How I Released My Emotions Through Horse Whispering

As I was coming to the end of a four day retreat, I was learning about emotion. This led to my view of the emotion of sadness inside myself and the idea of embracing my tears, something I had refused to do. I was taught through my experience, not to let them fall, for if I did there would be so many questions – Why? During the retreat discovery, something opened up inside me – a space that was available for me to let go and allow the floodgates to open. For me, this time to spend in my feelings of sadness was a gift. I began to acknowledge this in the retreat as I stared out the window at the afternoon sun.

Time alone…

Something began to stir within me and I knew I needed a moment to process. I felt like going outside to have a moment alone with a beautiful view on a sunny day. I sat down on a big rock. And I just started to cry, and as I did, I really acknowledged the depth of some of my feeling, and my sense of loss over things I had experienced. As I was crying, I looked up and there was a horse behind a fence, looking over at me. It was fairly close and stood silently. While I was there crying, I felt it was calling me to it. “Come here, I’ll comfort you.”

Quiet support from my gentle friend

I got up and walked to the horse and we were almost touching but for the fence between us. I didn’t say anything, I just cried. The horse took its nose and nudged me and I cried some more. It seemed to hold me with its presence. Then, I let go, dropping my arms and my head, sobbing now. I thought surely it would walk away turning from my pain. But it didn’t. It just stood there, somehow lifting me, looking at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes.

It heard me cry, it listened, as if it would stay until I was done. Twice, he lifted his foot and I thought he was going to walk away but he stayed, planting his foot once again. I cried some more, gushing, as I released the pain I had held, letting it leave me.

The horse nudged me again as if to say, I’m here, I’m validating you, I see you. It did not judge me. I cried some more with that horse, a good while, maybe 45 minutes. A floodgate had opened and he stood as my strength. Then something just shifted inside me and said You’re done now.

I lifted my head, and I felt done. Then the horse leaned down to me and licked my leg, as if honoring our real connection. Then, it just walked away.

To have this moment with a non-judgmental listener that would stand by me to help me release that sadness, instead of just being alone, was a magical moment. It wasn’t something that I thought I needed but it was provided.

I lifted my eyes to the horizon and I knew, I’m a Treasure and a Pearl.