Sunday, August 10, 2008

Holistic Healing and My Horse

Wow, it seems like I’ve been gone for a while. My life has been this whirlwind of activity for the past few weeks, but I promised I’d post about my experience with a holistic practitioner.

Unfortunately, because of the recent chaos in my life, I lost the brochure which described the woman’s methods and she doesn’t have a website. I’m going to have to use my questionable memory to reiterate what she did and said.

I’m a member of a trail riding club that has been holding holistic health clinics for equines and riders for the past year. The clinician is a local woman named Tonya. I haven’t been able to make any of the clinics. When one was held last month, I signed up. It was titled: emotional therapy for horses through holistic healing. Now, since I lost the brochure, that’s an approximate title, but you get the idea.

I’ve been having lameness issues with my dressage mare, Gailey, off and on for the past year. I’ve spent a lot of money, and the results have been inconclusive. A few weeks before this clinic, Gailey had hooked a shoe on the trailer ramp and slid down the ramp on her butt, landing in a heap at the bottom. She’d been lame ever since and was lame at the time I attended this clinic.

I explained to Tonya my horse’s background, which includes some very serious injuries and major trailer trauma early in her life. I’ve blogged about her trailering issues in a previous blog. She thought about it for a few minutes then began to check out my horse. Within a few minutes, she announced that my horse’s lameness issues were induced by trauma, not physical issues. Using a combination of acupressure and other methods that I can’t remember the names—since I lost that DARN brochure—she spent a few minutes working on my mare’s back, head, and neck.

She then concocted this vial, which consisted of remedies made from certain flowers. I believe they were called Bach remedies. As she explained to me, horses in the wild seek out certain flowers for their healing properties. She didn’t believe I’d need another treatment but was to call if I did.

I gave my mare a day off then rode her the next day. She seemed sound. Then life intruded upon my world, and I was unable to ride for about two weeks. Last Thursday, I had a lesson, My trainer commented that she’d ridden the horse earlier that day and that the mare seemed sounder than she’d been in a long time. She also mentioned that she wouldn’t have hesitated to show the horse that weekend if she’d been entered in a show.

So go figure. I’ll leave it up to you. Did a little time off heal Gailey? Or did her holistic treatment? I really don’t know, but I plan to do more research on the subject. I’d love to hear about your experiences with holistic healing.

On the book front in my life, I contracted The Gift Horse. It will be a 2009 release with Bookstrand. My first two books (The Dance and Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?) are now available in print via Amazon and Barnes and Noble and in ebook format from the publisher and Fictionwise.

I’m blogging at Title Magic tomorrow and the subject is “Telling a Story from a Horse’s Point of View.” Stop in and say hi.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have found amazing results with the holistic treatment of trauma, depression, and accupressure treatments in both my horses. In their past lives, as well as present, they have come through many a difficult experience. Re-training a traumatized horse is a traumatic experience for them, however it has been made possible, and favorable through these remedies and treatments. Because holistic healing techniques deal with the emotions, it allows for chemical changes in the biochemistry of the horse. Haven't been disappointed yet. My horses are happy again, sound, and always want interaction with us. That should say it all!