“Focus your attention on the area of the heart... and say yes if you find horses there!” - Christina Marz

Horses are healing, we both know that, but how can you actively seek their healing energy?

If you have participated in a Horse Guided Empowerment® Session or retreat anywhere in the world, you have most likely experienced the activity I will be sharing today. All of my students love this activity. I know that because when they take their theory exam I ask them about their favorite session activities! This activity is genuine to my method Horse Guided Empowerment® and shows its true essence.

This is your chance to learn something you can try TODAY with your own horses!

I do this activity all the time and quite honestly, my life would be different if I couldn’t rely on the empowering energy of my herd.

In my course for Horse Guided Empowerment® facilitators, my students have to experience the methods themselves before they practice with clients. This is why, before the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn’t wrap my head around teaching online. 

In the last few years, more and more awesome horse people from hidden corners of the world wanted me to host a course and therefore, traveling to far away places with my kids became a thing. It actually has been a highlight of our life, but a year has limited time to offer. Think Abu Dhabi, Hawai, and the southern tip of Chile. Can´t be combined into one trip, plus, my own herd also needs my attention. 

So I tried to wrap my head around online courses, and I failed. Until Covid knocked on our doors… 

If you know me, you are quite aware that I am a serial, obsessive-compulsive idea producer. So I came up with clever ideas to distance-teach my students to do the work with horses and today, you will benefit from that. Hooray! 

So what is this fabulous activity we do in session?

The activity, such as everything else we do in a session with horses, is based on natural horse behavior and free will of participation. The horses are not tools, and neither are they a simple mirror of our behavior. They can do a lot more for us. Stay with me… 

This activity is very calming and introspective, while others I talk about in another article could be energizing and highly extroverted. You choose which one you need, and when. 

I will guide you step-by-step, for you to successfully apply the activity TO YOURSELF. Please, do not facilitate this with clients unless you have proper training. It’s significantly more simple to apply them with someone you know really well (= yourself) than with a client. 

The Energy Hug

Ingredients: one horse, your hands; a halter and a lead rope (not mandatory). Choose a horse that is familiar to you, and has a trustworthy character. A quiet horse will make it easier for you.

Where: a quiet place (in nature) without distractions, where the horse feels safe and calm.

What for: Introspection, decision making, soothing, self-care, re-charging for introverts.

First of all, set an intention for yourself.

The intention can be simple, like “getting to know me better” or “understanding why I snap at my kids”. Do NOT skip this step. Without a clear intention, this will not work. 

If you know what Reiki is, think of this exercise as a two-way Reiki practice. If you don’t know what Reiki is, just forget I said it. Too complex to explain here… 

What you will do is connect to the horse´s energy through a very specific ritual. The first time might be awkward, but it will get easier for both with every practice.

Put yourself in front of your horse, facing him. Drop the lead rope to the ground and ask him to stay (Not working? Teach your horse to Ground Tie today. The Energy Hug© can wait until tomorrow). 

Now, step towards the chest of your horse and place one hand on each side of the neck, right where the photo indicates. For best results, it is really important to choose this exact spot. (That’s because of meridians, acupressure points and chakras. More information about that in my course). 

Need pictures? Download my Free Guide!

Exhale, and let your hands melt with the horse. Think “soft”, or “connection”, or “love”. Breathe steadily, and a little deeper or slowlier than usual. Your palms are soft, your fingers are soft, your hands do not move. Focus on your breath, or on the feeling in your palms. Do not expect anything and let emotions arise.

“When we do not expect anything and let emotions arise we can feel oneness with horses.” - Christina Marz

After a minute, your horse will half-close his eyes, his lower lip will relax, he will drop his head a bit, and you will feel “oneness”. 

Horses communicate with telepathic, emotional messages. Whatever you feel, your horse will pick it up. If the emotion is new, it might be a message from your horse. Feelisten (= feeling to get an answer, or listening with the heart). 

Do not expect a verbal, logical answer from the horse. He is not an oracle! Most likely you will receive an image, or a feeling. It can be positive such as joy, certainty, calmness, or acceptance. It can also be negative such as fear, boredom, pain, or abandonment. Under any circumstances, it is YOUR message and you alone will understand it. 

After a while (2-20 minutes), one or both of you will sigh or take a deep breath and step back. The Energy Hug is completed. You will have a soft face and maybe smile. Your horse will probably lick and chew, then turn around and leave. Take the halter off and let him go.

Troubleshooting (more in the guide)

1. My horse does not stand still
   Find a quiet spot, prepare with the ground tie, and communicate mentally, that you want stillness. Nothing else is expected. This is weird for most horses in the beginning. You can also go back to the horsemanship exercises first, to better prepare your horse for this. Breath calmly, and try again. It will work. 

2. My horse steps on my foot.
   Ouch! I am sorry! That did most likely not happen by accident, meaning your horse did it on purpose. Maybe you have come closer than you normally do. Maybe you are very pushy and determined. Slow down. Ask nicely, and try again, with sturdy shoes on. If it happens again, please contact me and I will help you find out what is going on. 

3. I don´t feel anything
   Is your intention clear? Horses read our intention (seriously! There are studies about it). If you are “just curious”, sorry pal, nothing in here for you. Take it seriously! How would you feel if you could read the coffee powder and someone came in to just test you? You don´t have to believe in anything, just give it a honest, respectful try. 

All right, that is enough for today. As I just realized, it is different explaining this to you, dear reader, in a simple blog post compared to building up to it in my course.

Intrigued and interested to learn more? Thank you. I was waiting for you to say that. I´ve written a comprehensive guide for this and a couple of other activities that will deepen your relationship with horses. Please fill in this form and I´ll send it to you for free.

I can’t wait to hear your success story. Please send me pictures, I might hire your herd into our program and facilitate a Horse Guided Empowerment® workshop with them!  

With care, Christina