Hero’s Journey
Hero was born and bred to be a polo pony. He spent about 14 years of his life running the polo field and was on some of the winning teams on the West Coast. He was a star athlete, and he always loved his people. Hero’s previous owner had a special bond with him - he said that when he could, Hero would peer through a window into the owner’s workspace and hangout with him at his house.
At some point in his teens, Hero stopped enjoying the game of polo. After a few sports injuries, he just did not run as fast or with as much energy during the game as he did in the past. His owner found Hero a new home and job doing riding lessons. After only a year, Hero expressed not enjoying this either, mostly due to back, leg, and hoof pain from old injuries and a restricted lifestyle. In many ways, horses are just like humans physically and emotionally. Hero needed more space to roam and stretch his legs, as well as the chance to bond with other horses. This was when he got a chance at a fresh start to travel East, over the Rocky Mountains, and start a whole new life in Boulder, Colorado.
Now, Hero has a place he belongs, with stable relationships and excellent care. His life gives him the ability to meet all his needs: the physiological, safety, belonging and connection needs. He even gets the chance to help others by connecting with and teaching people important life skills and lessons through his therapeutic work.
Meet Kokoro
An American Mustang
Kokoro is a 9 year old previously wild American Mustang. He was born in the remote Northern Mountains of Nevada with his herd which would have included his father, mother, aunts, siblings, and cousins. Like thousands of other mustangs, he was captured when he was only a few years old and separated from his family, but his wildness stayed with him. After years of waiting at an adoption facility, Kokoro came home to be a part of our family. Through his gentling process, he is being asked to re-think his entire outlook on life: rather than viewing the human-world through fear, we help him learn how to be confident and trusting. He will always be allowed to keep his wild side, to run free in the field, and to express his unique self and personality.
Where is your wild side?
What part of you is living in fear and trying to run away, just like Kokoro?
What part of yourself is unique and wild, and how can you allow that part to be free ?!
Springtime at the Ranch
Springtime
Springtime is always the horse’s favorite Season. The grass is lush to eat, soft beneath their feet, and there is a sense of new life that the earth gives them once again. It is a welcome change from Winter. For the horse, their instinct is to survive, and with no new grass during the Winter, horses dreams of the Springtime growth. With Spring comes a sense of refreshment and the ability to rest and enjoy the abundance of life. Yet for the horse, this is simple: water, grass, some friends, and an open field.
What is your refreshment right now?
How are you enjoying the refreshment of Spring amidst the chaos and confusion of the covid-19 pandemic? How are you remembering to pause and give thanks for what you have in the middle of such unprecedented times?