Intuitive Horse
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend time with horses in their natural environment? Ever wondered what they do when left to their own devices? Have you ever been around horses and felt their strong presence? Intuitive Horse offer unique experiences to allow you to explore what horses can teach us when they are allowed to be their true natural selves.

How I learned to really listen to the horses, instead of following my own ideas, and how this changed the way I now see and work with them

The recent stormy and windy weather reminded me of a time years ago when I was laying in bed in the early hours of the morning, being kept awake by a raging storm outside. I was aware that I was feeling anxious because the horses were out in the field and I was concerned about them being caught up in the storm.

I was still stabling the horses some of the time at this point though had decided to let them stay out as the weather had seemed good.

While laying there my anxiety increased, so eventually I decided to do something about it. I put my raincoat on over my pyjamas and went out to find the horses with the intent to bring them into the stables from the field. It was pouring with rain and the wind was really strong. When I got to the gate of the field they were standing close by and positioned huddled together with their bottoms facing in the direction of the wind and rain. I opened the gate so they could walk through and stood there calling them, however they didn’t move. I’m not even sure they could hear me as the wind was so strong, so I walked over to them. They all had their heads down and seemed to be in a trance like state. I was saying “come on” though none of them moved or even acknowledged me. I hadn’t brought a head collar with me to lead them in as I assumed they would be pacing at the gate ready for me to appear and let them in.

I caught myself in this moment as I realised they seemed okay; they were calm, they had gone inwards in themselves to cope and were using their bodies to brace against the weather. As I noticed how they were coping I naturally started to reposition myself so I was stood with my back to the weather also. I felt a calmness come over me after a short while and then found myself just standing with them in the storm.

I was out there with them for over half an hour and in that time I realised, whilst standing with them, how they were coping. When I became present in that moment and stopped all the worrying I became a part of the environment and the herd, and simply rode the weather just as they were. Once I got outside and faced it, the weather wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it was from inside my bedroom.

This insight allowed me to recognise that as long as the horses have access to shelter, they are well equipped to handle the weather and actually bringing them into their stables may have upset them more. At least out in the open they could run away from threat or reposition themselves in accord with how the weather may change. In a stable, should the weather decide to dismantle parts of it, the horse is trapped!

Over time my views changed as I asked myself why I was stabling the horses. My realisation that horses can cope with all types of weather led to me seeking the best environment I could for them, an environment that would stimulate them and allow them to work with nature as much as possible within domestication.

These days I love to watch where the herd choose to go depending on the weather. We are fortunate to have quite a large area for them to roam in and they have access to good natural shelter.

It can be howling a gale outside and I know I will always find them in an area where there is the most shelter from how the weather is behaving that day. Often they find little pockets of calm amongst a wild storm. To watch how they figure this out and know what they need confirms to me they are more than capable of looking after themselves when given the opportunity to do so and have the right environment to support them.

We can learn so much from horses with regard to ourselves and how we cope with different situations in life. Nature has the answers, and it just depends how much we are trying to manipulate it as to whether we can find our natural answers.

Would you like to experience spending time with the herd no matter the weather, to explore how they cope and how understanding them can help us? We run 1-day workshops here. No experience with horses is necessary however you must feel confident around them (we can offer 1-1 sessions or 3 day retreats for people with a fear of horses.)

Forthcoming Dates
May 18th
June 8th
July 5th
August 3rd
September 7th

If you have your own horse, then you may be interested in our online ‘Rewilding with my Horse’ course which takes you on a journey to explore why you do what you do with your horse, and what you can do to help create a deeper relationship between you both.

This will be released very soon! If you’d like to be notified when this will be available please join our mailing list, the link for which is on the home page of our website.
 
For further information on any of the above please visit www.intuitivehorse.co.uk
New coghurst Farm, Ivyhouse lane, Hastings, TN35 4NP

t: 07825 036 301
e: info @intuitivehorse.co.uk

Emma Ross