Working with coaches Ida and Summer at Hope Held By A Horse. Photo by Ida Ridgeway
It’s a glorious Monday in late August. I arrived home late from a new experience over the weekend.
There is a non-profit that is run by an Equine Gestalt Coach® called Hope Held By A Horse. It helps women cope with the emotional ravages of breast cancer. This weekend I got to experience it as one of the coaches.
A little over a year ago I went to the program as a participant, a breast cancer survivor. Some of the women this weekend had recurrences, some had metastasized, and some were fairly new to the diagnosis. One of these women had tried a new technique that is in trials for breast cancer that I had never heard of. All were amazing women.
When I went last year, it was only a few weeks after my dad passed away, and on the night between the two sessions, my grandson was born. I was raw to break open with emotions.
The big piece we did at the end of the weekend was a course where we led the horses through obstacles. This should have been easy for me since I’ve had a horse since I was five and showed until I was about 30. My horse felt that I was in my head not my heart and we had trouble from the start. He wouldn’t move with me.
My coach helped me to get me into my heart. Discovering that I have three men, my grandpa, my dad, and Mike, who are cheering me on. They want to see me succeed. We then breezed through the course and made the last hurdle without incidence.
You see the horses can tell when you are speaking from your heart. This weekend I led one of the horses while the participants were on his back speaking from their truth. When he felt they were not really feeling what they said he would stop. When they were sure in their statements he would move on.
The horses teach us to be mindful and to be true in our words. They can help balance our energy and help us feel from our hearts. They hold us to our accountability.
Would you like to explore how the horses can help you? Connect with me here to find out more. I look forward to helping more women through this program.
Melissa Etheridge’s song about breast cancer. I Run For Life.
Make a Connection in the comments below.
Onward!
