Amy’s Journal

Me and Stella

Anyone who has ever had a pet or watched wild animals in their habitat knows how amazingly magical, majestic, intuitive, and healing animals can be. As a horsegirl when I was little, there was no creature in the world that epitomized magic and power, grace and beauty more than horses. I dreamt of them, I drew them (they were the only thing I could draw), I rode them, I pined for them. After a very traumatic fall when I was 12, I stopped riding, and horses drifted into the back of my mind, replaced by junior high, boys and fashion, grades and after-school sports, college applications and then learning to live on my own.

This past year shifted all that. After losing three family members, having a very serious health scare of my own, and being in the midst of that widespread (but no less poignant for being so) 21 year old (well, 16-forever) crisis of self and purpose and meaning, I found my mind drifting back to horses over and over, pining for them again in a way I hadn’t since I was 8 years old, seeking not only that solace and peace they had given me, but also that sense of power and purpose and passion that I was so desperately trying to pull together from the threads surrounding me that might become the makings of my “adult” life.

So I decided to start taking lessons again. I got in touch with an old friend, Ariana, who had put me on a horse for the first time when I was 6 years old, and scheduled a lesson. When I got up there, I never even got on a horse. We ended up talking for two hours, and I learned that she had co-founded the Equine Guided Education Association, an association dedicated to helping, teaching, and guiding self development through horses, and that she had a three week program starting the very next week! Now, I had heard of all of the many ways in which horses were impacting lives in various programs—rehabilitating those with eating disorders, children with mental disabilities, children from abusive homes, psychiatric patients, and more. But, I had never heard of a coaching and self development through horses program that I myself could be a part of. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but I signed up….

And it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. In those three weeks, I reconnected with horses, with myself, with the earth…discovered goals, learned to stand up for myself and stop bowing to everyone’s wishes, let go of some baggage I had been carrying around, and left cleared-eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on the world. That’s just the important stuff …I also painted horses, held baby goats, ate yummy food, played with the horses, and made amazing friends! More than any therapist I had ever seen or any book I had ever read, these horses healed me and helped me grow and expand, and the process continues every day.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the EGEA here is the website http://www.equineguidededucation.org, and here is Ariana’s ranch website www.skyhorseranch.com where you can learn about the various programs that she offers.

Oh, and you know what else? I’m back in the saddle, riding twice a week!

Riding at Sunset