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How Horses can Help us with our Stress · Divas That Care Network

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's Divas That Care Radio.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Stories, strategies, and ideas to inspire positive change.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Divas That Care, a network of women committed to making our world a better place for everyone.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is a global movement for women, by women, engaged in a collaborative effort to create a better world for future generations.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: To find out more about the movement, visit DivasThatCare.com after the show.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, though, stay tuned for another jolt of inspiration.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hello to all.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Divas at Care Network.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: I am Joyce Benning, and I will be your host for this invigorating, robust lifestyle show.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Please check out DivasAtCare.com and listen to the amazing hosts interviewing women all around the world.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: I am just overly excited today to have with me our monthly returning diva, Kate Nelligan, who is an equine partnered coach.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: She is going to speak on how horses can help us with our stress and how we can help horses to release stress.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, man, this sounds incredible.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Kate, could you please introduce yourself to our listeners today?
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me again, Joyce.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: I am an E.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm an equine partnered life and career coach and author and speaker.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I've been working with horses and humans and personal and professional growth for several years now, pretty much all over the country and this past year virtually as well.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: And mostly work with women who are in some form of career or life transition and also with corporate companies for team building and leadership trainings.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, wow.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Goodness, you just about covered it all right there.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: You do all kinds of work with different women.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: That is incredible.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, my goodness.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how do you incorporate, as we talk about the topic today, how do horses come in to help us with our stress levels?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I've been thinking a lot about stress reduction lately because of just the state of the world and it being winter and really thinking about how the horses are so helpful.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_02: And part of what it is is they, in my mind, are doing...
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: or at least in my experience, are doing energy medicine.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I was actually kind of inspired to have this topic today because I was watching a video by Dr.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_02: Sue Mortar, who was talking about removing energetic blocks through energy medicine.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: And really what the horses are doing is helping us to clear things that are sort of getting in our way, and a lot of that is often stress.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so...
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: what i've seen sometimes is uh either with myself or with clients if we admit and we're congruent and we're authentic about our state our emotional state it's often that we are going through and a lot of my clients are going through different stressors right so changes in work or changes at home and so what the horses are doing or they're coming in these really meditative states often standing with us and reminding us that peace is possible and that we can start to choose our thoughts more wisely and we can choose our activities to reduce stress.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: And that's really where the horses are.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: The horses are never choosing stress because if they did, you know, their stomachs would be a mess, right?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: And they could potentially colic and die.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: So they know how to stay in these calm states.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then they remind us that that's just a choice, that calm is a choice, that peace is a possibility, and that we can actually be more like horses and therefore have a lot less stress.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, wow.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is beautiful.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: And how they just stand there and it's almost like they kind of like are helping us to see the peace that could be from where they are and how peaceful they are to relate to the humans to help relieve the stress inside of them.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, goodness.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's incredible.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, I love that you mentioned that, too, because there's a really great book called The Power Versus Force, and they talk about different levels of consciousness.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: And one of them that's the highest, next to enlightenment, is peace.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: And when I was reading the description of what that level of consciousness looks like, it really is a description of the horses.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: And so what people often say when they come out to work with the horses and myself at our ranch is they're so peaceful here.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: Or I say, what are you noticing about the horses?
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: And they're like, they're so calm.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: And then we talk about, would you like more of that in your natural way of being?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: And that you can find that in the present moment, which is where the horses are living.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so then it becomes, how do we go to more zero thought, right?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: So that we become more calm.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: How do we choose the present moment, right?
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: And that's where our power is.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so horses are naturally showing us how to emotionally regulate and physically regulate, self-regulate by slowing our breath down, slowing our movements down.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, sorry, I'm just super passionate about this.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: I just had to jump in with more of that kind of information that backs up really what we naturally are seeing in them, which is this peaceful nature.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, how beautiful that describes it.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: I just love that because having horses of my own, I feel that too.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'll go out there and a lot of times they're laying down or they're just kind of standing there and they're so peaceful that you just, you go next to them and it's like, oh my goodness, it just, it's like it radiates off of them in my mind.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: instances it's like oh my goodness you're just bringing peace into my world and a calmness that it is it's beautiful i just love it you described it so well and i love how they live in the present moment and to help people because so many times I feel stress is brought on because we're thinking of so many things ahead and stressing over things of how they're going to be or how they might be where we're not even living in the present moment.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Is this something you find in your work that brings a lot of stress into people's lives is trying to look at things and not be in the present moment?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, it really is often the definition of anxiety, which is fear of the future or worrying about things.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: And it's often because most of us feel safe when we're in control.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: But control is such a big illusion, right?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: And that's one of the things that gets dismantled with the horses because we can't control a 1,200-pound being.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: If we think we can, you know, we're in a lot of ego there.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's really about partnering with them and allowing them to be a role model for how we can get back into the present moment.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: One of the things I love is that people often say, I forgot about all my problems when I was here, right?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_02: And especially companies, too.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_02: They're They're not hammering around in their mind on things that they said or regrets or challenges.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: They're really able to get into deeper states of calm, deeper states of parasympathetic, and their body then gets used to those places.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it's kind of like a tricky way of realizing that they're actually in a meditative state because that's the place the horses are in.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: And then they go, you know, I need to meditate more or, you know, I want to sleep better.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: And often people do sleep better being around the horses.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: And that piece that's rating off them that you beautifully described is because their hearts are much larger than ours, five times larger or more.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so their electromagnetic field, which they've measured is creating that kind of heart coherence in us that we naturally start to then become more like them.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: when we're with them.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: So it is a natural occurrence of just being with horses.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but we do have to be willing to get into some more quiet or stillness or silence.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: I know myself, I used to ride and it was just like action oriented and I wasn't feeling the peace as much.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why I love the coaching work.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: People can actually get into more stillness and quiet spaces with them.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is so beautiful.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: It makes my heart just feel so much better because I've always felt that way with them.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought, am I just kind of different that I can go out and find this peace that I can get from my horses?
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I know as growing up, I've always had horses and they were always my way.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: If problems were bothering me, I could go out and be with them.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just like, the answer would come or it took the stress part of it away from me.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, oh, my goodness, I love hearing you say all this.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: It is just beautiful.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I love that you have a commitment to wanting to experience that with them, right?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: Because there are still a lot of people in the equestrian world that are more interested in sport with them or more interested in really action-oriented activities, and that's fine.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: And it's also can people start to add in more of the deeper rest with them the deeper connection activities the quieting as you said you can get an answer the horses have so much more available to us than just jumping on their backs and doing things with them and so that's why I love doing like meditations with horses as different workshops or intuition development I've seen so many horses literally who and people have told me they never sit down really ever and they'll sit down with a group or with clients and just rest because there's a lot of trust that's connected I love the trust technique that James French has because it is about getting to what I would call zero point, no thought, because that's really a place where we can meet the horses kind of where they're at.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: They're not thinking all the time, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: Horses are feeling beings.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_02: So it's an escape from our crazy monkey minds, right?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_02: So why wouldn't we choose that?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh,
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: how true that is.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it just brings so much into me because I was, on days when maybe it's a tougher day than some other days and i'll even walk by the horses or something and one of them will just kind of come up to me and put his face real close like he's giving me a kiss like it's okay it's going to be all right and i mean some people will go how would you let a thousand pound horse do that right there next to your face well it's trust I trust them and they trust me to be able to do that.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it is a beautiful, beautiful trust.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_02: They trust us sometimes the more we trust them.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: I asked a horse once, I said, what do I need to know more about trust?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: And he said, extend it first, right?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: Offer it first.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's been my experience with horses.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: And some people are like, oh my gosh, you let them get too close.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, because the magic happens when they get close, right?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: And we have to let them come in because they do want to interact with us.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I think most people can discern quickly as the horse being rude, as the horse being playful, as the horse being loving.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: But if we don't let them within our bubble, how would we ever know if they're being really loving and if they want to contribute?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: And horses will breathe with each other as their form of connecting.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: They'll just stand close and be with each other.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: So they want that from us, too, as a way that we can connect with them.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's a beautiful way to put it because I have three of them.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, sometimes they're just standing side by side with their heads down.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes they have their heads over one another.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just like they're connecting.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what's beautiful is to be able to connect with them also.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: I always feel they're connecting and talking to one another about different things.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: I just love to watch them.
• 12:31
  UNKNOWN: Yeah.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: And that just watching them can allow your whole mind and body to relax, too, because we see there's a different way of being.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's what's so neat about the horses.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: They provide.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: what I would always say like a map or the key to understanding there's different ways of being with each other we don't always have to be talking right we don't always have to be doing things like some of the best relationships or marriages are people who can sit on the couch with each other and have fun right and just be enjoy being with that person and their energy and that's really we're energy beings right so it's important that we start to rely on that and 93% of body or excuse me of communication is body language so really we have so much to learn from them and it's sometimes it's unlearning different ways of being it was for me I found courses again after being in corporate and I had to unlearn ways of being because I was too in my head you know
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: yes I can totally understand what you're saying there too and when you talk about the energy do you feel like the energy when we're stressed is that Yeah, I think they all respond to...
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: stressed humans a little differently, the way us humans would respond to different stressed people differently.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: So, and it's funny, I think of my goats, too, because one of my goats when I'm stressed is like, hey, mom, it's good.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: You want a hug?
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: I can handle this.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: And my other goat when I'm stressed is like, I'm out of here.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to be around you.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: You need to get grounded.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: So the horses are similar, right?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: And some horses are like, oh, you are, let me help you.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_02: And other horses are like, hey, I don't really want that energy in my field and we'll move away.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: But bulls are information for us.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I've seen this with clients too.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'll never forget a younger gentleman who came once and had so much chaos in his life.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_02: And the second he stood up to do an activity with the horses was amazing.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: like they all just started running and rearing.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like, okay, let's sit back down.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_02: Let's breathe.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: And let's get centered before you walk out with these animals.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: Because what, and we asked like, what is this for reflection of?
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like, oh yeah, this is what's going on in my family and my life.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's like, how do you bring calm to the chaos?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: And that's where we're at right now in society too.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, How do we check in with ourselves throughout the day and remind ourselves that calm is a choice, peace is a possibility?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: How do we come back to the fact that we can start to slow the nervous system down when it speeds up?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: Or when outer reality is really starting to amplify the stress that's going on.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, horses do respond to it differently, which is why I love working with herd because you can start to see different things for different horses, right?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: And then we can start to approach ourselves differently too.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_02: The horse that kind of walks away from someone might bring up rejection stories.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then it's like, are those serving you, right?
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: And how do you then respond to that?
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: reestablished connection.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if that horse needs you to be calmer, then let's do that, right?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: Because there's certain people, certain bosses, they do.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: They want us to be calmer.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_02: I work with kids a lot on calm, too, because it's important for them.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_02: I think they feel so much like horses do.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_02: They're just so open, right?
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of my clients are also empaths, are highly sensitive.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so they also have to learn how to realize that some of the energy they're feeling too isn't even theirs, right?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: Some of these emotions aren't even their emotions.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: So to discern, you know, and then what's so great is the horses are showing us in real time the feedback of like what behaviors, mindsets, and actions and ways of being are working, right?
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: They show us right away.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_02: Oh,
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: yes.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is just beautiful because I see it in mine.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'll go out there and sometimes, you know, One of them will come to me and the other two are like, no, you got her today.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: You take care of her today.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to go do something else.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I have one of them as a mare and she just, her reactions and the way she does things is just so much different.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: than the way the other two do.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: The other two are the guildings, and it just always amazes me.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, some days she is just as loving as can be, and other days it's like, no, not today.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not in the mood.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do you see a difference in the horses, like from the mares to the guildings, on how they react to different people on different levels?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: I do.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I really, it's so the mare gelding thing I can talk about forever, but like ultimately I think because mares haven't had any alterations, right.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: They are in a different emotional state.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_02: They have obviously different hormones.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's the same with men and women too.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_02: Like I find that horses definitely, especially mares when they're going through cycles, if they're in heat, they are different emotionally.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_02: They, um, And so they do respond differently.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I found a lot of geldings.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, all horses can get stressed, just like all humans can get stressed.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, that's why we'll talk about what we can do to help them, because I think we have to have a symbiotic.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's not just us.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: We can't just take from horses.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_02: That's like what goes against my whole mission.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: But, yeah, I do think they respond differently.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the mares are more...
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: sometimes like in touch or expressive with their emotional makeup.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously there's outliers and, you know, you can have a very emotional gelding, of course.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, But yeah, and even I've worked with stallions and I see that too.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: They're very different as well because they're not fixed or changed.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_02: So it's interesting.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_02: But I do sometimes find that when I need more support, the geldings, because we have three mares and two geldings, the geldings will often be like, no big deal.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: I've got you.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: I can be your rock right now and your emotions are no big deal for me.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: Whereas sometimes the mares are like, that makes me feel also like my own emotion and I don't want to be a part of it right now, right?
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_02: And so they choose out.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: The mares will actually walk away and choose out because it's too much for them.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: Whereas the geldings are like, no big deal, right?
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: So it has, yeah, it's interesting.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that because I hear exactly what you're saying.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: I see it so much.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is just awesome.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: And that does bring me into the next question.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: How do we know when our horses to people that are not used to horses how do you tell when they are stressed and how can we help them relieve that stress
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_02: yeah i think it's really learning to read horse behavior understanding kind of horse psychology knowing um knowing the normal, so to speak, for a horse versus when they're starting to show things that are outside of that.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_02: I often am reading horses' eyes and trying to see, you know, how clear their eyes are or if they seem a little more worried.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_02: You know, animals can be stoic, obviously, especially because they don't really want to show pain because in the wild that can be an issue for their survival.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: So we have to really kind of know our horses.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a huge fan of equine therapy, equine coaching work, equine assisted learning, and also especially in therapeutic riding that horses have a schedule where they have lots of breaks, lots of downtime so that it can just be a horse.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: They don't have to work.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: They can really let loose and that they have their basic needs met, right?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously food and, and family and friends and, and, um, And fun.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's not like we as humans can make our lives about just work.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: And we can't do that to the horses because they really do need to balance.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, I think it's knowing your baselines for your horses, like where they're at.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: Also knowing their, so this is something that's really important.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of us push ourselves through our thresholds, which is when we start to get stressed.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_02: And then we'll do to our horses.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_02: And my mare's taught me a lot about this because she's a little more flighty and can spook.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, if I take her out off the property, if I go past their threshold, she's like, throws a fit.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, okay, that's your threshold.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for letting me know.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: We're not doing that again.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_02: And so I build her up through positive reinforcement, which is my favorite new way to train.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_02: And ultimately, she can then start to work through incrementally working with her thresholds.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: But again, this is something we can apply in equine-assisted learning work is thresholds, right?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: Understanding our own boundaries, our own...
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: challenges and where then we're flooding, right?
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: And we don't need to flood our system.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_02: So it's really knowing the horse.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I think this is something I've had to learn, even not working at so many facilities where I don't actually, you know, they're not my horses.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: I've had to assess horses really quickly and know what they do and don't want.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: I've had a horse at a facility in Texas, just stand at the gate.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, you need to leave, don't you?
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I went over and I said, are you open to staying?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: And she's like, no, I want to go.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, okay.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: So I went over and asked the handler, can you put her back, please?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: She's just not interested.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: And is there another horse that might be?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: And it was such a huge game changer, the horse that we brought in.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: It was like perfect.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: So we just have to trust.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: If they don't want to do the work, it's okay, right?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: And we can't force them.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: And seeing it in their eyes because their eyes tell you so much.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: I just love that because you can just read them through their eyes a lot.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's beautiful.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the positive affirmations.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that to me is just like it's no different than with kids.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Give them the positive and tell them what they're doing good and then help them through the rest.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: That is beautiful, Kate.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: I'm so glad I've been introduced to new concepts over the years.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's like I'm always learning.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_02: I think we always have to be a student in this world because there's so much more to learn and there's some great stuff out there.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: And my whole thing is I just try to learn as much as possible and then bring it in and harmonize it and then add my own training and my own touches and then listen to the horse.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: And then to me, that's sometimes the best formula because there's a lot of there is a lot of good stuff out there.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_02: We just have to find it.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: We have to seek it out.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: and be open and make the choice to do it because to me, every day is a new learning day.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: There's going to be something you'll learn somewhere.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I just love this.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, Kate, this has gone so quickly.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: I could just talk for hours on this.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: I just love all this.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even get near all the questions I had written down.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: It was just wonderful.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: As we start to come to a close, what are some final thoughts that you would like to leave with our listeners from today's topic?
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, always listen to the horse, know when they're relaxed and when they're not, and support them in the best ways you can.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: And then do that for yourself, right?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's about deep respect for our own unique systems, which sometimes need extra support, especially if we're going through stuff like quarantine.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just listening to ourselves, right?
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_02: What do you need today?
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_02: Checking in with yourself and checking in with your horses.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're working with them, checking, they're your colleagues, right?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_02: They're your They're just as important as you are.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's like knowing what we can do to support them.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it's food and sometimes it's rest and sometimes it's energy work, clearing or physical work, body work.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just being willing to do it, right?
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_02: Being willing to ask and see what's presented and then being willing to go take care of that need.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't have to be hard, but we do have to be mindful of ways we can support ourselves and our horses.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that was some excellent thoughts to leave with our listeners.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: I just love to listen and have deep respect, not only for the horses, but for yourself, too, and look at them as your colleague.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, what beautiful thoughts to leave, Kate.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so very much.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: I always love doing this.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: You have the best joy, energy, joy, so you always, like, add so much, like, wonder and beauty to my day.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate it.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you so much for those kind words, Kate.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: You just made my day.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I feel the same way.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: I just love it.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to thank all of our listeners for listening to this incredible interview with our amazing diva, Kate Nelligan.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: Please mark your calendar for the third Thursday in April at 11 a.m.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Mountain Standard Time when Kate will be returning to this robust lifestyle show to share her wisdom and knowledge.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check out all the hosts and their shows on DivasThatCare.com.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Have a fantastic day.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: Be kind to all.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Give your animals an extra hug and share your love with them.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: Until we connect again on Robust Lifestyles, stay strong and healthy.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: This show was brought to you by Divas That Care.
• 26:57
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