Anyone who has ever enjoyed being in the presence of a horse will agree there is something special, even profound about horses that they can’t easily put into words.

Perhaps we are drawn to horses because they are in sync with the primordial pulse of existence, and the omnipresent rhythm of nature – which continuously expands and contracts in perfect balance.

Since we are also a part of nature, there is recognition of this rhythm deep within us.  And like nature, we are always seeking balance.  To be in balance is to be in harmony and at ease with our inner and outer environments.

For some people, being in the presence of horses needs no explanation – they are content just to have their experience.  For most people however, we are ‘meaning-makers.’  We want to know why.

When meaning-makers have a reason, their minds can rest, and they can open up to the experience.  When that reason is grounded in widely accepted universal laws, at least some of the barriers have been removed.

As EEL facilitators, our challenge is to find a way to put into words what transpires between horse and human, for two reasons:

1. To provide some rationale to others (new and potential clients) who have not yet experienced the presence of horses, that is ‘acceptable’ and within their scope of understanding
2. To support our clients – a) help them understand what is ‘happening to them,’ and b) gently contain and guide their experience for optimal change and integration

We can draw on three universal laws of physics that not only help us understand some of what happens between horse and human, but also gives us language and rationale to explain it.

1.    Everything is energy

According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, “Everything in the universe is now understood to be made out of energy; to our perception it appears physical and solid, yet in reality it is all energy and energies interact.  When you interact with your environment you are both absorbing and sending energy at the same time. “  Our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and memories are all forms of energy and combined with other aspects of our being, make up a unique frequency or vibration that we ‘transmit’ and others interact with.  This is what horses are responding to, and can explain why their behaviours are unique and often unusual.

Most of us will agree that the emotions of sadness and grief for example, feel dense and heavy, versus the emotions of joy or gratitude – that feel lighter and more expansive.

Every unexpressed emotion is held within our bodies – irrespective of time.  An unexpressed emotion is one that is not ‘tended to.’  It has not been felt and noticed to the extent that its mission is complete, and it dissolves.  We know when an emotion is not ‘complete’ if we still feel a charge around a situation or person associated with that emotion.   Suffice to say, it is easier to ‘tend to’ the pleasant emotions of peace, joy, or gratitude, than to tend to the heavier, uncomfortable emotions of sadness, disappointment, betrayal, fear, anxiety, resentment, discouragement, and so on.   Consequently, we are likely to be carrying some unresolved dense energies of uncomfortable emotions.   After all, we are human.

Healthy horses (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) live in the moment.  They respond to what arises, and go back to resting and grazing.  Unlike us, they do not resist the heavy emotion, or amplify it with ruminations and judgments.  They do not avoid, project or suppress it.  They do not accumulate the energies of heavy emotions like we tend to do.   Therefore, we could say that their vibration – their energetic frequency – is usually higher than ours.

2.    A lower frequency cannot co-exist with a higher one

If we have a lower frequency than the horses,’ and we are in close proximity to them, the lower, heavier energies of our unresolved emotions become ‘dislodged,’ and begin to rise – seeking expression or completion.  People often experience this as feeling teary or ‘emotional’ – even without a preceding thought.

Note: this does not always happen – for example, people who are ‘in their heads’ and/or not connected with their bodies and emotions may not experience this.  Also, people with an agenda or a task to perform – such as catching a horse, or doing some other equestrian activities, may not experience, and inadvertently block the rise of emotions that are seeking completion.  Certain medications – such as some anti-depressants suppress the felt sensations of emotions.

When clients do feel emotional, as facilitators we can help to normalise their experience by explaining what is happening to them, and support them to allow the emotion to be expressed (rather than blocking it).  Even the smallest release of emotional energy creates a shift in the client’s body, and it is important to allow plenty of time for their bodies to ‘recalibrate’ to the new frequency.  (There are several ways the horses support us to release the heavy, discordant energies – however, that will be the subject of another post.)

3.    A stronger, more coherent oscillating field will cause the weaker, less coherent oscillating field to entrain with it

A horse’s heart is five times the size of a human heart, and ten times as heavy.  The pulse of a horse’s heart field extends approximately five meters from the horse’s body (and probably further).  In comparison, the pulse of the human heart field extends to approximately one meter from the body.

The heart of a healthy horse beats in a powerful, regulated rhythm.  A horse’s most prevalent state is a resting and digesting state, as they have to be rested and ready to deal with any potential danger in the environment.  Consequently, they have a regulated nervous system – one that responds appropriately to danger in the environment, and then returns to restoration and equilibrium, when the threat of danger has passed.

When we are near the horses, our hearts are dancing to the beat of a different drum – or heartbeat to be more precise!

When our bodies are within five meters of a healthy horse, their powerful and regulated heart rhythm causes our heart rhythm to synchronise or entrain with theirs.  The effect is that our heart rhythm becomes increasingly more regulated and more coherent.  Coherence is what allows our bodies to function effectively as a whole.  Since our hearts are the most powerful oscillating systems in our bodies, they affect all our other bodily functions and systems – which leads to a greater sense of well-being.

As facilitators, we can invite the client to ‘stay with’ the sense of well-being for about 90 seconds.  They may use different words to describe well-being – such as peaceful, calm, lighter…  We can ask them to notice and say more about what they are feeling.  The more they engage with their sense of well-being, the stronger it will become.

Supporting clients to move toward coherence will help establish more stability and greater capacity to negotiate challenges.

So, in a nutshell, we carry the discordant energy of unexpressed emotions in our bodies.  Horses activate these energies so they can be released, and regulate our bodies’ systems to bring more stability and coherence.  And we can explain this with physics.

By Cindy Jacobs, CEEL Co-founder and trainer