The horse with the dangerous attitude

When I was contacted to work with Hamilton I learned that he had serious behavior issues. He had severely bitten and kicked his owner a number of times. He was also attacking other horses in his pasture. Apart from that, though, he was an awesome event horse. But finally the owners of the property where he lived had had enough. He either had to go or had to change. Something had to change. His owner was left in a conundrum. What do you do with a horse that might be dangerous? It was felt that, in the wrong hands or the wrong situation, someone could be badly hurt. His owner, Jonnie, turned to Nicole, an animal communicator. Nicole invited me into the project to help save Hamilton. I hadn't tried to fix behavioral issues before, only medical, but, hey, it couldn't be any harder, right? I agreed to try.

When I first connected with Hamilton I viewed the picture of a beautiful gray horse… with a chain over his nose. I asked if I could come into his bubble. At first he seemed hesitant. I explained I would be doing this from afar and there was no danger to me or to him if he let me in. He couldn't hurt me. He seemed to willingly grant me access. This was the story he told me about his relationship with his owner.

“She doesn't trust me so I don’t trust me. I’ve acted out in the past. Since then I’ve been restrained and not trusted. This is who I am now. I’m a bad horse and I hurt people.”

I got the sense that he was lonely and didn’t want to be mistrusted. I asked about the other horses in his herd and had the sense that he was okay with them but didn't feel a connection to them. He kept more to himself, away from the others. He felt stress and tension; he didn't want to be a bad horse. He tentatively asked for a chance to be trusted but also asked that it be in small doses and that Jonnie watch him carefully and take her cues from him. Correct him when he misbehaved, but not harshly.

I explained to Hamilton that he is not That Horse that he described. The people that labeled him got it wrong. They were wrong. He is good and kind and smart and talented and loving. I wanted to work with him to help him learn that and discover the horse he really was.

I was just getting started with essential oils and decided to incorporate them. As I inhaled each one I visualized the changes I felt would help this horse: removing the past experiences that caused him to believe he is bad, going back in time to when he was a carefree youngster, happy, maybe a little mischievous, feeling good about himself, and leading him to where he is to be now. Trusting his owner and trusting himself.

I felt this was a process that needed to continue for some time and suggested “returning” on a daily basis to visit and send oils and support.

A day later I received an excited phone call from Nicole. That day when Jonnie approached his stall he greeted her in a friendly manner, much different from the aggression that had been customary for him. She could handle him without a chain over his nose for the first time in a while. People were already remarking: “This is a different horse!”

I congratulated Hamilton on his amazing transformation. We continued to work with some new oils to help solidify his new attitude. As I offered each oil, I felt him considering each thoughtfully and then nodding agreement with each.

I spoke with Nicole and learned that he was continuing to do well in the stall. However, in the field, he was attacking other horses. This was apparently not a new behavior, but it sounded like it might have escalated. I felt I needed to address the herd dynamics with Hamilton. As soon as I checked in I heard: “They are irritated with me.” Instead of reproaching him for attacking his herd mates I agreed that yes, they were irritated but he and I could work on this together to help him make changes. Then I used oils and messages to help him continue his evolution to the great horse he is meant to be. I visualized him assimilating into his herd and becoming a strong, effective leader through compassion, respect, fairness and kindness.

I thanked Hamilton for sharing himself again with me and told him I would be back. Two days later I had feedback. Hamilton was hanging out peacefully with the other horses at the gate.  He was no longer insisting on being the first horse to be brought in and out. This was so out of character for him that his owner took his temperature to see if he was sick! More feedback came in the following days. He was napping with the others. He had assimilated himself into the herd.

Over time I continued to receive more good news. Three weeks after we had begun this project, his owner sent this message:

“I took Hamilton out alone and he was fantastic!!! When I groomed him and tacked him up he was amazing… he was so soft and easy and just welcoming… I am in awe… I love this new horse I have.”

She now calls him “Hammi”, a special nickname for the new horse he is. He is very affectionate with his owner, nuzzling and lipping her. He has become a favorite horse at the stable.