Latest / HoofNit™ Podcast / Finding Peace in the Ring: How Horses Help Us Listen, Connect, and Heal

Transcript

Finding Peace in the Ring: How Horses Help Us Listen, Connect, and Heal · HoofNit™ Podcast

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hello there, welcome to Jack.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Wilkins Podcast.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: When you need construction work done right, call MC Construction Solutions, LLC.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're a Kansas City area construction company focused on quality workmanship, dependable service, and projects built to last.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: From exterior improvements and decks and fencing to drainage, concrete repairs, and larger construction projects.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: We help homeowners and commercial customers get the job done with clear communication and professional results.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a project you've been putting off, let MC Construction Solutions take a look.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Visit MCconstructionKC.com.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC ConstructionKC.com to request a free estimate.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC Construction Solutions.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Built right, built to last.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Hello there.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_02: This is Dan McCartney.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Hoofinit Podcast.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Melissa and I'm Janie.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: And we're with Hoofinit Podcast.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: This is our second episode, so welcome.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: So what happens in the arena with the horses is we when the client arrives, we have the we have multiple horses usually in the arena.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: The client gets introduced to them, and we get present with the horse.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: So Melissa, recently I had somebody ask me, What is faith-based equine-assisted learning?
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like what happens in the arena?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought this would be really good for us to have a conversation because this is something that's really hard to explain.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: And we always tell people, you just have to come out and experience it.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: But if you were gonna answer that question, what is it that we do?
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: How would you how would you answer that to somebody?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's hard to explain what we do.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: You have to experience it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: We bring them to the arena with multiple horses.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: It could be two, three.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then we get present.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: We get present and we just experience nature and we observe the horses, and we determine if the horse is gonna match with the individual.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: And with Janie and I, we we just we just leave our hands open, don't we?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: We just leave our hands open for the door.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: So sometimes like our 30-second elevator speech would be um we partner with Jesus and horses, and we do hands-on activities, no riding with the horses, and really our goal for whoever comes here is just to experience peace.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not therapy and our goal isn't to fix you.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um the goal really is to how can we partner with Jesus and horses to experience peace.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and out of that peace is when healing happens.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: I wonder if you could kind of, if we could kind of set a picture for you guys.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Melissa, if somebody drives onto the property at Living Life Ranch, kind of set that picture of what that what what they'll experience as they're even walking up into the arena.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_02: So what what you would experience is when you come in, we have a few horses available right when you get out of your vehicle.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_02: Then you get to meet them and we explain that we're gonna go up to the arena.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: We let you know that there's a you know, there's a couple horses up there for ya.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um then we walk up to the arena and you get to walk in and just take we just ask you to take deep breaths, look at around look around, and you get to meet the horses.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: Now, whether the horses come into you, it it could be that they greet you right away, or you'll get a moment in time to be able to meet with them and go introduce yourself.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then we just ask you to get a present by breathing, and then we have a little exercise to well, we do a safety talk first.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: I should say that.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: We do a safety talk first.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_02: We do an introduction to the horses, a safety talk, and then we get you present by breathing and just looking at the nature, getting all your senses together, and then the horses come into the pony.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it's really important that you know clients come in and they can everything can seem safe, but feeling safe is different.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're gonna do everything that we can to set up an environment that is safe and peaceful.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And what we're looking for is people to feel that felt safety in their body where they can just be present, they can breathe, they can listen to nature, um, hear the birds chirping, feel the sun and the wind.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Something really powerful about being in nature with these horses.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And choice is really important for us too.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: So if possible, we like to have two horses or three, um, so that the horses can choose.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: And we do our activities for the most part at liberty, which means the horses aren't haltered, they have choice, and the humans have choice, and it's really a beautiful um thing to witness.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's really amazing as a prey animal.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: A horse is really only concerned with the answer to one question, and that is, am I safe?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: So they're their goal in life is to stay alive, it is, and so that's what makes this work so powerful because they're going to accurately look at their environments and they're going to speak truth.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: We often say, you know, horses don't have the ability to mask, they are truth tellers, so they're not gonna hide how they're feeling or thinking, yeah, and they're also not people pleasers, and great lie detectors, and so it's wonderful because then as clients come in, we can work, they can start to be curious about their own nervous systems.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: And what happens is we often say that this is one of the only places I know of where you're going to get rewarded for learning about what your authentic self is.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: So horses are going to respond and draw near when you can be as authentic as you can.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: And some of us, myself included, don't even really know what our authentic self is.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we're coming and we might feel like, oh, I'm feeling fine today.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then the horses, you know, seeming anxious and moving away from us, and it gives us an opportunity to kind of do a check-in.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: What is my nervous system?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: How am I feeling?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so horses really can be a powerful partnership of helping us understand our own bodies, connecting with ourselves.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: They help us with attachment, so connecting to another being.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and in this case, we're gonna say, let's let's practice connecting with horses because sometimes that feels safer to people than connecting with humans, right?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of times when you're trying to connect with a horse, and this the people feel this way uh most of the time.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: If you come up to a horse and they walk away from you, they're like, Oh, that horse doesn't like me.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: And that's not that's not the truth.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's it's not true at all.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_02: The horse is feeling whatever it is that you're you're hanging on to, you know, they feel that energy, pressure, it causes pressure, so they move away from the pressure because of whatever it is we're hanging on to.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's real important working with horses that you have your timing right.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_02: Pressure and release, right?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: So when we add pressure, we have to know when to release it, and you'll have a great working relationship with a horse when you um get that timing down right.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um you can one of the things that releases pressure when you're trying to connect is being true to yourself.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you just say, I'm feeling anxious today.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: This is why.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: As you do that, which you can only you know this as well as I do, as you do this, the horse responds immediately to that.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: When you start letting go, they will do certain things.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_02: They will um they move into you, their heads will go down, their eyes, you know, that their eyes start relaxing and they blink regularly, and they lick their lips, and they give you all kinds of signs that you're being truthful to yourself, and it's it's just a really great thing because the horse wants to be with you then.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really so beautiful because it's instant feedback, so you don't have to wait a couple hours to see if this worked.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's literally instant feedback because the horses are reading their environment minute, second by second, actually.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so as we release some of this stuff, we get to practice then what does this feel like in my body?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: And the horse will respond immediately.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: This instant feedback, which is so such a powerful tool.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of the things that we might partner with the horses in the arena?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are some of the different activities that we might do with a horse and a person?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: Well, usually the first one we do is the walk.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: We um had the horse haltered and we asked the client to walk, take the horse for a walk.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: That's a real nice, um calming activity that um allows you to partner with the horse right from the beginning.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: And um, that's one activity we have we have the the heart activity where um it's called protect your heart.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: We have that active activity and we do obstacle course.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: There's an obstacle course we do, uh brain, the brain activity, which is one of our favorites to do with the in the round pen.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: We like to do that.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um there's several, but we just keep our we go in with the plan, but we keep our hands open.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: We've mentioned that before.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: We just let God lead it, and God always, every time He tells us what activity that we're going to do to help the person that's here, and it 100% every time it's exactly what that person needed.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's really a beautiful gift.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: I often tell people that we're going to give them a gift, and it's a gift you can't get at Target, right?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, or Harbor Freight if you're a guy.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Or back pro.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: And this gift, you get to open and interact with this gift however it feels comfortable for you.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we know that there are people coming are on all spectrums of their healing journey.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for the rest of our life, we're on a healing journey.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: And this gift is the gift of self-awareness.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And these activities really will just bring about some of the areas in our life that we're doing really well at, and then some areas in our life, you know, that aren't working for us.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like a lot of things that come out might be boundaries, or how can I say no in a respectful way?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: How can I um be curious about my people pleasing, right?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: How can I do what I feel like I need to do in my body to keep myself safe?
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: These are things that the horses are gonna bring out, and then the client gets to practice these things.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: And Melissa mentioned just even the walk.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Taking a horse on a walk can reveal a lot, a lot about yourself.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: It reveals how comfortable you are, you know, partnering with this being.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes the horse will be the leader, and so we'll offer what would it feel like for you to be the leader?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: And we can practice those kinds of things.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's really this instant gratification or instant feedback, and it's never really about the activity.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: So um, even if you're watching this and you're somebody who does faith-based equine-assisted learning, you're probably like, what activity should I do?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it really doesn't matter because the activity is just a tool to bring about some of these interactions with the horse and the Holy Spirit and the human.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really, really beautiful.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: There's a story I would love to share, Melissa, about one of our horses.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: She's one of our newest horses.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: Her name is Peanut.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: And what what is her breed?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: She is a Tennessee walker in a dark chestnut.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: She's actually black, she's a black one.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and how old is she?
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: She is about the 14.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: 14.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we had a group here the other week, and we were sitting in chairs in the arena, and we had five horses, and Peanut was one of them.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: And the client who connected with Peanut earlier in that day had had some of this like push and pull where maybe the client didn't feel like the like Peanut really chose her.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so she was working through some of those issues in the morning.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then we had gone through um a new group of horses, and the story I want to tell was in the afternoon, and Peanut was back in the rotation, and we were sitting in chairs, um, and we were talking about setting up, we're gonna go out and pick your horse.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: So everyone stood up, and we're again in we're in a circle, and there's chairs there, and we kind of were talking about this lady shared a little bit of fear of going to pick Peanut.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: What if Peanut doesn't choose her?
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: And she just had real raw emotion, right?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: She's crying and she's speaking her truth of these fears and these unbeliefs that maybe would happen.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: And up until this point, Peanut hadn't really even none of the horses had engaged with us.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: They had been in the arena for about 20 minutes, and Peanut specifically was at the far gate, and as this client was just sharing from her heart these fears and being really truthful, and we say this all the time you can't make this up.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Peanut, not the uh any of the other horses, just Peanut turned, walked straight towards this client.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: She didn't Peanut didn't interact with any of us.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: There's probably seven of us in this group.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: We actually moved a chair, yeah.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: We had to move, we moved a chair so Peanut could come in.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Peanut came straight towards his client and just settled her head right here and just held space for this client to just receive what God had for her in that moment.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: And what she received was she felt seen by God.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I just think all the time, like Melissa and I can sit down with you and we can say, God loves you, God chooses you, God desires a relationship with you, and all of those things are true.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: But when he can send a horse like that to connect with you, not only can you logically know it's true, but now your body has a physical response because we know that God sent that horse, and it was so beautiful.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: We stayed there for a little bit of time, and when this client was done processing, Peanut turned around and walked out of the group.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's just kind of an example.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think for me as the facilitator, that example I like to share because there's nothing that Melissa and I do that orchestrates these moments.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: Melissa and I spend time making sure our relationship with Jesus is right, and we come into this arena with open hands.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: We always have a plan, yeah, like she said, but open hands.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I see moments like that that are so authentic and so truth, it just for me increases my faith because I know there's nothing I did to orchestrate that.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: These horses aren't trained in this work, and it's really beautiful.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: I wonder, Melissa, if you could share a little bit.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we are faith-based.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: How does Jesus and God and Holy Spirit, how does that show up in the arena?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: Well, first of all, we we always make sure we're clear on this.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: We are believers, we love Jesus, he's changed our lives.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: But we don't push this on people that don't believe.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_02: We are present, we we tell our story, and we approach it in in a fashion that we want people to know that we love Jesus and He changed our lives.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: And let the let Jesus guide us in the arena with the and let Jesus orchestrate what happens in the arena.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: We don't have to we're not preachers, we don't have to preach it.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um Jesus takes care of people himself.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: It's not our job to make sure that the clients believe in him.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know why?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_02: He shows up and shows them that they can believe in him.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's he's the proof.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_02: He shows up with the horse.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: There's no way you don't feel his presence in that arena.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's really a beautiful thing.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Melissa and I say all the time that horses see into the spiritual world.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: And there are so many moments we're in when we're in a posture of prayer or worship that horses just are drawn into that.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: And we had this really cool experience just the other uh last week where we had our first ever worship night with the horses.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and we had an amazing worship leader, Pete, come in and just really singing and sharing from his heart.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we had like a hundred people that came.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: We were expecting maybe 20.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: And we just had it in our pasture with the horses free, and at the very end, something amazing happened.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Martha, what what happened?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Because you were I was you were sitting in the worship, I was out with the horses.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: So, from my perspective, I was out in the pasture with the horses, and all of a sudden the horses just lifted their head and they just came running in towards the people.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: So happened.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: So, what had happened is we Pete has started um leading us in prayers and said, if there's anybody that needs prayer, please stand up or raise your hand, or what whatever it is that you want to do, you can you know pray over people.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what we were doing.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: We were all praying over each other and saying prayers.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: And when I looked, I saw the the guitar player, he Pete, he was smiling, and I turned and looked, and here they all were all the whole herd came right up into the crowd.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: And so I had this, I stood up and I explained what was happening because the horses drew right in because we were all praying and over each other, and they felt the Holy Spirit, and you could see they just moved in and came right into the crowd and were putting their heads on people and their shoulders, and and it was so cool.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_02: One of our horses, her name's Bella, she came in and she walked through the crowd, and I was letting everybody know that they were gonna get hurt just to be careful, you know, with watching their feet.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_02: But Bella came right in and she checked in with Pete.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: Then she went right straight into this um one of our good friends, Marianne.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: She's pregnant, and Bella knew she went right into her and just laid her head into her.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: It was the sweetest thing.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: And um, we have two Clydells in the arena, and they that was so cool.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't get a picture of this, but they were as as close to us as they could get in the arena in the corner, standing side by side with their heads down, and it was so cool.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then Glory laid down because she just felt it, the peace, and it was everybody was in awe over this, and you could feel Jesus was there with us.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_02: It was so amazing.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: When you need construction work done right, call MC Construction Solutions, LLC.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're a Kansas City area construction company focused on quality workmanship, dependable service, and projects built to last.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: From exterior improvements and decks and fencing to drainage, concrete, repairs, and larger construction projects.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: We help homeowners and commercial customers get the job done with clear communication and professional results.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a project you've been putting off, let MC Construction Solutions take a look.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Visit MC ConstructionKC.com.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC ConstructionKC.com to request a free estimate.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC Construction Solutions.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Built right, built to last.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's just one of the most powerful things.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um wherever you are listening to this, if you have access to Partner with horses, or you know somebody who offers equine-assisted learning, I would definitely take them up on it.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because it's just from a from a science perspective, it's helping us with attachment wounds, it's helping us attune.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's so much science that backs us up, and we could definitely go into that, but it's it's a lot more fun to just to tell the stories.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Another story I kind of want to just end with is Melissa talked a little bit about pressure and release with horses.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: And we teach a lot of that out here, and really you can use that in your life, right?
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we had a gentleman who came in and he wanted to connect with Rio, who is a Rocky Mountain horse, and we were just in a pasture, right?
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so he had the halter.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: And when he approached Rio, he was so excited, he had so much energy, he wanted nothing more than to um partner with this horse.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: But come to find out, he was also very terrified that the horse would reject him.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so he's coming with all this energy.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine what the horse did?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: So the horse walks away, and so I offer to this gentleman, let's practice letting go of agenda, right?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because connection can look different ways.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: And what if we give the horse some choice so it becomes a partnership?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of just forcing yourself onto this horse, we start walking towards the horse.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: And as soon as Rio turns away from us, we relieve the pressure.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: And we did this three times, took maybe five minutes, right?
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure it feels like an eternity.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the first time he did it, right, and the horse Rio turned away, and so he withdraws the pressure, takes some deep breaths, is concentrating on what he's thinking.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he does it a second time, and then the third time, I'm like, I want you to just go confidently in and touch Rio's shoulder.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Once you touch his shoulder, I want you to remove the pressure again.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: And this really goes against how we've kind of been taught about connection.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, so many times we just come right in.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and we just have our agenda or the things that we need, or we go right into people.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: And this is really learning to give people space and yourself space so that there's choice.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: So he's like, okay, so he walks right in confidently, he touches Rio's shoulder and he removes.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: And Rio walked 180 degrees away from him.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I could tell in that moment he could have had that thought, this isn't working.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: But instead, he gave this some choice of Rio gets to make that choice.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: And what happened is Rio walked 180 degrees away and then turned and walked straight towards him and put his head down.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Okay, you can halter him now.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: That was amazing.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: And what's beautiful about that is now this client has a visceral response in his body to what this feels like when I let go of control, when of control of another person or another being, right?
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I just let people have some choice, and it was really powerful for this client.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: By the way, all three of these stories happened just last week.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: So we have hundreds.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: We have hundreds of stories.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: What would you say to somebody who's listening to this and they're still like, yeah, but I what what can I expect?
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: What would you say to somebody who maybe is dealing with some grief?
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, maybe they're dealing with some anxiety or maybe some life change, like, you know, maybe their kids are out of the home and they're just feeling a little bit of a loss.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: What would you take say to somebody who says, Melissa?
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I don't even know if I even know horses.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: What would you say to somebody?
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you don't have to know horses to be to experience this peace that they offer.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I actually tell people this.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: If I just this the other day, I offered somebody with grief Slim Jim.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: I said, you know what?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: All you need to do is come out here.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'll get you a chair.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: You can sit in the arena and watch let Slim Jim come to you.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_02: And he he will allow you to feel some peace with your grief and just be you.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: There's no pressure, and that's exactly what we offer.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: We offer peace in this chaos that we're in with no pressure.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: You get to be you, you get to be free, and just experience the moment.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: And who who doesn't want that?
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: Who who wouldn't want that?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I would just encourage you if you're thinking, you Melissa, you say this a lot.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: You say, why not?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what's it gonna hurt?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: Come out, experience it.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you're here at Living Life Ranch, um, I think EAL is offered quite there's a lot of places, so look up a place local to you.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just spend some time really connecting with God, connecting with yourself, and connecting with horses.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you're just gonna be amazed at what happens.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so powerful.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: The key is what's it gonna hurt just to be free for a minute or two or maybe a half an hour?
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love it.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And and again, what happens why this work is so powerful is because we're using we're partnering with our right and left side of our brain, and we're using all five senses, these experiences stay in your body.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it's funny because I heard um somebody say they stay in your body for six months, but I can tell you every session that I had as a client, which has now been over five years ago, I remember everything.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Everything about that session.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: I remember the things that the horses revealed to me, that Jesus revealed to me.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: I can still picture myself at those spaces.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's what I love about this work and how God created horses as a prey animal, humans as a predator to really um help each other.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: One thing I want to end with, Melissa, is this isn't just about humans getting peace.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: We've rescued a lot of horses.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: How have you seen a change in this work with the horses?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_02: Just today, even we just rescued these um, come on, type that thoroughbred.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_02: Thoroughbred.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_02: We just rescued these thoroughbreds.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they had a rough life, they really did.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_02: So the horse that we work with today, her, she's uh she's 16 years old and she got injured in a race.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: She was a winner, she did great, but when she hurt her leg, that was ending her career.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: As I watched her with um one of our facilitators pressure and release.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_02: She she wanted so bad to have that kind connection, and that's what you see, you know, with the with the horses, they that horse went from not feeling safe to melting butter into this into our facilitator.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: Sarah was the one working with her, and it just oh well and brought tears to my eyes.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: That's why I'm getting tear.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_02: But she she was looking for a safe leader, and that's just one horse that has been through a really rough time.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_02: We have horses out here that don't have didn't have trust.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well clients help them, they help them with trust, they help them grow in their trust because they have bad experiences just like we do, and um it's what's great is we don't know our client's story, we don't know the history, but the horse and the client have the exact same story.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: It ends up there, and we didn't do it.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't do it, it really is.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: We noticed, you know, I I've been at the ranch now for probably 10 years, and we've been doing this specific work for almost five, and we've definitely noticed the shift in our horses where they are also receiving.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it really is beautiful as we rescue these horses, and it's like the circular, you know, thing that happens.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_02: We rescue horses who rescue the humans who in circle the circle goes and back to the horse.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: That the the horse, it just goes from the horse to the human back to the horse.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a I guess it's a circle of healing, isn't it?
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_02: Circle of healing.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's so good.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's so good.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: So hopefully this answered some of your questions.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: We would love to hear more if you have questions about what faith-based EAL is.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: Please send us a comment, please send us a question, and we can definitely answer those.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: We have a couple exciting episodes coming up for you.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, one, we're gonna talk about a lot of big emotions happen around the horses.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to talk a little bit about um window of tolerance.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: We've renamed it barn of safety.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: We want to talk about what happens with big emotions and how horses kind of help humans in those big emotions.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then we have another episode where we're gonna actually interview several um people who have been through our peace certification, and they are doing this.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think one's from Illinois, Georgia, Alabama.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna bring some of those people on to tell you about their program and how um God has just been working in their stuff.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we have exciting things coming up.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: Stay tuned, like, subscribe, share.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining us today.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: When you need construction work done right, call MC Construction Solutions, LLC.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: We're a Kansas City area construction company focused on quality workmanship, dependable service, and projects built to last.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: From exterior improvements and decks and fencing to drainage, concrete repairs, and larger construction projects.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: We help homeowners and commercial customers get the job done with clear communication and professional results.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a project you've been putting off, let MC Construction Solutions take a look.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: Visit MC ConstructionK.com.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC Construction KC.com to request a free estimate.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's MC Construction Solutions built right, built to last.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe with us to follow our podcast and please provide a review.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: We appreciate the positive feedback, which enables us to provide our free podcast.