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Dear Friends of The Pony Express,
In the field with horses. If you need a reason to go, here's a good one. A wise man once said, "If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present." Horses in the field are living in the present, the right now. It's where they do their best work.
It's Monday morning at The Pony Express Ranch. "Annie," a freshman at a local high school, is wondering how this Equine Experience is going to help with her overwhelming feelings of anxiety. She doesn't like horses. They’re big, they’re scary, and they scare her. To make matters worse there is no technology here, only the invitation to do something different. With Annie's consent and agreement our session begins, and she soon finds herself beside Sierra, a thousand-pound prey animal with a strong flight instinct. The goal being to be more like a horse, and less like a human. Why?
So many reasons but here are just a few. Humans think, horses feel. Horses live in their bodies, whereas we as humans tend to get stuck in our heads. Theirs is a judgment free space which is ours to share. They do not see labels and don't care that we do. They do care about how we make them feel in the moment. They are big but not brave. Hence, they are always in search of peace and when allowed to be in their natural environment are very peaceful, or in other words; calm and regulated in their nervous system. Their greatest gift is that they can help take us there.
On this morning I watch as Sierra, who seems to be sharing with Annie without words, begin to lick and chew as her big brown eyes grow soft and her body still. In my forty years of working with horses and humans, I have often observed horses intentionally changing their breathing, apparently to affect their heart rate in order to influence a person's heart rate. When a person is in a highly activated or anxious state, horses will slow down their breathing, and shift into what looks like a trancelike state. This has the effect of down regulating the person's heart rate - bringing more coherence to their body. When a person is in a depressed state where there is too little activation for a healthy autonomic nervous system, the horse will breathe rapidly, similar to a dog panting. This has the effect of speeding up the person's heart rate. Horses have taught me that intentional co-regulation between horses and humans ensures the safety and survival of the herd, and us when we are in their herd.
Changing our heart rate via the breath is the quickest most effective way to affect all other biological functions. Studies by the HeartMath Institute have shown that a human's heart will sync or entrain to the heart rhythm of a horse's heart - just by being near them. In doing so this increases our Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Very Low Frequencies (VLF) which is a healthy sign indicating that our nervous system is shifting to a more balanced state that in turn helps to decrease PTSD and inflammation while increasing resiliency. For Annie the takeaway is an overwhelming sense of calm, a feeling she hasn't felt in a very long time. Horses helping humans to be more like horses.
In the field with horses or just want to be. Let us know. We can take you there. Thank you!
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