Time with the Equinisity herd has given me a much more varied experience with horses than I had ever thought possible. After experiencing the magic, for lack of better term, of Liz's herd, I became a believer. My analytical and very scientific mind shifted from doubting what they were doing, (as in healing work) to fully accepting it about mid-week. The scientific mind bartered with my heart and created a barrier that my gut knew needed to break down. With the help of the horses and herd collectively, it melted away and has stayed away. With a fresh message about knowing what is in my heart and how to voice exactly that, my throat was cleared.
Given the seemingly miraculous experiences the Equinisity herd provided to me, I was open to feel a similar way with other horses anywhere. After having witnessed such energetic beings who were used to working at full capacity without any human limitations, my body and mind allowed that as my new standard. My limits were pushed far beyond their comfort zone for the first half of the week I was at Gateway 2 Ranch.
 

I was unsure that horses could do all that they were touted to do at this place. Having never worked with horses in this way, I had my doubts but curiosity negotiated them away. The horses cleared and rebalanced me then sent me off to work with other horses in a way that honors them as the healers they so naturally are.
 

Coming home to Houston to work with the therapy herd who I had come to know well was quite an experience. Horses began to do things I had not seen them ever do in my life with horses. We had horses laying down in front of people sometimes, horses who were normally a bit standoff-ish coming in to work with people. A young Arabian mare in particular who was a challenge to halter became more social and easier to work with. Horses came in groups as people sat under trees processing their equine therapy sessions and would scan people by moving their heads around the body of anyone needing work. Once they found a spot, the horse might lick, chew, or just hang out and get in the "zone" and relax with that person. Seemingly a calm little task, inevitably the horse would go deep into whatever the energy blockage was. This elicited an intense feeling of relaxation for most people. Other horses would pull at the air or a person's clothes, lightly as if to "pull" something away…and when asked, the person usually knew what needed to be shed emotionally or physically. What amazed me was how accurate the horses were-they knew exactly where blockages were that needed to clear. Some people were not ready for this and couldn't go into this and in these cases the horses would leave.
 

Other horses would go into this seemingly meditative zone and place their nostrils over the area to be healed or rebalanced. Many times the person would state they had pain or a problem in that area. Or, clients who were more open minded might state there was a symbolic reason the horse may be spending time in a certain area. It looked like horses taking naps, but their eyes were open and hooves firmly planted, not usually resting.
 

Firmly connected to the energy of the earth the horses served as strong conduits to facilitate healing on mental, emotional, and physical levels. People started to notice that their pain was gone, which they may or may not have told us about prior to the session.
 

Perhaps the most meaningful experience I have seen as a result of attending Liz's Equinisity Certification class, involved our herd leader a large elegant warmblood known as Maestro, and Katy, the 30 year old grandmother of our herd.
 

I witnessed a profound interaction between a young client of our regularly scheduled mental rehabilitation group and two therapy horses. Katy and Maestro were both key players in her process. Katy was alone at the end of the field as usual and the teenage girl with a somber expression and a depleted looking posture approached her. She had not uttered a word other than her name, the whole time at the ranch. I was the only one in that part of the 7-acre pasture as the rest of the group and therapists were in the larger cluster of horses further away. Katy promptly laid down right by the teenage girl after a bit of grooming. She was on her left side and the girl sat at her head quietly. Feeling honored to be included in this intimate space, I watched closely for any gesture from Katy.
 

Leaving everything upto the horses to teach this girl whatever it was she needed to learn was hard for me at this moment. I wanted so badly for her to have this time as her own and for nobody to interrupt. Although she was sitting in a safe position, there was a soft-vibration coming from the ground. Turning my head revealed Maestro marching heavily with his head in full alert.
He flagged his tail and did a beautiful 30-foot circle at a gorgeous extended trot with his ears pricked and surrounded Katy. This of course, got the attention of all other therapists and the rest of the group and counselors with them. Such a show was completely unheard of. Then after a couple of rounds trotting, he walked up and nudged Katy's hind end. She did not budge. Maestro was satisfied about whatever was going on and respectfully returned to his herd that somehow managed to stay away from these two. The girl stayed in the same place as all of this went on, oblivious to the stunned observers standing out of sight. Katy stayed immobilized for quite some time and the girl did not move either. Silence was the only thing the two had in common.
Finally Katy got up. The young woman had misty eyes in the processing circle; "She told me that I'm good enough." She had not uttered a word from the time she got there to the time she left.
 

Even without knowing what context she was referring to, it did not matter. The horses' work had gotten her to realize a big crux in her life and had given her permission to be at peace with herself. Everyone kept a respectful distance to honor her process so there was no questioning and no analyzing.
She had come to her own conclusion through the actions and presence of two horses who normally did not interact or tolerate each other's presence in such proximity. Knowing the oddity of these two interacting and Katy not even moving was such an interesting piece.
Realizing that these horses were well socialized, in an established herd, and already good therapy horses; we usually had activities planned to do with them to help a person move through or process a certain issue. Although we did consider the horse's body language and symbolism behind their actions, I felt there had to be more to this. Already my job was to present the horses' points of view, but I wanted the next step. Intuitively I felt the horses could do more and were possibly being restricted by what the human mind would allow them to do.
 

By having restrictions in my consciousness, I was inadvertently providing the same feeling for our clients. This created a situation where the horses were only "allowed" to do certain things, although my ideas were very un-structured and wide-open for the horse to lead. Still, I was restricting them. None of this was deliberate; but within most people's own limitations of what we believe animals can do.
 

What I have learned is the act of SIMPLY giving the horses permission to express themselves fully and to do whatever work we need has been one of the most liberating and powerful cornerstones in my lifetime of being with horses. It has taken time to integrate, however I felt an instant sense of trust and this knowingness that the horses would do exactly what the client needed. We just have to stand back, allow, and let them do the work. Holding the space for such intimate moments between people and horses is an absolute honor. The horses dive into the depths of whatever the human can manage to be open to or at least be curious about. Trusting that the horse will go as far as needed, often times much further than any indication on the surface is a part of this. They melt through walls and gently; but deliberately, melt into the heart of everything as they scoop fibers of truth from the depths of what we thought we knew about ourselves. It is their only way and if we can open ourselves to being totally vulnerable to this experience it has huge rewards.
 

This is the hardest thing for some people to do, when it feels like you are watching the grass grow. At times like this, horses might just be eating grass or "doing nothing," maybe even standing far away. Horses are never "doing nothing" by the way. Maybe they have not changed positions in a long time and people are getting bored. This is when it feels like a waste of time to some people and you are about to give up. Just before leaving the herd your mind might be flirting with accepting peace in that moment or choosing to dive in for more information. This is when something awesome is allowed to happen because in that tiny lapse of thinking we are receptive to the messages.
Expecting certain horses to do things or hoping that someone gets the lesson and even interpreting what the horse is doing all lead to the same thing. The person will not get the most from this experience in this case because you have made it about you and your perception of the experience.
 

After my time learning about Equinisity, my subconscious was different and I had experienced horses in such a fresh way. There was no way to go back to my previous conception of horses. I now knew what was possible with a herd that had been thoroughly respected and loved as healers living in an ideal environment, which included the choice to work with people. The experiences I had with Liz's herd blew my mind as I learned to allow the herd to be healers, teachers, guides, and truly trust that they knew exactly what people needed. They sensed what people were ready for without input from other humans.
 

Perhaps the most valuable take-away message was: 'The secret is we have to give them permission. We hold the key, put up the barriers…we have to believe in the possibility and allow them to do the healing. You are only able to see what you believe is possible, what you give permission to.'

I believe.

- Elizabeth (Lizzy) Meyer