Arrival of The painted Lady

Watching a herd of horses in a natural environment has always fascinated me.

The way they move around, their communication, and how they groom each other.

I particularly love finding them lying down, snoozing while one horse stands as sentinel.

Here at our farm the horses live in a natural environment.

 The live in large pastures, surrounded by trees.

They spend all summer grazing on grasses and the weeds they love.

Contrary to what some think, horses don’t eat toxic plants.

They know what is safe to eat, dandelions, burdock leaves, chicory, and lambs quarters.

Many of these plants have medicinal properties and are good for the horse’s digestion and overall immune system.

People that come here always comment how quiet and peaceful it is, how relaxed the horses are.

 It is no surprise it is quiet, peaceful, and relaxed here. The farm has always had this soft, calm energy. The horses put back that same energy, it is a circular flow.

The cycle of nature, the flow of energy, from the land, the trees, the flora, the insects, the air, the water, and the wildlife. This all contributes to the feeling of peace and calm.

 Amongst this is the feeling of spirit as well. I can sometimes feel it in the house with the past inhabitants of the place. It is a feeling of presence, a feeling of calm.  I feel it on the land and around some of our farm buildings. Sometimes I feel there is an old woman around, a crone, a grandmother trying to feed me. It is not food; it is something else.

 Sometime the energy gets disrupted. This is usually created by people. 

I can feel these people. There is an incongruence a blockage in flow.  

I feel it in the “Field”, the energy field where we are all connected.

It makes me feel uncomfortable and suspicious. 

It stirs up vigilance in me.

The animals feel this as well, particularly the horses. 

They are so sensitive, live in their bodies and feel everything.

 When I encounter this, I pay attention.

I don’t invite these people into my life, into this sacred space.

I feel I am a steward to the place but also, I need to protect myself.

You would wonder if I feel this way with the people that come to see me for sessions. 

It does not. The people that come to see me and experience the horses, are the people that are supposed to come. They are drawn here.

If there is incongruence it is quickly dissipated, either when they walk into the Timber Frame, when the walk out to the horses, or when they sit quietly in nature.

If you are not open to this, you won’t come.

Sometimes the energy gets disrupted when a new horse arrives. I have experienced this a few times with horses that are shut down, horses that have not lived like horses, competition horses that have lived their lives in highly managed environments.

 I am not critical of this it is just reality.

 They come here and don’t know how to be a horse, to be in a herd. They tend to be shut down.

With time and patience, the herd guides them into connection, and they become part of the herd.

I think the reason we have always been able to integrate new horses here, is we listen to the herd.

Energy got disrupted here recently with the arrival of the Painted Lady, “Zora” and her best buddy,  appropriately  named “Buddy”.   They are a bonded pair that have lived together for 8 years and through no fault of anyone needed to be rehomed.  Zora had spent her entire 15 years  in one place. She came here scared full of buzzing nervous energy.  Buddy was like…I am chill. It will be okay.

It was clear to me she needed time to settle.

She did not want to be separated from Buddy, so we kept them close together, even in the same stall at night.

We slowly introduced them to the other horses, first over the fence.

We then putting them out with our Farm Ambassador, a beautiful grey Gelding named Connor.

I knew Buddy would have no problem. 

Zora was curious and Connor responded to this.
The curiosity was rather like a flirtation, an invitation, come over here, you are interesting.

He was clearly smitten with her.

Turns out she was smitten with him.

They became a couple.
Buddy had no problem with this.

He was more like her uncle, not her boyfriend.

Once this bond was created, we turned them out with the rest of the herd. 

Connor’s old girlfriend Gracie seemed a little miffed.  She was dumped for the younger painted lady.

Watching this dynamic in the herd is fascinating but also amusing.

I swear Gracie was giving Connor stink eye.

She then hooked up with the handsome Keenan, I think to make Connor jealous.

Our minis are not sure what to make of all this drama.  

They just watch and I swear they are laughing.

The herd is all settled now. Connected and relaxed. The little love affair seems to come and go.

I recently caught Connor back with Gracie.

He is playing the field, in the field, with the “Field” I mused.

I can walk out amongst them and you feel it.

It is calm and connected.

In all the fields, the physical and the energetic, I feel no disruption.

It is all about energy.