Special Episode: The Wisdom Of Horses

Today's episode is about Angie Payne's chapter in our upcoming book Animal Prints On My Soul.Pre order here: absolutelovepublishing.com/animal-prints-on-my-soul/

For more Divas That Care Network Episodes visit www.divasthatcare.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's Divas that Care Radio. Stories, strategies, and ideas to inspire positive change. Welcome to Divas that Care, a network of women committed to making our world a better place for everyone. This is a global movement for women, by women, engaged in a collaborative effort to create a better world for future generations. To find out more about the movement, visit divasletcare.com after the show. Right now, though, stay tuned for another jolt of inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

I'm Tina Spolotini with the Divas That Care. Today I'm speaking with Angie Payne with a Queen Enrichment. Angie has written a story to add to the Divas That Care book, Animal Prints on My Soul, an anthology of stories with animals and healers. Hi, Angie. How are you? Good, Tina. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Tell us about yourself a little bit.

unknown 1:03

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Well, I um uh I live in uh just outside of Calgary, Alberta, and I've been an eco angestalt coach for the last 10 years. Um, and that means that I uh support humans in their journey of healing, partnering with horses. And so um it's a somatic-based methodology that says that when we complete our unfinished business, that part of us becomes whole. And so um the idea behind it is is that we become more whole. And horses, they uh support me, so they're really my partners in the process, and they support me in um, you know, finding those places in a person that are maybe stuck or that they haven't visited for a while, and then I'm able to move the process along, and horses show up really how they feel they need to to enable the client to get to those deep places of healing.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

So that sounds so cool. Excuse me. I I'm always curious how they do that. So does your client ride the horse?

SPEAKER_01 2:24

No, there's no riding, um, and it depends. So I work with some youth, so then horses are on uh halters uh with a lead rope for the most part. When I work with adults, the horse is usually at liberty. That means that they have no uh physical connection to the human. Um, they're at free liberty in the round pen to express themselves how they feel they need to, what they need to point out, and the human is in with them, and I'm outside asking questions and enabling them to find their own answers.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Wow, I think that's amazing. Um, so you wrote a book or a part of um the book that divas at care is putting out. Um why did you decide to submit to this book?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Uh well, first of all, I've you know, I've done a couple of interviews with the divas that care, and I I really love what Candace has created um with you know women supporting women and being able to get out in the world and share what it is they do. Um, so I really love what she's doing. And when I was approached to submit a story, uh, first of all, I wasn't sure because I don't actually consider myself to be a writer, although I love doing it. Um, but I I just really felt compelled to write a story about uh horses and how they sh have shown up for me in my life and what I've seen them do, and um, you know, partly to share with the world that horses can provide so much more than um, of course, riding them the power that they have is pretty exciting, but they have so much more to offer, and so partly I felt compelled to share that. That's awesome. What is your story about? My story is about my journey, my own healing journey. So there's a few tidbits of things I've gone through in my life and places where I've struggled, so um, it got a little vulnerable. Um, but I've learned to be okay with that because you know, if it touches one person, then I feel like um that's a really good thing. So partly it's about some of the things I've struggled with in my life, but how um horses have always seemed to be there in those times. And so it's a story about those times, but also the horses that were in my life at the time and how I see it now. So at the time, I, you know, a lot of times thought that, oh, I'm doing such a good job taking care of these horses. But, you know, when I look back now, they actually have taken care of me many, many, many times in my life.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

What I think that is so, so cool. Like, I mean, I didn't grow up in a farm, so I don't really know too much about animals. Um, except I know dogs. Dogs know when they're not, you know, when you're not feeling well. And I've heard that horses are even more intuitive to what a human is feeling and going through.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

That's very true. Yeah, horses are prey animals, so they're a little bit different from dogs. Dogs are predators, and so you know, you deal with them a little bit different than horses, but they are very intuitive because they have to rely on their senses, but they are they're way higher on the food chain than horses are. So horses are prey animals, and the only thing they care about is if they're safe, and so they rely on all their senses, but it but they have an extra sense, and that is energetically, because they will need to know right away if that cougar coming down the hill is hungry or whether it's simply moving through. And of course, animals just present how they feel. Well, humans don't do that. Humans will say, How are you, Tina? I'm good, how are you, Angie? I'm good. And that may or may not be true. And so, with horses, if a predator is like, I'm good, and inside they know fully that you're not, that can seem a little unsafe to them. So they may have a have a struggle connecting, or um they may push a little bit, you know, they may take their big bodies and kind of nudge you a little bit. And all of those little nuances tell me that um there's something else there that we're not getting to. And of course, you know, the things that we hide in life or the places that we store away are sacred places because they're they're there for a reason. They've probably kept us safe. And so, you know, it's not always easy for people to go to those deeper places, but horses um can really point out, you know, that we need to get to a little bit of a deeper place. And then it's so clear when we do, because then a horse can really connect in a compassion. Well, they're always compassionate, but in a way more compassionate, loving, tender way. So they can sometimes nudge, sometimes nibble on people's clothing, um, all kinds of different things that help me to help the client.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Wow, that's so amazing. I would love to witness that, honestly. I think it'd be so cool. Yeah, for sure. Um so do you have more than just horses on your? I'm assuming you're on some kind of like a farm or an acreage.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

I do. So I uh board my horses at a place called Rafter U7 Ranch and Wellness Center, and uh we have quite a bit going on there as far as uh wellness goes. So there's um my partner Amy, who does the same work that I do, and then her husband Brett, um, who brings a little bit of the um agriculture knowledge and cattle. So it is a uh working cattle ranch. And so there's cattle, which I knew nothing about when I moved there, and honestly, they scare the crap out of me. Um, but I became really curious about that. And so through my curiosity about what what it is they do, um, we recognize that working cattle is even a way to become more mindful, more connected to the land, um, really in tune with what's going on in our bodies. So um, yeah, we've got that going on. We do groups, we do retreats. Um Amy's husband, Brett, does what's called the ultimate bullfighting experience, which is pretty cool. Um, yeah, so all kinds of different things. We also have dogs. Uh so we have cattle, dogs, and the horses right now. And I really want goats, but so far I've not convinced anybody there that it's something we should have. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

So being around animals for you is like, I mean, I I can only come up with the word of awesome, but it's also very like um growing, like you as a person, right? Being around these animals helps you develop your own sense of self.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Oh my goodness, yeah, it sure does. Um, because they don't um let's see, how can I say this? They're not concerned about how you take their message, you know what I mean? Like as humans, if we if we have to have a difficult conversation, for example, with somebody, we oh my gosh, right? We beat ourselves up about how I'm gonna talk about this, what am I gonna say, what if I hurt their feelings, and on and on and on. Animals don't care, they don't care, and so when they present something, it's kind of up to you whether you want to have a look or whether you don't, right? Um, and for me, I have to have a look, and I've had to look at my own stuff many, many, many times, even though I don't want to lots of times. Um, but if I want to be with my animals, if I want them to want to be with me, um, it's important that when things are pointed out to me, that I really sit with that and um, you know, go to those places of, huh, yeah, I need to work on that part of myself. And I believe it'll be a lifelong journey for me. Um, because I'm to the place now where I'm like, ooh, I wonder what that's all about. Um, but before I'd be like, I don't want to know, oh my God, you know, I'm a terrible person, what you know, whatever, however, humans go down that road. Um, but for me, the desire to have uh deep connections, not only with animals, but with people, um, I've really had to have a look at those places and say, you know, I'm I'm not terribly thrilled with that part of me. Although, you know, giving compassion to those parts of me that I haven't always liked enables me to move to maybe the other side and have a look at what's possible.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Yeah, I I can totally resonate with that. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Um my horse is biting me, then I can I have to have a look at that, you know, like because horses don't just bite for the fun of it. It's always they're always trying to express that they have a need that is unmet, just like people. You know, behavior is always about needs that are unmet. And so um my journey has been how do I meet those needs? How do I become that person that can that can meet the need of somebody or a four-legged being in a way that um causes that relationship to become deeper?

SPEAKER_02 12:48

For sure. It's so cool. Um, how can our listeners get a hold of you, Andy?

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Well, I am on Facebook under equine enrichment. I'm on Instagram also at equine enrichment, and then my website is equinenrichment.com.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

Cool. Awesome. Thank you so much. I learned, I think, a lot. Okay. I'm now so much more intrigued with how horses, you know, are healers. And I know that here I'm in Edmonton and we have a few ladies that do your job as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Um, but I've never actually taken the time to listen to how it works. So this I find it very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

I think there's about five of us in Alberta now that that practice the equine gestalt. There's many different modalities of partnering with horses, and ours is just one of them. And I think there's about five of us in Alberta now that do that work. Wow. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

That's super awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you, Tina.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Thanks for listening. This show was brought to you by Divas That Care. Connect with us on Facebook, on Instagram, and of course on divas that care.com, where you can subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss a thing.