Horse Whispering: working with horses for personal development
“Our attitude towards the horse is a reflection of our attitude towards
ourselves and towards others,” says Martine D who specialises in equi-coaching,
working with horses to help people discover their inner self, and, using
Emotional Freedom Technique to liberate themselves from negative patterns of
behaviour.
Martine believes that at one time we lived in harmony with animals and
her work is designed to regain that ability to communicate with each other. Our
rational civilisation with its emphasis on possessions and education has cut us
off from our roots, our connection to Mother Earth, which can lead to
unbalanced behaviour. Her courses help people to rediscover this connection.
The techniques used help people to tame, or to become familiar with the
horse, and at the same time to become gentler and affirm their own behaviour
patterns and attitudes in front of the horse and not being aggressive or
violent towards the horse, themselves or others. The idea is to restore
people’s natural gifts and talents, instinct and intuition, to take
responsibility to learn the language of the animal and learn to communicate and
engage with them.
It is also important to learn, understand and respect their psychology,
ways of expression and relating and to develop new ways of communicating with
them. In communicating with a horse, people develop their nonverbal
communication, with calmness, clarity and consistency, being gentle to elicit
the answer or assistance that we want from him. During the course it is
important to observe the horse, its needs, its limitations and to teach the horse
to respect the trainer’s space, without fear, without violence. Horses are so
empathetic that they recognise what is happening, and there is no need for
further training. Usually, it is the lack of basic knowledge or fear on the
part of the human being that is the source of instinctive defensive reactions
by the animal.
Often, when there is a lack of understanding, human fears and
frustrations generate violence. Violent reactions in animals are also due to
their fears, their frustrations and traumas. The goal is to create solutions
when the horse does not do what we ask, to analyse our own behaviour, look at
our attitudes and how to adapt or modify them. Very often, we are responsible
for the horse’s lack of cooperation; therefore we need to develop a strategy
that includes patience, sweetness, firmness, testing, and some tricks.
‘Taming’ creates an emotional relationship, security and dependence with
the horse, and it is better that this is a positive relationship. We need to
put in place a system of recovery and rewards, according to the horse’s criteria
and not according to our own, and never using violence as a punishment. The
concept of the course is to bring people close to a horse, and to slow down,
eliminate tension, look, think, reflect, and create positive solutions that are
often simple and fun, so that the horse decides for himself to act how we ask
him to: working together.
At this point we achieve harmony and pleasure, mastery over ourselves and our
impulses.
Martine D. www.martine-d.net
Intuitive and Shamanic Connection and Communication with horses.
Training in Professions Guided by
Horses’ Wisdom
Equi-Psychotherapy – Equine Assisted Life Coaching
Tenerife – Belgium – France – Spain
Creator- Founder - Professional Trainer of
Association: ‘Horses,
Peaceful Leaders’
Pictures: Anna M Arnau organizer at Empuriabrava of the Last Training in April 2013 in Cataluña - Spain
Ateliers d Introduction aux
