The unspoken ways horses hold space for us — and how I’ve learned to hold space for them
When I met my paint horse Happy Feet, his nickname was Dollar. He was at a horse “rescue” and was looking like a sad old horse. But inside; I knew there was much more to his awesome soul.
He was struggling with laminitis; thin soles, and flat feet. He was underweight, and had plastic pads nailed to the bottom of his hooves. I sensed there were abscesses, which couldn’t be treated because of the pads. And in spite of it all, the rescue was still using him for riding, which broke my heart.
I was at the rescue practicing equine sports massage and energy healing, and spent all of my time with him because he needed it the most. I was doing the best I could to give relief to his sore body, and at the same time – his sweet soul was comforting to me.
Because that’s what horses do: Their heart and ours have a tendency to synchronize, and they pick up on our emotions. Their larger than life energetic presence can help heal our weary soul.
And one day, he laid down after a soothing massage to rest his aching hooves. Then the rescue owner decided he needed to be moved to another stall, so she whipped him with a rope to get him to stand up. (This is the difference between an animal empath and someone who sees animals purely as a money-making machine.)
I could see the fear in his eyes, and how the soreness in his hooves hurt him. So that night I went home and couldn’t sleep. I knew I had to do something.
Although I no longer had a horse property after a divorce and selling it, I decided I needed to get him out of there. After negotiating with the owner (who wanted me to board him there so people could still ride him), I managed to take him away and board him somewhere else.
I couldn’t wait to get the pads off of his feet, and of course there were abscesses underneath. So I soaked them with Epsom salt to draw it out. I learned how to help him in the best way; from the tips of his ears to the bottom of his feet.
And I changed is name to “Happy Feet” as a positive, healing affirmation. Then he went from being underweight and looking tired – as though he wanted to give up, to perking up and having a sparkle in his eyes. (His right eye was a partial blue eye like the paint pattern on his body.)
While I helped with his healing, he was helping me with my own healing post-divorce. Every bit of time, energy and money was worth what he gave back to me. And actually, here’s how horses help us:
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Their nervous system co-regulates ours
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They pick up on energy, emotions, even trauma — and respond with presence
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Horses mirror back what we’re feeling, without judgment
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People experience calm, grounding, emotional release around horses
So when we help them in wellness ways, we’re giving back to them as well as helping ourselves heal. Because the truth is:
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Horses give so much — emotionally and physically
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Many carry physical tension, emotional stress, old injuries, or anxiety
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They absorb the energy of riders, environments, past experiences
After a year of boarding him, I was able to move to a horse property and bring Happy Feet home. We had two more years together, before it became obvious that I needed to let him go, which is never easy.
Through my work with Happy Feet and my lifelong love of animals, I use that empathic nature to help horses through wellness massage, the Happy Feet “horsie pedi” and energy healing. (In addition to animal communication.)
After all, they do so much for us, and our animals are never around long enough it seems. So why not pamper them while they’re here?
When we take the time to care for horses on an energetic and physical level, we’re completing the circle.
If you’ve ever felt seen, grounded, or healed in the presence of a horse, you’re not alone. Horses offer their energy so generously — and I believe they deserve the same care in return.
Through my mobile horse spa, I offer equine massage, hoof pampering, and energy healing to support the horses who support us. I also offer animal communication sessions to help deepen the human-animal bond.
You can learn more or book a session at MustangMindset.com
Because healing isn’t something we do to animals. It’s something we do with them.
