked Mary what SHE was feeling. “GUILT” was her answer. “Why?”, I asked. “I’m not taking good enough care of Harvey,” she said.
I reassured her on that subject as the horse was VERY well cared for, and asked her again. “What do you feel guilty about?” She took a deep breath and started to talk about her childhood and problems with her mother. After about a 10 minute reflection there, I gently asked her if I could balance HER energy. She looked at me rather confused, but agreed. So, I stepped close enough to do that and spent the next five minutes or so mentally balancing out her negative guilt feelings. Once I felt them release, I took a deep, cleansing breath and relaxed. The very second I did, Harvey lifted his head, looked over at us, and began to get up. As he did, he stretched, and his spine realigned itself and popped in several places. He stood still and then shuddered, shook his head and walked back into the barn.
I had pretty much understood that most horses’ problems come from humans. Most horses in the wild or grazing in the pasture lead a pretty quiet existence. When the human enters their world, things change. And if the human has a heavy hand and doesn’t know how to listen, the horse is the one who suffers. But, I wasn’t as aware of the power of our own negative energy to affect the horses to this degree. What Harvey showed us meant to me that he was absorbing Mary’s negative guilt energy in such heavy doses that he felt like a pile of crap.
Then as I thought about it all, I remembered our conversation in the barn during the first 30 minutes I spent with Harvey. Mary, a strong religious-minded person, was recounting her reaction to the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” and continually mentioned how very guilty it had made her feel, that she wasn’t good enough, appreciative enough or able to express proper acceptance of love. I also remember trying to shift her mentality on that subject to one of love, and that the whole purpose of the movie was to show God’s love for us, but she couldn’t feel beyond her guilt, something she has been feeling for a long time. That made my understanding of Harvey’s problems so much clearer. He had been absorbing so much guilt that he couldn’t perform.
Mary had become so frustrated with her barrel racing at this point that she told me Harvey was going to visit a friend of hers in two days who would exercise him for her and keep him “legged-up.” Mary asked what I thought about this, and I agreed that it would be the best thing in the world for Harvey for now.
Mirroring: The Gift of Horses
Many of us are aware of the gifts horses bring. Not only are they loyal and faithful friends, but they help us often in our most difficult times. There have been quite a few books written about the therapeutic aspect of this magnificent creature, whether aiding a disabled person to balance for the first time in their lives, being trusting babysitters for our children or assisting emotionally traumatized people to face their emotions honestly, as in the equine assisted psychotherapy sessions. The way is done thru energy.
Horses pick up on energy immediately. This is how they survive. They know right away all about us. We can’t lie to them, and they don’t lie to us either. Horses can teach us to be authentic, to be who we really are, rather than trying to put on a mask to please others or perhaps cover up emotional pain.
Horses came into my life about 15 years ago, opening my soul to learn and explore my own life so much that I wanted to give back to them a portion of what they have given to me.
I didn’t have a clue at the time what had happened, but about 3 years after horses walked into my life, I was able to look back and pinpoint the time when I started to heal my dysfunctional past. And the only ones I could trust were my horses. It was a time of a new awareness, hope and growth like I had never experienced before. They gave me the courage to open up and feel again, to let go of an extremely long unhappy marriage and to walk away from a controlling fundamentalist religion that had entrapped my mind.
In learning how to de-program my mind, I learned about energy and how our thoughts are indeed energy as well. Our energy field around our body is a direct result of how we think. In helping myself to shift my distorted fear-based belief system, I learned how to think differently and noticed fantastic results in my happiness and health. This too affects others around us, including our animals.
As I developed my equine practice further, I noticed the correlation in my equine clients. Angry cowboys had angry horses. Flighty uptight barrel racers have similar horses. Not only is it the physical treatment by these people, but it is also their energy field. One case brought this dramatically to my attention.
I have facilities to run a small horse motel. A man from Tennessee was coming thru with two mares, heading to New Mexico to finish their training to include cattle work at a family ranch there. He came in early enough to visit with several other horse people here, and we all talked about our various equine connections. The next morning, when all the others left, Tom asked if I had time to work on his horses as he just couldn’t understand what was going on. He was an experienced trainer for years, and this time both his mares we fighting him tooth and nail.
During the session, both mares presented to me the negative emotion of “guilt,” which I was able to help them release and rebalance. However, this is not a normal equine problem. Horses achieve their proper place in the pecking order by kicking and biting, and it doesn’t bother them in the least. In most cases, when guilt is presented, I know that the horse is mirroring its owner. So, I tactfully kept my back to this 6’2″ cowboy and explained the situation to him. He didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, he said it was his problem.
After another couple of minutes, he confessed that it was his fault that his girlfriend had died the previous year. I was stunned, trying to decide what to say. We talked for a while and he finally saw that her death was indeed the result of her own poor choices of substance abuse, which he couldn’t have prevented even if he hadn’t been at work at the time. He looked at me and smiled widely and said he was so happy to have let that go that he didn’t want to leave. We did sightseeing that day and visited with friends on a trail ride, and later we all went dancing. He was totally ecstatic to have released that burden that he had been carrying for almost a year. He was so appreciative that six months later a brand new handmade saddle was delivered to my door from Tennessee.
To me, the horses were giving this man a gift, if only he knew how to understand it. I count myself truly blessed to be able to be the “go-between” in helping people face some difficult or even unrecognizable issues when their animals mirror them. This also helps us to see the importance of dealing with our own emotional issues as best we can, knowing we can’t hide a thing from our equine family members.
Now, the results aren’t always so positive though. One aggressive barrel racer had a barn full of angry horses. They were all identical, and once I got to know the owner I knew why. She didn’t want to change herself at all though and paid me well to work on her horses on a regular basis to help to balance them out.
We all have choices in life, and most of us appreciate our equine family and try to do the best for them. They, in turn, want us to love ourselves.
Openly Speaking
published in Volume 10, Issue 2 of Natural Horse Magazine
Horses are so honest. They are true to themselves and totally authentic. Mark Rashid pointed this out so clearly in his book, Horses Never Lie. Here again, we humans can certainly learn from this valuable lesson and apply it with our own horses.
When we are truly authentic with our horses, they respond positively to us. They can see through us and know immediately if we are lying or not. This is the whole premise of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, where horses respond to abuse victims working with trained counselors. Again, the horses pick up on a human’s energy and know if they are being true to themselves or are setting themselves up to become victims again or not being willing to face the truth. Many people run from fear, rather than facing it.
There is so much that horses can teach us, if only we learn to listen. They know so much more about us and our lives than we could ever imagine. However, most humans think that they must make the horse listen to them and therein lies the difficulty because it is going back to the need for humans to control. Of course, there is a balance with all of this and not allowing the horse to walk over us, but learning to work in a positive, verbal way has been known to produce amazing results.
Talk to your horse openly.
In Margrit Coate’s book, Horses Talking, she strongly encourages people to open up and ask their horse questions. The horse then responds in kind to OUR respect of them, in trying to include them in our decisions and choices about the issue. After reading this book, I remembered vividly an occurrence about three years previously when one of my mares disappeared. Cimarron was about 3 at the time, and when I went out to feed, she wasn’t there. Now this was highly unusual as she stuck closely to my older grey alpha mare, Lacey. I fed the horses and began walking and searching for a broken fence or some sign of her disappearance. There was nothing visible. I then called a neighboring cowboy who helped me check things out, thinking I may have missed something. He finally came to the conclusion that she had been stolen through the night. I burst into tears, feeling helpless as to what to do.
It was then that I thought of Lacey, who had just calmly finished her breakfast. I walked into her stall and wrapped my arms around her neck. In tears, I asked her what had happened to Cimarron because after all, she would have been there at the time that Cimarron left. She immediately left her stall and stood at a gate, looking back at me. I opened the gate and she ran through two paddocks to the west pasture and went to the farthest point in the SW corner. There she stood, gazing in the distance. I followed her view, and there was Cimarron, two fences and pastures away, about a half a mile, looking back toward us. With tremendous relief, I took my feed bucket, lead rope and halter and brought her home. I think she was a happy to be home as I was to have her there.
To this day, I don’t know how or why she left, but Lacey showed me where she was, WHEN I ASKED HER.
I then recalled when Cimarron was only nine months old, and she found her way into a blocked off area in which some old barbed wire was left. And of course, she was standing in the middle of it with all four legs wrapped up. When I saw the mess, I prayed for help and then calmly told Cimarron that she needed to stand very still and why, as I got her unwound. She never moved.
Also more recently, an excellent fulltime cowboy/horse trainer called me from New Mexico to ask for help with a mare that wasn’t responding to his training. I was truly amazed because this is the man I trusted to saddle my rehabilitated palomino for the first time. Thinking he could handle anything, I was surprised by his question. I had just read Margrit Coate’s book and suggested he ask the mare what was wrong and pour out his heart to her honestly. He balked and then said, “Cindy, I live in a cow camp with a bunch of cowboys. I can’t do that.” But he decided to do so in the middle of the night when no one was there to observe. Three days later, he called back to say that he didn’t know exactly why it worked, but it did. He said the mare was great and doing just fine.
Our honesty in expressing our feelings or doubts shows we’re being authentic. We all have a lot to learn no matter how educated, trained or experienced we are. There are many trainers out there with various techniques and styles; none are all right or wrong. If they consider the horse with kindness and respect, they will succeed. Again, it is the human’s motive, the energy behind the purpose, which the horse reads. If the human is coming with anger and force, the horse knows immediately. If they come with peace and kindness, the horse knows that as well.
Choose your words and names carefully.
Actual words can have a negative or positive effect. We speak kind, loving words and those around us feel appreciated and safe. We speak angry, hateful words and people want to leave. Our horses respond the same way. Names can also have the same effect. The old Johnny Cash song, “Boy Named Sue,” gives a fine example of that.
I have come across quite a few horses who were named poorly, and it strongly affected their whole lives. I know it is said that it’s bad luck to change a horse’s name, but the following few examples may make you want to reconsider that old wives’ tale.
No Count Cash was an extremely talented and powerful horse used as a heeler (team roping). He had a very rough start in his training, but nonetheless responded well when he came into the ownership of a cowboy who was trying to get the best from this horse and learn more from him. I was asked to come in when No Count was having shoulder problems. The vet had checked him out and then I came to see him. In working with him, I immediately felt as if he were trying to tell me something. After clearing a lot of the energy issues, the words “royal and regal” kept popping into my mind, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on this until I found out the horses lineage. He was out of Dash for Cash and Countess something and was named No Count Cash. He had a great pedigree and was called No Count, which almost sounds like no account, which is really demeaning and humiliating. I suggested to the owner that he use a more positive name, and the cowboy was rather confused. Later that evening, his wife called me to ask clarification of it all. When I explained to her the power of words, positive and negative, she readily agreed as she had a psychology background in college and understood exactly what I was saying. They decided to call the horse Count from then on, thereby giving him the respect and dignity that he deserved. He responded very well from then on.
I Am No Daisy was a gelding being used by a barrel racer, and he was just generally a very unhappy horse and not living up to his potential. As I was being introduced to Daisy, I referred to the horse as she. The owner corrected me and told me this was a gelding. I was so surprised that I just looked at them. Then, I asked if that didn’t cause reactions wherever he went – a gelding named Daisy. They readily agreed, saying that people laughed at him everywhere. I then asked how they think he felt about that, and of course it hadn’t occurred to them at all. So, the first thing we did with him was change his name, the owners checking his parents’ names and then incorporating a positive name for him that both the horse and the people agreed upon. After a few weeks, the owner called to let me know that the horse was so much happier and content and was doing much better in competition.
Shadow Slew is the son of Seattle Slew, and he was brought to me because he was considered for purchase by a barrel racer who thought he had great potential. This horse had gone through many other barrel racers very quickly because he couldn’t be controlled and just took the bit and ran. He was rather angry, and it became apparent that he wanted to be seen and respected for who HE was, not who his FATHER was. He wanted value as his own unique individual self. As we were considering all of this and choosing to call him Shadow instead of Slew, it also came to mind that he was homesick. He was missing a relationship he had with a 9-year-old girl who took him trail riding all the time and saw him only as her beloved horse. She never had a problem with him. It became apparent that this horse was longing for a real relationship with someone who appreciated him for who he was, rather than to be solely used to win.
The interesting thing here is how important it is to realize that each horse is a distinct individual with feelings, emotions and personalities. One may want to be named after his parent where another may not. This is why it is so important to watch, listen and work with our horses on a personal level.
Our being open to listening and learning from these wonderful animals is such a gift. That connection is often seen with a bonded team where the rider only has to think what he/she wants to happen and the horse responds. That is the wonderful bond of respect between beings who listen to each other.
So the next time you are confused about an issue, whether it actually includes your horse or not, you just might want to go out and ask him for his help. The next thought that comes to mind as a solution just may surprise you.
Cindy Kraft, LMT/CEMT 