The horse who choked

My mobile phone rang and I saw it was from Nicole. I was looking forward to the phone conversation we had planned for later in the day so it was a nice surprise to hear from her earlier. But when I heard her first words, the smile faded from my face.

“Andrea, I am freaking out! My mare Shana swallowed a hay cube she found on the ground and its stuck in her throat! She’s choking. Her eyes are bugged out, she’s making a hacking noise, there’s phlegm coming out of her nostrils and mouth! She’s full blown panicking. I’ve called  my vet but can’t reach her. I don't know what to do!”

I had just dismounted from my own horse Sammy and was trying to hold both the phone and him as he danced around me. Choke can be a serious problem in horses. I’d never had a horse choke, or even seen it happen but I’d learned enough to know it was a condition to fear. “What does the vet’s office say to do? I’ve never had to treat a choke before.” When Nicole responded that she could only talk with the secretary at the vets office I quickly told her I would see what I could do and ended the call.

Sammy was trying to pull me into the barn. Either he sensed my adrenaline or Nicole’s but I felt him tell me “Hurry, hurry hurry!” I pulled his tack off and he raced into his stall.

Now, where to go to do my “thing”? The tack room? No, too many people coming and going. The office? Nope, same. I needed a quiet place where I wouldn't be distracted. My car? No I would be peeking around to see if someone was staring at me. Ah! The bathroom! My dog and I quickly squeezed in there and I perched on top of the washing machine.

Oh, how I hoped I could help Nicole and her mare! I had never tried to alleviate such an immediate life threatening condition. I told myself, “This is really where the rubber meets the road. I’ll find out one way or another if this is a real thing.” Which, or course, was a ridiculous idea because time and time again I had seen amazing results with my healing attempts.

I asked the universe to help me be a vessel to direct healing to Shana and I asked the mare to allow my healing to come to her if she wanted it. Then I waited for the familiar sensation. It didn't take long to experience the pulsing. I glanced quickly at my watch, curious as to how long this would take. 10:24. The pulsing was coming fast and strong. This felt like the real deal. She was really pulling from me. I was wondering what was happening on the other end. Fortunately Nicole kept me posted real time. 

10:27 A text message from Nicole. “Shana just did a big sigh.”

10:28 “She is totally still.”

At 10:30 I felt the pulsing stop. I never decide when to end the healing. I just wait for it to stop  on its own. Typically it usually only lasts a few minutes.  It’s like water coming out of a hose when the faucet turns off. It slows to a trickle and then just stops.

10:32 “She’s licking and chewing.” That’s a good sign, a very good sign. When a horse’s nervous system relaxes they begin to salivate. We will see them licking their lips and chewing when they've become completely relaxed.

I came out of the bathroom slowly, trying to process What Just Happened. I was riding on an endorphin cloud and thoughts were swirling through my head. I stumbled through the motions of putting my tack and equipment away. Then I entered Sammy’s stall. He stepped right into my peaceful bubble with me and nosed my face and arms gently with his sweet breath. “We did it, Sammy. We saved that horse. You helped me to get to her quickly.”

 Then my phone rang. Nicole. “Can you believe THAT?!” “Did that really just happen?” “You are a miracle worker! Thank you, thank you!” We were jabbering back and forth and laughing all over ourselves with relief. Meanwhile, Shana, fully recovered, had wandered away to graze with her companions as if nothing had happened.

Nicole later explained to me what it was like on her end. Once the healing began, Shana ceased struggling and became very still, turning inward. For several minutes she remained quietly inside herself, as if in a trance. As soon as the healing ended she opened her eyes, bright and relaxed and returned to our world. Nicole and her partner David were stunned and remarked they had never seen anything  like it before. 

And then sweet Shana went on with her life as if nothing had happened…

You can find Nicole”s remarks in the Testimonials section.