reiki for horses handbook -...

Reiki for Horses Practitioner

Professional Training

W W W . H E A L I N G H O R S E S . C O . U K

HANDBOOK FOR PRACTITIONERS

Tutor: Jan Barley

Tel: 0800 634 3320

Email: [email protected]

Web site: www.healinghorses.co.uk

Reiki for horses Handbook

2 | R e i k i f o r h o r s e s © J a n B a r l e y 2 0 0 7

Index

� Page 4 Introduction

� Page 5 About Healing Horses

� Page 6 Meditation

� Page 10 Breathing

� Page 12 How energy works

� Page 14 Chakras & their meanings

� Page 18 Opening & Closing your chakras

� Page 19 Opening to the healing channel

� Page 19 Pre-session preparation

� 3 Asking for a higher connection

� Page 25 Soul connection

� Page 27 People study

� Page 29 Hand positions

� Page 31 Scanning

� Page 32 How long to give healing

� Page 33 Visual signs of healing

� Page 34 When to give healing

� Page 35 When not to give healing

� Page37 How many sessions

� Page 38 Ending the session

� Page 39 Clearing the horse

� Page 40 Clearing yourself

� Page 43 Things you may experience during the session

� Page 46 What to do if the horse is resisting

� Page 50 What to do if your own horse will not accept healing from you



� Page 53 Listening to the horse

� Page 58 Psychic impressions

� Page 60 Aggressive horses

� Page 63 Working with rescue animals

� Page 65 Psychic Protection

� Page 69 Advanced Techniques for Increasing Energy

� Page 72 Developing Confidence

� Page 73 Positive Thinking

� Page 76 Spirit Guides & Spirit Animals

� Page 78 Distance Healing Communication

� Page 80 Looking after yourself

� Page 82 Temperament Theory

� Page 84 How this knowledge can help you

� Page 85 Effective Communication With Owners

� Page 88 Other complementary therapies

� Page 89 UK Veterinary Act

� Page 91 Insurance

� Page 91 Charges

� Page 93 Paperwork & Accounting

� Page 94 Marketing Your Practice

� Page 98 Conclusion



Introduction

Welcome to Healing Horses Distance Learning Course. Thank you for having the

confidence in me as your trainer. I hope that you will find the course informative, and

that your confidence will grow as a horse healer as part of this process.

By now you may know a little about me. I have been a horse healer since 1995. Since

2000, I have spent many hours teaching students how to become successful Healing

Horses practitioners. I am qualified in Life Coaching, Stress Management, NLP and

Emotional Intelligence. I am also a Certified Temperament Professional, and, for a while,

worked as an Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator. These skills, and my experience of

them, combined with my life experiences, allow me to provide you with the best

grounding for this training.

In this first module we will focus on laying the foundations for your healing horses

practice. By the end of this module, you will have a clearer idea of where to start and

what work you need to do, practically and personally, to get started in your practice

This work is rewarding. But, building a successful healing practice takes time and effort.

If you are prepared for what is involved, it will help you considerably. By the end of this

course you will have acquired the skills, the knowledge and the tools to help you to

build a Healing Horses practice.

Enjoy the journey



About Healing Horses

You have made a great choice. Healing horses is a fantastic way to make a part of your

living, or simply to give back to the horses.

When I first started as a horse healer, I didn’t like people much. It didn’t take long to

work out that, in order to succeed I needed to learn more effective communication

skills. Therein began my own personal journey. So although this course is very much

about healing horses, be aware that a huge percentage of your success will come from

developing good working relationships with the horse’s owner/carer. This is an aspect

we cover later in the course.

Your journey will probably be different from mine. There will however be times when

you may feel challenged, frustrated, annoyed, upset and demoralised. This is part of the

journey and, as such, is perfectly normal. People and horses together can be an odd

mix, culminating in some challenging relationships, often defying the boundaries of

logical understanding.

It is important to remind you not to stand in judgement if and when you feel a client is

treating their horse incorrectly or unfairly. Get into the habit of asking yourself ‘how can

I help this person and the horse for the best of all concerned?’ I don’t know about you,

but I cannot boast of a 100% perfect background with horses. I made mistakes, some of

them huge. I was judged by others times and it didn’t feel nice. I was lucky, quite early

on, to meet a great friend who showed me how to make the most of my relationship

with my horse. She never judged me. Nor did she judge the way that I handled my

horse, despite the fact that I was getting it badly wrong. Her unconditional guidance

transformed my relationships with all horses. It was a turning point. So, if you set out

from a good place in your head and your heart, people will listen and you will be able to

guide people to lasting change.



Meditation

Meditation, in my opinion, is the key to many of life’s mysteries. It develops the state of

mind necessary to become a focused and powerful healer. It will help you to get closer

to the horses and deal more effectively with challenging situations and people.

Meditation practice is sometimes misunderstood. I was taught that it was a ‘bad’ thing if

the mind was busy during meditation. This is not actually so. The right hemisphere of

the brain is the creative side, and the left hemisphere is the logical side. Generally both

sides operate in conflict, neither agreeing with the other! This creates a battle in the

mind, and is the reason why we struggle to achieve what we believe we want i.e. weight

loss, financial security, great job, harmonious relationships and so on and so forth. It is

pretty much the sole reason for the negative inner voice, the critic that bars our way to

success and fills us full of fear when we consider making changes in our lives.

This process is called brain lateralization.

In principle, meditation seems a good idea. But you are busy, it takes too long, there

isn’t enough time or maybe you just can’t be bothered. It’s another thing to think about,

another thing demanding our attention. It gets overlooked, as other more ‘important’

things dominate your life.

I started off my meditation practice with a program called Holosync, developed by The

Centerpointe Institute in America. At that time, I physically couldn’t sit still for more

than a few minutes and my mind operated at a zillion miles an hour. I had to do

something that was practical for me, something that I actually knew I would do and not

put off time after time. So, I listened to a one-hour brain wave technology CD four or

five times a week for an hour. I did this when I went to bed, so I knew I would lie still

and not be hopping about all over the house!



The program dramatically speeds up the process of brain synchronization – whereby

both sides of the brain begin to balance up and come into a state of harmony and ones

threshold for stress rises, so less and less bothers you.

Holosync, in my opinion, is one of the fastest and most effective ways to develop your

spiritual and psychic skills. In 12 years of development I have found nothing to rival it.

Go to www.healinghorses.co.uk/meditation.htm for details of a free demo CD

With normal meditation practice, you must focus the brain on your breath, a candle, a

mantra or anything that keeps your brain in check. At that time, that simply wouldn’t

work for me.

With Holosync you simply put the headphones on and relax. The technology does the

work, and you can think about anything you like!

As mentioned, the process of meditation gradually raises our threshold for stress. Most

of us operate at a fairly low threshold, so that even minor events can throw us off

balance. As our threshold for stress increases, we accept minor [and major] set backs

with greater acceptance. Staying in ones centre is a powerful and productive way to live

one’s life.

For some, it can be an uncomfortable process as the threshold levels change. Old

patterns and baggage may surface, but the highs can be amazing. For me – following

this program since 2008, the results have been tremendous. My business and personal

life is rocketing. I am calmer and happier, regardless of what is happening in my life. This

is a state of early brain synchronization.

If you cannot or do not wish to commit to this program, it is still vital that you attempt

some form of daily meditation. I can recommend another company that I now use. This

is www.brainsync.com The founder is Kelly Howell. I have around a dozen of her running

music meditations and guided meditations. They are enjoyable as well as being powerful

and work on the same brainwave principles as Holosync, applying the binaural beats.



When I am working with a horse, I am in a deep Alpha state, where telepathy and

healing energy flows strongly. The horse reacts to this energy and it creates powerful

sessions, and results.

If you are going to take nothing else away with you from this course, it would be

preferable that you accepted this section as one of the most important. If you truly want

to succeed in life, and get rid of the negative beliefs and behaviours that do not serve

you, then meditation is, in my opinion, one of the best ways.

Horses – in fact all animals – begin to gravitate to you as your brain becomes

synchronized. Your energies resonate at a lower level, and you feel a safe place for them

to be. On that note, it is also a fallacy that when you become ‘enlightened’ your

energies are raised. It is the very opposite. Lower energies greatly impact your ability as

a channel for the healing. You will also find that intuition; telepathy and psychic skills

are also considerably increased as the brain begins to level into a state of harmony.

Below is a diagram which shows how the brain resonates: -

Picture supplied courtesy of Centerpointe Institute



At Beta level we are generally operating at a day to day level which may or may not be

fairly stressful . Anything above 30Hz is extremely unpleasant.

Meditation lowers the brain waves to Alpha level. Simply by closing your eyes your brain

will start to produce an Alpha state.

Traditional Meditation

Simply sit quietly and close your eyes. Make sure all external distractions are reduced.

Take the phone off the hook. Make sure that you are warm enough and are seated

comfortably. You may want to play gentle music or burn oil, incense or candles. You may

wish to create a special ‘me’ place in the home just for this occasion.

Decide what you are going to focus on. A mantra can be good for this, or any sound that

you feel comfortable with. Or you may simply sit and notice thoughts passing through

your mind, allowing them to come and go. Continue to do this for at least fifteen

minutes, and up to one hour. When you have finished, don’t rush to get up, as the brain

processes continue for at least five minutes after meditation.

You may notice many thoughts rushing into your head. This is a good sign. It shows that

the meditation is pushing deeply into your subconscious. Don’t get annoyed with

yourself. Relax. Tell yourself that this is ok. Allow the thoughts to come and gently place

them in a box or a bubble in your imagination.

Ideally, it is good to meditate at least three or four times a week and at a similar time. At

the same time, you can also ask for what you want for this day, and for your life in

general.

After a few months, you will easily be able to recognise when you are in an Alpha state.

In time you will be able to reproduce it at will. This can take a few years with traditional

meditation. For me it took around 7 – 8 months with Holosync.



Breathing

Good breathing is at the heart of a successful meditation practice. Always start your

sessions with a little breath work. Most of us breathe too shallowly. This is not good for

our bodies or our minds. It is essential that we slow down the breath if we want to work

in a healing capacity. Animals will entrain with our breathing and if they feel that we are

breathing in a stressful way, the session will not run as well as it could.

When we begin to breathe slower and deeper, we actually become aware of our

breathing. We notice that it has a natural rhythm, an ebb and flow which is deeply

grounding and relaxing. Good breathing can help to calm the mind, reduce tension in

the body and allow us to find a place of focus.

There are two possible ways of breathing. One is from the abdomen {diaphragmatic}

and the other is from the chest {thoracic}. Abdominal {diaphragmatic} breathing is the

natural breathing of newborn babies and sleeping adults. It is deeper and slower than

thoracic {chest} breathing and enables our respiratory system to do its job of producing

energy from oxygen and removing the body of harmful toxins. Breathing exercises are a

great foundation in teaching you the art of mindfulness. Never underestimate the

efficacy of the breathing exercises

Breathing exercise 1

Place your hands on your stomach. Now fill the lungs with more air than you think

possible. This will expand your diaphragm and this will be felt from front to back.

Breathe out for longer than you think is possible. Initially, some people may find this

difficult but once you get used to it, you will experience greater benefits from deep

breathing.


Close your eyes and become aware of your breathing. Sync in to the natural rhythm of

your breath. Breath in for a count of 2 and out for a count of 2

Breath in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 4






Then reverse backwards until you reach two breaths again.


Breathe in and feel the diaphragm rise to a count of 4. Hold the breath for 4 then

release to a count of 4. Push out the breathe until there is no breath to push out


Exhale before you begin, this helps to clear toxins and gives you plenty of lung room for

your next breath. Now breathe in and when you exhale think ‘relax’ on a long and

continue this whilst focusing on allowing your body to relax

Breathe with the animal

Stand or sit next to the animal and monitor his breath by looking at his tummy. Put your

hand on his back or shoulder, and begin to breathe in the same pattern as he is. After a

few minutes slow your breath down and invite the animal to follow you with his

breathing. If he doesn’t follow your breathing pattern, simply go back to following his

breath. It’s not a big issue. Practice this as often as you can. The animal will eventually

entrain to your breath and your energy.

Develop the habit of breathing correctly. It can help to significantly lower your stress

level, and assist in helping your chi to flow better. The horses will also respond more

positively to you.



How energy works ~ Understanding the chakras

Throughout our bodies we have a flow of Chi energy. This flows via the meridian lines,

which pass through our organs, and round our body in one continuous flow. Along these

meridian lines we have Chakras. Chakras {from ancient Indian Sanskrit and meaning

‘wheel’} are circular energy centres. They are believed to be the joins of communication

channels between our physical, esthetic and astral bodies.

The Chakras draw energy and light into our beings. The Chakras can become blocked,

and are then unable to draw in the energy required to keep us in balance. These

blockages arise from disharmony in our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual states.

Healing helps to release these blockages, and to open the Chakras to the energy source

available.

It is easy for us to get blockages. A few traumas or hurts in our lives can do it. Blockages

can also occur when we are not living our life purpose. Parts of us can feel unsettled and

uneasy. This is a clear message for us to change our lives and get back on track.

There are plenty of good books on understanding chakras, and I suggest a visit to the

library or www.amazon.com for new or used books



CHAKRA POSITIONS – in a human

Chakra positions in a horse

Chakras and their meanings



Chakras & their meanings

Root Chakra

Location: Situated at the base of spine.

Colour: Red

The Root Chakra represents: -

Survival

Monitors physical and material success.

It helps us to take action, get things done, and is a stabilizing, grounding energy.

It is our root and it gives us strength

As the horse is a flight animal and focused on his survival it makes sense that the root

chakra can become a blocked area.

We are unable to provide our horses with a total choice in regards to his management.

But we can try to make it as comfortable and natural [for him] as possible. This may be

an area of discussion with the owner.

Sacral Chakra

Location: Situated 2-3” below navel.

Colour: Orange

The Sacral Chakra represents: -

Relates to creative abilities

Emotional centre, joy

Intimacy, desires ability to be tactile

Holds emotional issues from childhood



This chakra is often described as the emotional centre. As a major primal need a horse

has to feel safe and secure with both its environment and with its owner.

We expect our horses to understand us, and this is often unreasonable. It is good sense

to question our own behaviour before we blame the horse. If a horse does not perform

a task there is generally good reason. It is up to us to work out what that reason is. I

have witnessed horses beside themselves with anger, because the owner would not

listen to the horse.

Solar Plexus chakra

Location: Solar Plexus

Colour: Yellow

The Solar Plexus Chakra represents: -

Metabolic and vital energy

Psychological and emotional energy flow.

The solar plexus chakra represents personal courage, confidence, power,

willpower, independence, fear, panic & co-dependency.

It is important to allow a horse to develop his own character. Owners can get into the

habit of punishing their horse for normal equine behaviour i.e. running forward if

something frightens him. Remember what is and isn’t natural behaviour and respond

accordingly. If you do not understand this then you need to learn as soon as possible. A

really good easy to read book on this subject is ‘Teach yourself horse’ by Heather

Simpson

Heart Chakra

Location: Heart

Colour: Green or pink

The Heart Chakra represents: -



Relates to acceptance of self, others and conditions.

Unconditional love, compassion, empathy, healing, compassion

Horses store a lot of emotion in their hearts. It is not uncommon to experience strong

emotions when working with this chakra. Many horses greatly enjoy a healer working

with their heart chakra

Throat Chakra

Location: Throat

Colour: Blue

The Throat Chakra represents: -

Relates to cycle of giving and receiving, self-expression, communication,

individuality, speaking one’s truth

Horses have no problems communicating with each other. But misunderstandings can

occur when we try to understand what they are trying to tell us. Horses have so many

ways that they can express their needs. Sadly most of them appear to us as negative,

and we get caught up in problem solving rather than listening

Horses want to believe that their needs are heard and respected. Imagine trying to ask

for something vital to your well being, and being continually ignored.

Understanding is the key to successful communication. If you lack this understanding

then your relationship will struggle. We must take responsibility for the relationship,

and not expect the horse to magically sort out the problem. For myself, when I do not

understand what my horses are trying to tell me I give them some space. I wait it out

until I find the understanding. It normally enters the free space with clarity, if I am

patient and do not put pressure on them to provide me with answers.

Third Eye Chakra

Location: Brow



Colour: Indigo

The Brow/Third eye Chakra represents: -

Relates to seeing reality, intuition and ability to discriminate and chose options

Balance of mind, judgments, wisdom, imagination and spiritual awareness.

The third eye chakra works to develop a telepathic and intuitive bond. Horses are not

naturally keen for strangers to enter this area. I would not normally attempt working

with the third eye chakra until the end of the session, and then only if the horse is very

relaxed. If he objects quietly move your hand to another area.

In time it can become a pleasant experience for the horse. Once the horse has relaxed

with you, quietly work your hands to this area because once the horse feels the warmth

and love from your hands he will relinquish his hold on himself and begin to feel a deep

content.

Crown Chakra

Location: Top of head between ears

Colour: Violet

The Crown Chakra represents: -

Relates to ability to take ideas from abstract to concrete form

Connection to higher power, spiritual links knowledge, higher self and guidance.

The crown chakra is our connection to the source. I believe that horses were sent to

help us with our own spirituality, so connecting with this chakra can be a deep

experience for you and the horse.

It is perfectly acceptable to work through a session by focusing on the chakra areas. But

it is better that you allow a session to unfold as it is meant to be, and simply stay relaxed

about where your hands go. The horse will find a way of telling you where he wants you



to be, so simply watch and listen to him. The healing energy will always go where it is

needed anyway.

In time, as your confidence grows, you will feel comfortable with working intuitively.

The horse will respond in a much deeper way, and the whole session will feel much

more connected and powerful.

I find that I get drawn to the throat and the root chakra predominantly with many

horses. As horses are unable to make true choices in their lives, and are often not

listened to, it makes sense that the throat chakra may be blocked.

Explaining this to owners is a useful exercise. They may not have considered this at an

intellectual level before. By helping the owner to understand the core reason for a

horse’s behaviour, they will be able to let go of believing that a horse is truly

domesticated, and should behave exactly as we do.

Opening & closing your chakras

To open the chakras it can be useful to do a visualisation technique. Many students

visualise their chakras as flowers. This makes it is easy to imagine a tight bud when they

are closed, and a big blossom when they are open.

It is vital to close down the chakras afterwards; otherwise you may take on other

people’s energy – particularly if you have a natural empathic or sensitive nature. This

can leave you feeling a bit woozy or ungrounded.

You may do this by imagining all of your chakras actually closing. If you use the flower

principle, it is easy to imagine a flower closing up in to a tight bud.

If the idea of flowers does not appeal to you then work with a concept that feels right

for you



Opening to the healing channel

It sometimes helps to work with visualization techniques to open up the healing

channel, to connect to the source. If you are nervous in your first few healing session,

then the act of practical connection may help.

Imagine that there is a huge white light, an immense ball of energy, coming from above.

Visualise your crown chakra opening up and allowing the light to enter your head,

through the crown chakra. The light is coursing down through the top of your head,

down through your neck, down through your upper arms, down through your lower

arms and finally out through your palms. You can also flood your entire body with the

light, with the residue leaving at the soles of your feet.

Using visualisation techniques can be excellent for when you are not experienced with

the energy, or if it feels as if the energy is not flowing as freely as you would like. It will

help create a good flow of healing energy within you, and help you to focus.

In time you won’t need to mentally do these things. As you move from

1. Unconscious incompetence – not knowing what you do not know

2. Conscious incompetence - knowing that you do not know

3. Conscious competence – knowing that you are becoming competent

4. Unconscious competence - knowing what you are doing & not having to think about it

–like driving

Pre session preparation

Make sure that your intention is to offer healing unconditionally. The horse needs to

feel that you do not want anything back from him – not even a visible sign that the

healing is working. I find with new students that this is the most common mistake. Ones

ego begins to doubt your healing abilities if the horse does not respond. It is easy for me

to say and not so easy to do, but you have to let it be okay if the session does not unfold



as you would like it to. It is not our job to predict the outcome. The sooner you let this

issue go, the sooner you will definitely see positive results.

Your job is to enable the horse feel relaxed with you, and show him that it’s okay for

him to let go of old emotional and/or physical issues. Working with this intention will

help you to become a good & powerful healer for the horses. He has probably already

experienced the ego of humans imposing their will on him and never been given much

of a choice as to how he would like things to go in his life. You, as the healer, may very

well be the first person that can allow him to have this choice. He will thank you for it!

* Expectation closes the healing channel and reduces the potential of a session *

Horses are receptive to healing, and I don’t rigidly endorse an exact routine way to

work. Each animal will present you with a different response or behaviour. Much of that

will depend on circumstances, the owner and your own state of being. Allow the session

to unfold with an easy flow, without trying to input too much information. Healing really

is a synergistic process that will develop with perfect balance and synchronicity, if we

allow it. It’s important that you totally embrace that as a concept. However the

information in this course is a guide as to how to approach your healing sessions.

First and foremost, always ensure that the horse is physically comfortable. Within

reason, try and work with the horse in an area where he is most content – this may be

his stable or in the middle of a field!

Healing can transmit through material – even a thick New Zealand rug – so you don’t

need to remove the horse’s rug if it a very cold day.

Mentally prepare yourself on the way to the horse. Think calm thoughts, open your

chakras, & imagine yourself working with the horse. Breathe deeply and send him a

message in your mind, that you are on your way to help him.

Make sure that your chakras are fully open as the horse can tell the difference



Never try and predict the outcome. This puts pressure on you and the horse. The horse

has to be allowed to decide at what level he is able to accept the love and the healing

that you have to offer. When he feels this absence of pressure, and knows your loving

intent, he will be more open to you. He will be more relaxed, and willing to connect with

you.

Do not be in a rush to get your hands on the horse. Stand a few feet away from him and

talk to him with your mind. Allow him to feel – on an energy level – who and what you

are. Tell him, in your mind, why you are there, and that you genuinely wish to help him.

Ask permission of the horse before you work with him. Most horses will give you some

sign that they are willing. If they turn away, ask them again and offer them reassurance.

This is not a rejection; it is a test of your confidence & intent. Don’t take it personally if

he walks away from you.

If the horse appears agitated, try and find out what in his environment is worrying him.

If he is happier with his companion in the stable next to him, then try and have this set

up for him. The more relaxed he is, the more likely he is to respond to the healing. This

will make it easier for him and ultimately easier for you.

Respect the privacy of the horse and the sanctity of the healing session. Do not allow

groups of chattering people to hang over the stable door. The healing process fascinates

people, and they can’t seem to help themselves. But remembering that you are there

for the horse, if he or you are distracted then you aren’t doing right by him. Politely ask

them to leave. Relate this situation to human therapy – if you were having a massage

session, you would not like to have strangers watching would you? Then why should it

be any different for the horse? The horse will be aware of this respect towards him, and

it will help him to trust you even more.

If you are nervous, there can be a tendency to rush a session. Breathe deeply;

remember that this isn’t about you, your nerves, your confidence or your issues. Slow



down. This is about the horse. This is why you are here! Always remain calm, methodical

and assured. Some owners may be nervous, and it is important that you radiate

confidence – even if you are shaking inside. I don’t wear a watch, and I never have. I

allow the session to unfold over time as it is meant to be. Leave your mobile phone in

the car and allow yourself the privilege of having this time and space with the horse.

It is personal choice as to whether you allow the horse to eat hay. I mostly do, as the act

of chewing releases endorphins into the system. Some horses, that might be nervous,

start off by eating their hay like it’s their last meal! This is simply showing how worried

they are. They may be concerned that you are a vet, and about to stick a needle in

them! ☺ By allowing a horse to continue eating, it portrays your acceptance of him, and

inspires him to trust you.

It is usually advisable to have the horse on a head collar and ensure that the horse is

facing the stable/exit door. This is of particular importance with a horse that has a

history of aggression. Early on in my career, I experienced a horse exploding in the

stable. He literally blew up for twenty minutes, rearing, bucking, kicking and pacing

round the stable. He was a horse with a particularly bad history. The healing drew this

from him with such an explosive force that it took us all by surprise. Fortunately he was

wearing a head collar, and we were able to get out of the stable safely until he had

calmed down.

The owner usually remains and holds the horse loosely. In time you will gain the

experience to ‘know’ when a horse is safe. These days, I often work in a large area with

the horse loose. I talk to him in my mind, until he makes a choice to come and stand

next to me. Owners are always amazed at this, and delighted by the obvious signs that

their horse has made an active choice to be healed. It took a good few years for me to

develop this level of confidence; so don’t try to rush this step. You will know when you

are ready.



When the horse has given you permission, quietly – and without fuss – stroke the horse

on the shoulder {or wherever feels right to you and him} and then just casually lay one

or both hands across his back. This allows the horse to get the feel of your healing

energy.

When you first put your hands on the horse, make sure that your mind is completely

empty of conscious thought {Alpha state – see meditation section earlier}. Ensure that,

for at least the first few moments; you have complete silence, so that you and the horse

can connect on a cellular level.

Allow him to move away if he wishes, and wait for him to settle before trying again.

Never try to force him to stay with you. In some sessions I quite often allow the horse to

drift away. Many times they come back and ask for more, when they trust that you are

not going to push them. Horses don’t get much opportunity for choice in their lives, so I

like to think that I might be the one person that allows them the gift of making their

own decisions.

After a while he may look as if he has had enough. He may move away to drink or eat a

little more hay. Don’t assume that this is the end of the session. Sometimes horses just

need a moment to process the healing and, once that is done, they come back for more.

Explain this to the owner and wait it out for a short while. I find that most horses come

back.

Asking for a higher connection

We all have different spiritual and religious beliefs, so what or who you connect to,

during the session, is your personal choice. Personally, I connect to ‘Great Spirit’ and my

own spirit guides, Nerajaba or Jonah. I ask to be given the tools and the guidance that I

need to help this horse. For you it may not be Great Spirit or your own guide[s]. You

may relate to God, the Goddess, the higher self, the universe or even angels. It really



does not matter. What matters is that you recognise a higher source of guidance outside

of your own energy.

I only ever give advice on systems or techniques that I use, or have used, that I have

personally found to be of benefit to the horse and myself. If you don’t agree, or find that

it does not work for you, then that is totally acceptable. These are guidelines, and all

that I ask is that you give them a fair try. As you develop, you will find your own ways of

working.

When I first started working with my guide, I was visiting an equine rescue centre with a

student. The stables were busy and noisy, and yet the horses practically collapsed

beneath my hands. The results were profound. Connecting in this way provides a clear

channel, and enables you to get out of your own way. A higher guidance takes over, and

you will be provided with the help that is necessary for each individual horse.

As the horse relaxes, allow your hands to go wherever they feel inclined to go. Trust

your instinct and follow your heart. If you find that your hands stay in one place for the

whole session that is fine. If they move all over the horse, that is equally fine. Always

talk to the horse with your mind, reassuring him and encouraging him to trust you. Aim

to be at one with him, feeling his feelings, and

watching for the tiniest signs of change,

acceptance or concern. Remember to keep

breathing deeply and always be 100% of the

horse 100% of the time. I sometimes see healers with their eyes closed. This is not only

potentially dangerous, but you may miss vital information from the horse if you are not

fully aware. His face and his body language will tell you so much, but you have to be

looking.

It is important, if possible, that the horse is he is in a deep state of healing, that you keep

at least one hand on him.

Think outside the box



If you are moving from one side to the other, just stroke your hands gently on the

horse’s body as you move around. Obviously, if the horse is resisting strongly, this may

not be possible. If the horse is deep in an endorphic state and you remove your hands

too quickly, the horse will suddenly feel disconnected and may jump as if startled. It

breaks the connection too sharply, and the horse may be reluctant to allow you to carry

on afterwards. Conversely, it is okay for the horse to move away from you, as that is his

choice.

Soul Connection

A deep soul connection happens when you almost feel as if you become a horse as your

energies merge to become one living-breathing animal. Huge changes can and do occur

at this level. It is healing for the horse and it is healing for you.

This can only happen when you are in an Alpha state and you have totally got out of

your own way. You have let go of ‘getting it right’, and are only concerned with

experiencing how the horse feels at the deepest levels. You can’t make this happen. It

does take time and commitment from regular meditation. The best way for it to occur is

to simply allow yourself to be in the moment with the horse.

Be in the presence of a horse and let go of the fact that he is horse and you are human.

Allow the aura of you and the aura of the horse to merge. Feel the closeness developing

as this happens. See how he responds. As your auras merge, he will become sleepy and

may lean in towards you.

Let go of everything other than the energy that is you and the horse. Stand close in to

him, with your body touching his. Ask him in your mind ‘who are you? How can I help

you? What do I need to know about your life? Don’t expect an answer. Just allow

yourself to feel. Allow the transaction to be fluent and without agenda.

You may find that the horse looks at you a lot. He may stare at you or he may even look

a little surprised! Go with it. Allow the horse to find his way to you from his soul.



When the connection comes, it will feel as if your heart and soul have intertwined with

the horse. It will feel as if time is standing still. It appears that you transcend the reality

of our day to day materialistic, superficial life, and enter into the ancient unconditional

response of the horse. My belief is that the horse was sent to us to teach us about our

spiritual selves, to teach us how to be better human beings. To me, when I experience

this connection, it is like a confirmation and it certainly feels like an ancient recognition

of something incredibly special.

Don’t worry if this doesn’t happen at first. It probably won’t. It may not happen for a

long time. But, be aware that it will happen at some point if you can get out of your own

way and relax into an almost trance like state. Practicing this will help you to develop

the perfect state of energy that will enable you to work at a high level of vibration with

the horse.

So, don’t go looking for it, just be aware that one day you will experience it, and then

you will think. ‘Ah! That’s what Jan was talking about!’



People Study

The way that you interact with the owners of the horses is a vital part of your success as

a horse healer. The relationship is so deeply entwined that it simply cannot be neatly

separated. It is one and the same. If you can positively influence the thoughts of another

human being, for the benefit of their own growth and well being, then you will be

massively helping the horse to connect with their owner on a deeper level.

At this stage, I want you to simply observe what people say and what people do,

particularly around horses. For me I have found that the more I understand people, the

better I understand horses and vice versa. Most people operate on a reactive emotional

level, believing that everything that happens to them happens on an external level. It

doesn’t! Everything that happens to you happens inside your head. It is not what

happens to you that matters, but rather it is how you react – or don’t react – to it. That

makes the difference.

Work on developing the ability to detach. This will teach you to distance yourself from

unpleasant feelings. Learning ‘Emotional Intelligence’ is an excellent way of combating

external stress or dealing with destructive emotions. Many successful people have

developed this way of thinking. It enables them to manage strong emotions and cope

more easily with stress.

[A] Think of a time when you were stressed or had strong negative thoughts or feelings.

[B} Imagine that you are stepping out of your own body. Leave behind all those stressful

responses and notice how you become calmer, cooler and more rational.

[C} When you have completed both steps, return to point A and repeat.

Notice how you can keep a sense of detachment, whilst returning to this point. When

you can do this easily, start to put into practice during your daily transactions with

people.



Another strategy is to let go of the need to be ‘right’. This is the cause of much arguing

and discord in the world. It really doesn’t matter if you are right or wrong. It really

doesn’t matter if another person does not agree with your beliefs. It is purely coming

from the overly important ego that keeps us determined to be right and to prove the

other person wrong. Look out for, and listen to, how many people appear to be brutally

determined to be right. It’s quite interesting. I once asked a client the question, ‘would

you rather be right, or would you rather be successful?’ when she was having problems

with an ongoing difference of an opinion in her relationship. Ask yourself that question

when you start to feel your blood boil and you may find yourself calming down and

disconnecting from this egotistical need.

Sometimes owners will say something that is blatantly wrong, but as long as it isn’t

harming the horse simply let it be.

The dynamics of people will be covered in more depth in module three. Here, you will

be shown how to identify the four core temperament types, and how best to interact

with each type for most effective results. This knowledge has helped my healing practice

considerably, as it will yours.



Hand Positions

It’s important not to get stuck on knowing where your hands should be! Know where the horse’s

chakras are, but understand that you do not need to work with them systematically. Simply

allow your hands to be intuitively guided to the right spot. If you feel that you don’t know where

the right spot is, don’t worry about it, just put your hands anywhere and relax. For the purpose

of the healing session, the horse is your guide and, as such, will show you whether you are in the

right place by his reactions. If he becomes agitated when you are working in any area, quietly

move your hands away to another spot. Be gentle and considerate. Listen to the horse. Watch

his body language. Relax and breathe, and enjoy the process of togetherness.

Once a horse has worked with you a few times, you may sense that he is moving around to put

himself in a position for you. This is great progress. So many horses have never been allowed to

‘have a voice’ or express their choices. His experience with you may be the first time he has had

options with a human his whole life.

Owners quite often become quite emotional when they watch this breakthrough happening.

This alone can inaugurate major healing changes in their relationship. I have had horses stare

me full in the face, put their heads on my shoulders and close their eyes, or push gently into my

chest when they realise that they have been heard. It can be a truly beautiful moment for both

you and the horse.

In 2007 I was interested to discover that some horses were showing me that I did not have to

place my hands on them at all! I had been working with a lovely horse named Merlin. He had a

nasty keratosis in his hoof and had been stable bound for many months. The prognosis was not

positive. I worked with him every few weeks with a ‘hands on’ approach. Merlin loved it and

very rapidly dropped into a deep endorphic state once I laid my hands on him. One day, a few

months later, I walked into his stable and was about to put my hands on him, when I heard in

my mind ‘you don’t need to do that’. At first I thought he did not want the healing, so I backed

off, but he started to drop his head, so I tried again,. Someone annoyed, he said, ‘I told you that

you did not need to do that! I laughed and told the owner that he did not want me to touch him.

I backed off a little and stood near his head. I kept my hands at my side and waited to see what

happened. I was fascinated to see that he displayed all of the signs of healing taking place.



Merlin stood like a rock for an hour in the deepest relaxed state. From thereon in, every visit

was the same. Eventually I became comfortable with it.

After that, I noticed other horses wanting the same thing. Time after time, I just stood next to a

horse and off they went! After a few months, as soon as I got near the stable the horse would

start to relax. Owners are mesmerized by this and, I must admit, I am still in awe of it. It is an

incredible feeling to be tuned in to the horse in this way, and it is wonderful for horses that are

wild or who have been over-handled by humans.

This proved to me that, in a healing session, we must always be aware that if something is

working, it is right for the horse, whether or not it is how you were trained or goes against what

you believed in. When you are lacking in confidence, you may feel concerned if it doesn’t appear

to be going the way you think it should be going. Or you may worry that the owner might be

thinking it should be going differently to how it is. Try to let go of that. Be flexible in your

approach.

I always, without fail, talk the owner through what is happening. For instance with a horse that

likes hands off, I point out the visual signs of healing to her, and explain that some horses prefer

it this way. If a horse backs off in the first instance, I tell them that this is normal, that the horse

may be a bit worried about what is going to happen and that I like to allow the horse to make

his own choice. This helps you to build your confidence in the process and it helps the owner to

have faith in you and the healing process.

I didn’t start off as a confident healing horse’s practitioner, far from it in fact. Confidence comes

from doing the same thing over and over, by making mistakes and learning from them and by

not being afraid to try new things without worrying about getting it wrong. Trust in yourself and

trust in the healing process and you won’t go far wrong.



Scanning

When the horse has relaxed into the session, you may try scanning his body. This is best

done in an enclosed area like stable. It is harder to feel the hot and cold spots when

working outside unless it is very still wind free day.

Simply hold your hands a few inches over his body. You will be feeling for: -

• Hot spots - These are usually areas of inflammation and pain

What to do -Focus on ‘drawing out’ the inflammation, by raising and lowering

your hand above the area, and flicking it away into the atmosphere, imagining it

turning into positive energy.

• Cold spots – These are generally areas of depleted energy

What to do - Focus on lifting the energy there by holding your hands just above

the area, and imagining the area ‘filling up’ with life-force energy

• Depleted areas – These areas feel flat and lifeless

What to do - The same process As Cold areas

With any of the above issues, it is pertinent to assess exactly where these areas are on the

horse’s body. Are they under the saddle? This is quite usual, as there are few horses that have a

100% excellent saddle fit. Consider that it might be an area where an old injury occurred? Ask

the owner for their insights. Most times you will find that you have picked up on issues from the

past.



How long to give healing

Every horse is different, but as a general rule a session of between 35 to 60 minutes will

make a positive impression on the horse. Always trust your instinct on the timing. I

often feel I cannot remove my hands from a horse, even if I want to. To the other

extreme, occasionally I feel the horse has had enough after a few minutes.

Generally, if a horse is having regular sessions he will only require a few minutes, and

will learn to let you know when he has had enough. He may move off, go for a drink,

start eating, stretch or kind of look round and indicate ‘ok that will do!’

There will be days when the horse just does not want it. This is part of our learning to

respect his wishes. Be confident, and you will learn when to be a little persistent, and

when to call it a day.

If you are there at the session, there is a reason. Never just walk away without trying to

find out what that reason is. In many instances it has been about healing the owner by

talking through an issue or building their confidence or giving them an actual healing

session themselves. On a soul level we all know what is what and, once you tap into

that, you will very quickly find that other people hook onto that and connect with you

on that level.



Visual signs of healing

In most sessions you will see some , or occasionally all, of the sign of healing taking place. Try

not to become despondent if the horse doesn’t appear to be responding. If you look for it, you

will always find that it is on some level.

♦ Increase in respiratory rate – you will see the horses sides rising and falling a lot

deeper and slower. This is usually the first sign and, if nothing else is happening,

this always will!

♦ Licking and chewing

♦ Yawning

♦ Rolling eyes or closing eyes

♦ Blinking

♦ Spontaneous muscle twitching –kinetic release

♦ Lowering of head

♦ Bottom lip drooping

♦ Licking and chewing {this is when the horse is usually processing and he may

walk away to do this}

♦ Stretching

♦ Sighing

♦ Looking round at you

♦ Tummy rumbling/gurgling

♦ Flatulence!

Always point out the visual signs to the owners. It is surprising how little people notice,

even when it is in front of their very eyes. Once they start to see what is happening, they

will start to notice more and this can only benefit the horse.

Sometimes the visual signs are not very pronounced, and other times the horse is

practically on its knees. Neither indicates the level and intensity of your healing. It is just

how it is on the day. Accept either way as being perfectly okay.



When to give healing

I believe in setting up a situation for ultimate success. When a client calls or emails me

to arrange a date for a visit, I always ask to appoint at the quietest time of the day.

Certainly, in the early stages of your visits, try to arrange the best-case scenario, in order

that you and the horse have the utmost chance of success. Try not to disturb the horse’s

routine i.e. if the horse is fed at 6pm don’t book an appointment for 5:30pm. If it is a

morning appointment ask that the horse be allowed out for a stretch before you arrive.

A horse that has been in all night will be eager to get out with his friends and won’t give

you his full concentration.

Ideally, you don’t want to be working in a busy yard with buckets clattering and people

talking and laughing, and horses are trotting about going out for a ride. For example, a

Saturday morning is not usually a good time! This is your business, so make sure that

you plan this into your sessions. It’s not always going to work out perfectly, but you

must at least try.

In emergencies, these theories go out of the window. Whilst waiting for the vet, offer

healing immediately. I have experienced a few emergency incidences of colic, and it has

made a massive difference. The horse has usually calmed down by the time the vet

arrives and may even have passed a dropping.



When not to give healing

There is a universal theory in Reiki that giving healing to a freshly broken bone is not

advisable. Experts say that the bone begins to knit very quickly and, if has not been put

back in the right place, it can heal incorrectly. I turned that theory on its head with a dog

named Candy. Candy was a lolloping goofy six-month Doberman puppy. I was in the car

in the New Forest, having just walked my dog, when I witnessed Candy being hit by a

car. As the owner and driver were arguing about whose fault it was, Candy lay in the

road crying in pain. I instinctively knelt down and placed my hands on her. She looked

up at me with her beautiful pain stricken amber coloured eyes, and I watched the panic

slowly subside. Her eyes became heavy and her body relaxed.

The next day I called the vet to see how Candy was, and was told she had gone home.

The receptionist asked me to call her owner, who wanted to thank me for helping. Later

that day, I went to visit Candy. She had broken both of her front legs, which were

wrapped in bright candy pink support bandages. She made quite a picture as she stood

up on her big pink legs and tried to rush over to me! The owner told me that the vet had

expressed genuine surprise that his dog had shown no signs of shock. Considering the

pain she must have been in, this was unusual. The only thing that could be attributed to

this was the Reiki.

I monitored Candy’s progress over the next few years. She grew into a big strong dog,

with good straight legs. She remained a nutcase! I believe that ‘rules’ are important, but

there are times when instinct takes over. Trust yourself in each situation, and you won’t

go far wrong.

Other reasons not to offer healing

♦ If you are feeling unwell yourself

♦ If you have been drinking alcohol

♦ If the yard is unreasonably busy and the horse and yourself cannot relax



♦ Without confirmation from the owner that the vet has been consulted for the

problem – unless it is an emergency and you are awaiting the vet.

On the journey of your own healing practice, you will discover that nothing is cast in

stone. As you allow yourself to bend and sway in the wind, you remain flexible to

dissolving any cast iron beliefs. They say that the happiest people in the world are those

with a flexible belief system. I believe that is so. Know that, over time you will change.

You will see things differently and will be able to help others see things differently. You

will not only change the lives of the horses, you will positively affect the owner’s lives

also. Always remain open to whatever is thrown at you, even if that goes against what is

written in this manual. This is a guide based on my experience; your journey may not be

quite the same as mine.



How many sessions

I usually recommend a minimum of three sessions. The first session is usually focused on

getting to know the horse, making sure that he is connected to and comfortable with

you. The second session will be more productive, and by the third session you should be

seeing some real positive changes. That said, I now quite often only see horses once. I

believe that the reason for that is that the horse just needed to get some message to

the owner and, having achieved that, he doesn’t need my help any longer. I often act as

the mediator in repairing the relationship. Once that is done, I am no longer needed and

that’s ok.

In an ideal world it would be nice to see the horse every three months following the

initial sessions. This is an excellent way of keeping the horse mentally balanced and in

tune physically. Not every customer will buy into the concept of this. I promote the

importance of the preventative measures that healing can offer, but be prepared that

some will simply not commit to this theory.

Generally young horses are not interested in a long session of healing. But, conversely,

there are some youngsters that I have worked with, who have quickly become healing

junkies. If the youngster does become restless and fidgety, then settle for a shorter

session and explain to the owner that this is normal for young horses.



Ending the session

Most horses will let you know when they have had enough healing. They may start licking and

chewing, move away, start eating their hay or have a drink. Sometimes, during the process of

the session, they may just need to take a few moments out. Then, after five minutes, they may

indicate that they want more healing. As someone who is new to this work, you may not

recognise this at first. In time you will intuitively know. If the horse moves away from me, I

always hang around for five or ten minutes more, in order to give the horse the option to ask me

for more healing. In my experience, they usually do come back. You will know intuitively when

the session is over. The energy will seem to fade away, or sometimes just stop dead.

Occasionally you will be the one to bring the session to an end. This is an instinctive process,

whereby you will feel that you want to remove your hands and step away. When this occurs,

return to the horses shoulder, and gently stroke the horse down the shoulder line, until you

quietly slide your hands away. This completes the connection in a natural manner, and the horse

is not upset with a sudden breaking of the healing connection. If you take your hands off too

quickly, it may jolt the horse out of his healing state. I believe this is an unpleasant feeling and

he may be less inclined to trust you next time.

At the point when you booked the healing session with the owner, you will have advised

them that the horse should not be exercised after the healing. Following the session

always remind the owner that it is advisable to give the horse the rest of the day off.

If the session has been conducted in the stable, it is a good idea to leave the horse for

half an hour to an hour to process the healing. After that time the owner may turn the

horse out. I have had one or two incidents whereby a horse has been exceptionally

dopey for several hours afterwards, so common sense must always prevail.



Clearing the horse

After the healing session you need to clear the horse. This is necessary to rebalance his

energies. Horses are very good at taking on our issues, and do it with alarming

regularity. In my sessions of Equine Facilitated Learning, I am always amazed at how

quickly a horse will take on a stranger’s emotions and behaviour.

So, when you have taken your hands off the horse, ask for his own energies to be

returned and anything that is not his to be taken away. Sweep his aura, a few inches

above his body, moving from his ears with your hands all the way down the entire

horse’s body in a sweeping motion, down to this hooves and then move to the other

side. In your mind or out loud if it is appropriate, say to yourself

“Take away anything that does not belong to [horse’s name] and give [horse’s name]

back anything that does belong to him”

For a while now I have been performing a mental sweep, rather than a physical one.

When you have some experience, you may feel confident that you can do this.



Clearing yourself

When you have finished clearing the horse, you need to clear yourself. You should not

become tired or drained when you are channeling the energy. Healing horses is a

beautiful and amazing experience and you may get a little carried away with it in the

early days of your practice. Consequently, you may feel a little woozy afterwards. I once

worked at a yard for two full days with the horses and enjoyed every minute of it. As I

drove away after the last day, I suddenly realised that I felt weird, as if I had been

drinking. A few miles later, I pulled the car over and went for a half hour walk in the

park, focusing on grounding myself to the earth with each footstep.

As you are new to this work you can anticipate that this could happen. This can occur

because: -

♦ You may have taken on unhealthy energy from the horse, especially if he has

been depressed or traumatized. Whatever the history of the horse, try not to

feel sorry for him. Sorrow is a weak energy and the horse needs your strength.

Believe in the present and the future for the horse.

♦ You may take low energy on from the owner or from the environment. Some

yards are not pleasant places to be. Energy lurks in all the corners, never gets

psychically cleansed and hops onto passing humans.

♦ You may have used your own personal energy. It is vital that you always work as

a pure channel, with the energy coming through you not from you.

Remember that last sentence. You are a channel; the energy flows through you ~ not

from you ~ using a white light visualization technique will help. Imagine the white light

traveling down from the sky, passing through your crown and down your entire body

and out through your palms.



Remember to ‘close down’ and ground yourself after the session. You may do this by

the following: -

� Say to yourself ‘Turn the healing off’

� Wash your hands

� Visualise the link being cut

� Call back your personal energy and ask for any negative energy you may have

taken on to be taken away

� Drink a glass of fresh water

� Imagine roots coming out from the soles of your feet and going deep down

through the soil, through the rocks and deep into the earth. This will ‘bring you

back to earth’

� Go for a walk and visualise connecting to the earth as you feet touch the ground

Throughout the healing session, always monitor yourself. If you are growing tired, dizzy,

feel sick or out of sorts then you are giving your own energy.

As a good practice, following any healing, always ask, in your mind, that whatever is not

yours is removed and call back anything that is yours be returned to you.

Checklist

� Set up for success

� Keep at least one hand on the horse during healing

� Breathe deeply

� Clear your mind

� Stay intuitive, allow your hands to go where they are guided

� Scan the horse if you feel it is appropriate

� When completed bring your hands off slowly via the shoulder

� Clear the horse



� Clear yourself



Things you may experience during the session

I feel the horse’s pains, feelings and emotions. If I feel pain in my right leg, this relates to

the horses off side hind, right hand would be off side fore and so on and so forth. Begin

to listen to your own body. If you walk into the stable and get a piercing pain in your

head, then the horse either has or gets headaches.

I once got called out to a 30 year old stallion that had not been eating for a few weeks.

Apparently every conceivable test had been done on this horse by the vet but, as soon

as I entered the stable, I was stopped dead in my tracks by excruciating pain in both

sides of my lower jaw. The pain was so unbearable I felt like hitting my head against the

stable wall. I quickly released my own attachment to the pain and told the owners that

they needed an equine dentist urgently. Sadly, it was too late for this horse. The dentist

was furious as he could do little to save the horse. Weeks of not eating had created

organ failure and the horse had to be destroyed. Not once had the vet thought of

looking inside the horse’s mouth �

When you have your hands on the horse, you may occasionally feel pain in one or both

of your palms. Take a deep breath and imagine the pain passing out through the top of

your hand and into the universe as positive energy. It has occasionally been painful

enough for it to bring tears to my eyes, and I have a high pain threshold. But you may

never experience this, or as you progress you may start developing it. Keep your mind

open to possibilities. Remember that this is not your pain. Acknowledge the pain or

discomfort or emotion, or whatever it is that you are feeling and then tell it to go. Pass

on the information to the owner and let it go.

Your hands may tingle or vibrate, or you may feel that you are unable to move your

hands from an area you are on. If you feel you cannot move your hands then don’t try –

this is indicating that you are very much in the right place.



You may also feel emotion as the horse begins to touch your soul. It is a humbling

experience when a horse opens his heart to you and tells or shows you what a sad life

he has had. The owner may feel this emotion to. It is not at all unusual to have owners

standing blubbing next to you for the whole of the session. For them, it is an incredible

release. They don’t know why they are crying and it doesn’t matter. What I do know,

from experiencing this so many times, is that it is cathartic in the healing of the

relationship with the horse. Reassure them that it is normal.

Over the years, I have learnt to detach from the humans and the horse’s emotion, as

you will need to also. During clinics I quite often have had students crying endlessly

around the horses in the rehabilitation yard. Yes, many of the horses have had a rotten

life up to that point, but I remind them that your sadness is felt as an energy of

weakness by the horse. Your tears are not helping him, you are crying for his past. What

the horse needs is the positive strength of your certainty for a better future for him. If

you are there, then that is assuredly what is going to happen on some level. When I feel

this emotion, my approach is to acknowledge it with compassion and then determine

that, as the past, it has been done with and now it’s time to move on. Just like humans,

horses can often get stuck in their story and allow it to define them, manifesting

ongoing behavioural patterns that could just as easily be let go by allowing the past to

dissolve.

As a point of interest, be aware that other horses nearby may have ‘fall out’ effects from

the healing. It is not unusual to find some horses in the next stables lying flat out!!

Maybe we should charge for a bulk healing session!!

With most of my first session calls I have got into the strange habit of measuring the

success by how quickly the owner is reduced to tears. It usually happens within the first

five minutes. Many times they have no idea why they are crying. I feel that this is a great

start to the healing process, as it shows the owner is open to the process and ‘tuned in’

on some level.



This intensity of working may take a while to develop. Don’t worry if you do not feel or

experience any of these things. I didn’t at first. I remember, when I first started on this

journey, I attended a two day animal healing workshop. When we worked with some

horses, one of the students was able to feel and describe their physical pains. I was

envious and remember thinking, ‘oh, I wish I could do that’. Well, four or five years later

I was doing it without effort. All you need to do is stay committed to your personal

growth, and remain open and accepting to whatever happens. Decide what it is that you

want and then commit to the practice of it. Self awareness is the key. One day, you

experience a tiny sensation of something, a smell, a pain or an emotion; this can be a

pointer to something important.

Ask your guides or helpers for assistance on this. If you don’t know who they are that’s

not a problem, just ask for help at random. Rest assured that they are with you in your

healing sessions and will do all that they can to help. Some need permission to do it so

by you asking, they are able to get involved.



What to do if the horse is resisting

At some point this will happen to you, and there is always a reason for this resistance. If the

horse will not settle, ask yourself firstly if this is the right time to be giving him healing. Trust

your instinct always but also look at outside influences also i.e.

♦ Is the yard very busy and distracting him?

♦ Are you in the middle of a field and he can move around too much?

♦ If you are in the stable, is the horse usually comfortable in this environment

♦ Is it very windy, cold or is it driving rain that is upsetting the horse?

♦ Is the owner distracting you? Is she getting uptight or upset?

♦ Are you feeling tired, ill or stressed?

♦ Is it the time the horse would usually have his feed, go for a ride, be put out in

the field etc.

♦ Is the horse cold or too hot – address these issues before they arise i.e. don’t

remove rugs in cold weather. Healing energy easily transmits through clothing,

or use the rug as you would when clipping by a process of quartering so that one

area is exposed at a time. I personally do not like working over the top of rugs so

I use the latter method

Look at all of these external influences and assess the situation. If the owner is

distracting you then politely ask for silence, or if it seems appropriate, have the owner

touch the horse so that the healing passes through them. Owners do get nervous, and

this can manifest itself in babbling small talk. If they continue, I sometimes imagine a

blue translucent bubble around the horse and myself. Oddly, when the bubble has

sealed, the owner becomes quiet. Then I bring the owner into the bubble. Set out to

relax the owner as soon as you can. She may be worried about being judged, which is so

common in the horse world, where there are so many perceived ‘right’ and ‘wrong’

ways to do things.



I have occasionally been in situations where the horse just will not relax in the presence

of the owner. If you feel this is the case, you need to discuss this with the owner and try

and encourage them to re-assess their relationship with their horse, or tackle a

confidence crisis. There are a few occasions when the owner may be politely asked to

leave for a while so the horse can relax without the pressure. It rarely happens, but it

can.

Don’t be afraid to tackle things head on as this often gets the results that you need. If

things are not going well, I will quite often take a step back, have a few moments of

silence and then turn to the owner and ask, ‘what do you think is going on here? What is

happening with you or with your relationship with your horse?’ at this point most

people burst into tears, letting go of whatever it is that has held them in a stranglehold

of emotions. Also, at that point, the horse will usually start letting go.

If after all this the horse still resists ‘hands on’, stand back from him a few feet and just

direct your palms towards him, transmitting the energy without touching him. In your

mind ask him ‘how can I help you?’ or, ‘what do I need to know?’ This will enable him to

feel the healing initially without the worry of you touching him. After a period you may

be able to put your hands back on him, or you may continue to conduct a ‘hands off’

session.

If the horse is still upset or fidgety, this may be the time when it is best to call it a day. In

time you will instinctively know this before you begin. In my opinion, it is usually

something going on inside ourselves that prevents a session from unfolding. After my

young pony tragically died from sudden death syndrome in 2003, I was unable to heal

other people’s horses for quite a while. The horses felt my grief and wanted to help me,

which, although I was grateful for, I didn’t feel this was their job really. My intuitive skills

were clouded by my sadness and, in the end; I decided to take a year off. I wasn’t coping

with my loss, so it was unfair to carry on until I had dealt with that more appropriately.



Always remind yourself that you are there for the horse, and relax yourself. Remember

to breathe deeply and to not be attached to the outcome. Maybe go and have a cup of

tea and come back in twenty minutes.

Occasionally I have visited horses where it was immediately apparent that the problem

was with the owner rather than the horse. Many of my sessions have turned out to be

more about helping the owner, rather than the horse.

Case example

I was called to a yard to see two horses that belonged to the same lady. The first horse

would not let me near him. I tried for twenty minutes, as he stomped around his stable

clearly angry for some reason. He would not let me near him. Defeated, I tried working

with the second horse, and this was worse. Neither horse was going to let me work with

them that day. For a moment or two I had a confidence crisis, and then, fortunately, I

decided to step back from my ego. As I did, I heard the words in my head ‘help Gill’. I

came out of the stable and told the lady that her horses had told me that I needed to

give her healing.

She was quite open to this and, as we started the healing session, she began to cry. She

poured out her heart, telling me what a tough time she had been having in her life. She

was in a bad place with her health and finances and was struggling to support herself let

alone her horses.

As we drove away, my friend, who had attended with me, asked if I had noticed what

had happened with the horses when I had put my hands on Gill. I hadn’t as my back had

been to them. She told me that instantly they had both stuck their heads over the stable

door and promptly went to sleep. This one session changed the lady’s life, and

subsequently improved the lives of her horses also.



I find that a lot of horses have poor manners. They are bargy and pushy, primarily

because they have not been taught otherwise. If you are skilled in this area, then a

simple handling or change of attitude session may be enough to assist. In my

experience, healing is not always about the laying on of hands. In any relationship there

has to be mutual respect. Horses get that, but can quickly forget it if they are not

reminded. In a ten minute handling session you can perhaps change the course of the

horse human relationship for ever.

There will be horses that you come across that, when laying your hands upon them,

there will be a feeling of hitting a brick wall. The energy field of this sort of horse feels

impenetrable ~ but don’t give up on them. The horse, in this instance has usually ‘closed

down’ perhaps due to intolerable circumstances, fear, trauma or retained baggage.

What I do is gently put my hand on the horse and I speak telepathically to him. I tell him

how handsome he is, how important he is and how much I want to help him.

If I am able, depending on his circumstances, I will tell him that his life is going to

improve and that he does not need to hold on to the past. You will see his ear turned

back; listening to you, and he will begin to tentatively accept the healing. The feeling of

the horse giving himself to you is humbling and uplifting, the level of trust and

communication opening from his heart to yours. It may not happen in the first visit, but

the main thing is to keep talking to him with your mind, assuring him that you want

nothing from him and that your sole purpose is to help.



What to do if your own horse won’t accept healing from you

This is a surprisingly common concern for many students. You may experience your

horse walking off, pulling faces, or he may become agitated or unsettled.

There is a huge amount of emotion tied up in our relationships with our horses.

Sometimes we expect too much from them. We may also be storing baggage from past

issues that we may have had with our horses, or we may have personal problems that

are interfering with our energy.

If your horse will not accept the healing energy from you, there are several things that

you may need to consider: -

♦ Are you feeling ill, stressed or depressed?

♦ Are you offering healing unconditionally to your horse?

♦ What are you expecting from him? Expect nothing & take that pressure of your

horse

♦ Are your intentions correct?

♦ Are you fearful of his reactions or fearful of failure with him

♦ Are you distracted and unable to focus?

♦ Are you working from your heart?

♦ Are your chakras open?

♦ Have you chosen a quiet time that does not interfere with his routine?

♦ Are you trying to prove to others that you can give healing?

Horses are perfect 360® mirrors for our inner thoughts and feelings. You must not take

this rejection personally. Accept it as information, not rejection and ask yourself ‘what

do I need to know in order to resolve this situation’ and let it go. Tell your horse it is ok,

and respect his wishes. Walk away. If you try too hard, he will withdraw more. Give him



some space until you have a response to your question. A lot of horses I meet tell me

that they feel smothered by their owner’s desperate need to be loved by them.

Before I came into healing, I wasn’t always very nice to my horse Jack. I was frustrated

with his behaviour and I simply didn’t understand him. I seemed to spend most of my

time in tears, berating his difficultness to others. He was a headstrong horse who pulled

me about on cross country courses and quite often took off the wrong way round a

show jumping course! I had no brakes, despite trying everything I could think off. People

told me to drop the reins but when I did he galloped faster.

I never once felt that I had any control when I was riding him and I felt embarrassed in

front of my peer group. Although he was a marvelous horse to handle on the ground,

gentle and well mannered, I took it out on him emotionally and occasionally physically.

Over time, I fractured the relationship. He stopped trusting me emotionally. Gradually

as I calmed down, I asked to be invited back in and he refused. I had huge lessons to

learn and they came hard. Over time, I simply had to accept that I needed to give him

space to be himself. At the time of writing {July 2012 during editing of this manual} he is

thirty years old. He makes his own rules now and only has healing if he comes to ask for

it. Most of the time he is a grumpy old man, but I have learned to accept him as he is.

I wish I could go back and, armed with the knowledge I have now, start that relationship

again. But we have found our peace together and all I would say is for you to think

about your own relationship with your horse. If it is being damaged by your own

behaviour, take steps now to put it right. I know I regret not understanding Jack more

than I did and I regret being influenced by others because of my own insecurities and

lack of confidence in my abilities. Act now. Try to see things from your horse’s point of

view. Ask him to help you and listen to what he has to say.

Always remember that the healing you offer your horse is for his benefit, and it must be

offered unconditionally. If you are getting upset, or annoyed that he will not accept your

healing, then you are allowing your own issues or ego to get in the way. Propose healing



from your heart and soul, make sure that your chakras are open and that you are fully

connected to the source and let your horse guide you.

It goes without saying that your horse must trust you on a physical & emotional level,

before he can trust you on a healing level. If you are inconsistent with your horse, and

prone to letting him down by temper tantrums, or pulling him about, then he cannot be

blamed for feeling unsafe to go into the healing zone with you.

Sometimes we have to take a long hard look at ourselves. Often, as with my past

situation with Jack, we do not like what we see. On a spiritual level, I have always

believed that horses have been sent to this earth to make us better people. My

goodness they have taken on a tough job but, time after time, I see them trying to help

their owners to grasp the learning, catch hold of the true meaning of life and share the

soul connection with them.



Listening to the horse

This course does not specifically teach animal communication, but I will mention it

briefly as many horse healers do go on to become communicators. One thing I can tell

you straight away is that healing and communication are not two separate things. They

are indeed one. When horses are communicating with you they are being healed and

when you are healing it is a form of communication. Horses will always be trying to

communicate with you on some level, even knowing that you are not yet able to hear

them because of the blockages created by the ego. Animal communication is a truly

simple process; you simply have to remain open to possibility and stop thinking that you

are imagining it all.

Yes, some horses will try and block us from their thoughts, others will be screaming to

talk to us. I believe that we all have the ability to communicate with animals. I feel that

this is an ancient skill that, as we have moved into modern materialistic driven living, we

have lost the art. It isn’t a case of learning new skills. Rather it is about reconnecting

with something that is already there, has been there for a long time and just needs

reawakening.

Initially, I would suggest practicing one way telepathic communication, with you telling

the horse, in your mind that you are there to help him. Talk to him throughout the

healing process and don’t expect to feel or hear anything back. Just keep chatting away

and be patient and wait.

Speak to the horse telepathically and I guarantee that you will see him listening to you.

His ear will flick back and he will literally look as if he is ‘listening’. He will become still

and maybe hold his head a little higher as if to capture a better frequency. This may be

difficult for you at first. Tell him that you are unable to hear him and if he could do

anything to help you that it would be very much appreciated. Go easy on yourself and

don’t expect miracles. If you want this side of yourself to develop, ask daily for help in its



development and it will come – when you are ready. Meditation helps immensely as it

helps to reduce the negative mind chatter.

If something comes into your mind – and it is not negatively impactful - just say it. It may

seem stupid to you, but we have no right to edit the horse’s thoughts. I have had the

weirdest things come to me, and I think ‘heck does this horse have a sense of humour, is

he winding me up?’ but I trust what I am given, and I accept that the horse is

communicating with me.

I was once working with a little grey section A mare that had issues with strangers

approaching her on the left side. She would rear and become extremely agitated. She

gave me a picture of her lying on the floor with all four legs tied together and attached

to her head. There were two men there and they were holding her down. I was a little

reluctant to pass on this vision but I did. The owner was not at all surprised as

apparently she had come from a yard in Wales that was notorious for barbaric methods

of breaking horses. I suggested that she tell everyone on the yard to approach her from

the right until she passed through the fear of being restricted again.

The owner emailed me a few weeks after my visit and said that the pony had improved

dramatically. She also said that having owned her for 18 months she had, right from the

start, a habit of trashing her bed every single night. After my visit she never did that

again and her bed was pristine every morning ☺. Having been able to tell her owner the

story of her past she had been able to let it go and start enjoying the great life that she

had in her new home.

If you are capable, coach the owner about how to connect with their horse. Ask them to

close their eyes and describe how they are feeling. I have often had owners burst into

tears at the rush of emotion they feel – their feelings 100% reflecting the emotions of

the horse. This shows them they can ‘tune in’ to their own horse and can help to build

their relationship.



My aim in life, as is yours I hope, is to improve the lives of as many horses as possible.

This is not always by hands on healing. A big part in the healing process may take the

form of educating and/or nurturing the owners. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but

make it a part of your commitment to make a difference in whatever way that you can.

I am often asked by people who know of a horse in an abusive home, if there is anything

they can do, if they can give the horse healing to help him. Be careful with this, as the

horse needs his self-protection. Horses shut down to protect themselves, to give

themselves a coping strategy. If you show him how life can be and he opens up, the

abuse is going to appear far worse to him. What I do in those situations is direct a whole

heap of energy at the situation and ask that the horse either be removed from the

situation or that his lot in life will improve.

The power of the mind is awesome. I have witnessed situations turn around within 24

hours. It sounds bizarre to you maybe? Well don’t knock it till you have tried it. We can

make things happen with thought. The saying ‘Action follows thought’ is true of every

single thought you have in your life.



Case study

My first evidence of a horse truly listening to me came about by accident. I was visiting a

yard where my friend was viewing a horse for possible purchase. The owner bred

Arabian horses and, at the time had an 8-month-old Arab colt named Twiglet.

Twiglet was notoriously accident-prone and had caught his shoulder on a fence. The

shoulder was sore and inflamed and oozing pus from a large hole. He was a homebred

colt but, for some reason, had never been easy to handle and, in this instance, the

owner had not been able to clean the wound.

Twiglet was dragging two people round the yard who were trying to bathe his wound. In

the end the salt water was knocked to the floor, and the owner went to fetch fresh salt

water. Whilst she was gone, I begun to speak to Twiglet with my mind. I told him that I

was going to touch his shoulder, and make him feel nice. I asked him to stand still for

me. He stood still, rigid almost, with an ear cocked towards me, and allowed me to

touch him. His whole body quivered and shook at my touch. I then began to discuss his

wound with him, telling him that I wished to clean it. I explained that if he didn’t let

anyone clean it, the wound might become septic and he would have to have a visit from

the vet.

At this point the owner came back into the yard and was amazed to see her nervous colt

standing like a rock. She passed me the salt water and Twiglet allowed me to clean deep

into the wound, exposing pink healthy flesh. I spoke to him all the time, with my mind,

telling him how brave and clever and beautiful he was, His left ear was locked onto me

the whole time. He never moved once, his tiny hooves stayed super-glued to the floor!

The owner was amazed and asked if I could come back the next day as Twiglet was going

off to a stud where he would eventually be a working stallion. The problem was that he

would not load into the horsebox. They had experienced many battles with him and had



never managed to get him loaded. I could not be there the next day, so I put my hand

on him and told him about his journey.

I explained how great the new place was going to be, with all his new friends, and that if

he went into the box straight away everything would be so much easier for him. I told

him that there was no need to be afraid. He listened intently, his tiny little ears flicking

backwards and forwards and his eyes huge and focused on me.

A week later we went back to the yard and Twiglet had gone. I asked the owner how he

had boxed and she replied (with a slightly bemused look on her face) that he had loaded

up perfectly first time.

This was my first proof that the horses can hear us. I never heard a single thing back, but

it didn’t matter because I had helped him It was an amazing experience, and one I will

never forget.



Psychic impressions

You may or may not receive psychic impressions. My advice is to not try and filter any

thoughts, just let them come. The more you trust the information the stronger and

more accurate they will become.

Psychic impressions may come to you in the form of pictures, feelings, voices, smells or

feelings in your own body. Develop self-awareness before you enter the stable. How are

you feeling, what pains do you have in your own body, and what emotional state are

you in? Acknowledge these feelings, so that anything that comes to you during the

healing is then likely to be from the horse. We all think, at first, that we are imagining

these things, but with practice - and trust - we soon find out that our accuracy becomes

sharp. Everything starts in the imagination; so don’t dismiss anything for that reason

alone.

As I have mentioned before, one of the things I learned fairly early on is that many times

we are called to a horse for healing, but it is apparent that it is the owner who needs our

help. Bearing in mind that the horse is a mirror, the owner’s emotions can badly affect

the horse.

I remember one yard I went to work with three horses. They were all restless, irritable

and had the tendency to bite and barge. It was fairly early on in my career, and I stood

in the stable thinking ‘I am no good at this, I have lost it’.

Letting go of my pathetically bruised ego, I suddenly became aware that I was picking up

the owner’s energy as she was bustling round the yard. I felt agitated. As I was relatively

inexperienced, I doubted my own abilities and instincts. After a while though, I took a

deep breath and suggested to the owner that we went into the house for a coffee, and

that I wanted to give her some healing.



As soon as I touched her I felt all the things that her horses had been trying to tell me. I

felt the frustration, the anger, the upset, the tiredness and the sheer futility of her day-

to-day life. The owner was trapped in the rat race, commuting to London five days a

week, leaving early in the morning and coming home late at night.

She and her husband had a large beautiful house, land, stables and a ménage and yet

she could not appreciate it because she was never there. She had little time for her

horses and she, quite naturally, resented this. She cried like a baby, and I hoped that this

was the beginning of the realization that she needed to change her life.

It takes courage to be open around people, but in time you will see that it is pointless

being any other way. I see a part of our role as getting to the truth as soon as possible.

We all have some aspects to our lives that concern us, and this affects our horses.

Addressing these issues is the first step to healing the relationship between horse and

owner.

To develop your psychic skills I would suggest that you do one or some of the following:

� Practice meditation regularly

� Attend a psychic development circle

� Practice psychic development exercises at home

� Read as much on psychic development as you can. Learn how other people have

developed and it will help you.

� Just give it a go and don’t be afraid of looking silly. They say that even top

mediums only get 30% of their information right.



Aggressive horses

I have worked with a few seriously aggressive cases and they are never easy to deal

with. There is always a reason for the aggression but the horses may not yet be ready or

willing to listen to you because they have developed the hard shell of defensive

protection.

The first priority is your own safety and the owner’s safety. Make sure that you have a

hard hat on and good sturdy boots. In bad cases, a body protector may well be a good

idea. This may sound extreme, but if you come across a genuinely aggressive case then

this is simply common sense.

Never put yourself in a position where you cannot extract yourself quickly. If the horse is

totally unapproachable, then stand outside the stable and direct the healing from a

distance. If you are able to do distant healing, it is ideal for aggressive cases as it works

when the horse is not put under pressure and your safety is ensured.

In many cases of horses being described as aggressive, I find that this is not the case.

The horse may not have been taught good manners and may be nipping or kicking, or

generally acting like a bit of a thug. This is easily remedied by retraining, and by teaching

the owner to become the leader that her horse needs her to be. Leadership is not about

dominating, it is about leading by example and by being consistent.

Many people do not know how to set boundaries in their lives, let alone with their

horse! Horses need boundaries. Many novice owners purchase horses that are way

beyond their skills of handling. I recollect a time when a couple I knew, bought an ex

racehorse, a chestnut 17hh giant. He had a super temperament, and in the right hands

had the potential to become a great horse. The couple had only had six months of riding

lessons, and felt that buying a cheap [£600.00] horse was a sensible option. I was

involved with the lady's brother as I was schooling his horse, and I bore witness to the

sad degeneration of a beautiful animal.



Within three months he had become a nervous, bad tempered and aggressive horse -

his nerves constantly on edge due to the fumbling, irritating and reactive behaviour

from his owners. It was sickening to watch. I had no real awareness of my skills at this

point as it was over twenty five years ago - but suffice to say that this still goes on in the

horse world, on a daily basis.

If you witness this sort of relationship between horse and owner there can only be one

decision. The re-education of the owner has to come first. The owner must be helped to

realise that she has to become a leading role model to her horse, or he will continue to

disrespect her. The horse must be helped to see that his behaviour is unacceptable, but

tell him that you understand how he has become like this.

I personally feel that every horse owner should study horse psychology on a basic level

as it is ignorance that creates horrendous problems. Rescue horses are a good case in

point. The owner has all the right intentions, but sometimes over compensates for the

horses traumatic past, and babies the horse as they would a cuddly little dog. Horses

hate this! The horse gradually begins to take charge of daily situations, and suddenly

there is a serious communication breakdown. The horse is in control, and hates being

put in that position. What he wants and needs is rules, boundaries and limitations. Sadly

I have known horses become aggressive to such an extreme that they have had to be

destroyed.

One of the frustrating elements of healing is that we can only help as long as the owner

is prepared to take responsibility for the management and care of the horse’s emotional

needs as well as the physical. I make this a part of my service, and will advise the owner

as to the best plan of action to help the horse. Sadly, often the best thing for the horse

would be to be removed from the owner – and how do we tell them that?

Aggressive horses are a case in point for asking the owner a lot of questions to establish

exactly where it all started to go wrong. Find the trigger point. It is a hard situation and

one that I struggle with, because what I would really like to do is take the horse away



and allow it to be a horse and teach it how to interact with humans again on. Sadly this

is not always possible, but if you are capable and have the facilities then this may be an

option for you.



Working with rescue horses

Be prepared that this may, in the early stages, be a painful and emotional process for

you. The depths of pain and anguish that a horse can portray to you reaches deep into

your soul. If you are a communicator, some of the pictures can be heartbreaking. It can

be a physical and emotional experience that may leave you feeling drained. Approach

the horses with tenderness and unconditional love, but do not buy into their story!

Feeling sorry for them will not help. They don’t need your pity. They need your strength.

I once worked at a rescue centre with a horse called Bruno. He was an ex chaser and

was very depressed. He has a wound on his hip that wasn’t healing and he constantly

had his rear end to the stable door. All of the young girls that worked there assumed he

was being aggressive. Nothing was further from the truth.

Bruno had been gifted to the centre after his owner moved to Argentina. They showed

me a picture of them together and they looked so happy. He eventually settled into the

healing and loved it. He told me that he wanted to die and that he couldn’t see any

point to his life. He was only fourteen and had written off his life. At the end of it he

placed his big head against my chest and he said thank you. I saw him a couple of time

and then, after losing my own pony, I was unable to attend for a while. After about six

weeks I emailed the centre who told me that Bruno had had a stroke and had to be put

to sleep. Strangely I remember being out in my field one day and feeling aware of

Bruno’s energy. I wondered then if he had come to me at the time of his passing and I

feel pretty sure he had.

Pace yourself if you are new to the healing, aim for once a week or once a fortnight to

begin with. You have to develop your own method of protection and strength in order

to help these needy cases. Learn to detach from the horses history, and bring his

strength up to yours by raising his energy. Take regular breaks and recharge your

batteries.



Monitor yourself, and stop if you are feeling dizzy, sick or drained. Walk away and assess

what is happening, take a break and begin again.

I have been given pictures of horses being kicked repeatedly and violently, shut in

stables in urine sodden straw, with top door shut - waiting for the owner to come back

to give him a further beating. You need to be able to view these images dispassionately,

and utilise them to help the horse. If you are so distressed by the emotion of the horses’

sad life you will be ineffective to the horse. Remove yourself, detach, find your inner

strength and start again.



Psychic protection – do we need it?

I don’t want you to think that you are in danger every time that you open up! But it’s

true that we may potentially be at some risk, but only if we are not actively developing

expanded awareness.

Any time that your energies are open, there is potential to take on board atmospheric

energies that you may not want, or may not serve your best interests. Just recall what it

feels like being in the presence of a negative person. Gradually you begin to feel weary

to the point of exhaustion, and soon experience a frantic desire to get away from that

person. You feel a big sense of relief when you move away, but may feel tired and out of

sorts for a few hours afterwards. The negative person may however go away feeling

really good. Is this that they have taken something from you, or is it that they have

offloaded some of their negativity onto to you? In my opinion it can be a little of both.

In my experience, horses rarely – if ever – do this to us. If anything they have a tendency

to willingly take away our negativity. Any energy imbalances seem to radiate from

human energy, past or existing.

The main thing with psychic protection is to ensure that your energies grounded and

your aura is shielded. What this means is that you do not subconsciously ‘buy into’

another person’s story, emotions, trauma or distress. The owner of the horse may have

a multitude of things going on, some of which you may know about and some you will

not.

Be aware that there is a huge difference between empathy and sympathy. Empathy

allows you to understand the other person or their situation, but not get involved in it.

Sympathy draws you in to their feelings and emotions, and that is most definitely not

healthy. This is a major lesson for most healers, who tend to feel too much and, by

definition, become ineffective in the session.



You cannot help people or animals if you are living in the middle of their pain.

Detachment does not mean that you do not care, rather it means that have the power

to instinctively evaluate a situation and create a solution without the hassle of adopting

other peoples emotion.

This may take some practice to master, but you can do it, and it will soon become a way

of being. The art of detachment creates empowerment both for you and your clients.

So for now, let’s look at ways that you can develop the protection that you need

Creating a bubble

Visualise a translucent bubble around you covering you from head to foot. Imagine a

colour that seems right for you. The bubble will allow your energies to be given freely,

but will prevent any negative energy entering your aura. Instructions for using the

bubble to cleanse your aura are detailed below.

Sword visualisation

Some people imagine a huge medieval sword in the periphery of their vision, just

hovering next to them. The concept is that the sword will swathe away any potential

negativity

Staying in your circle

This is a Native American tradition that works incredibly well. Imagine that you are

standing in your own circle. It can be exactly as your imagination visualises it. Now work

on staying in that circle, wherever you go and whatever you do, and this means

emotionally and physically. If you allow another person to upset you, then you are out

of your circle. If you are worrying or stressing over an issue, you are out of your circle.



This is a powerful visualisation, and has helped many of my students to find their core,

their centre and to increase their self-confidence. Practice it daily and see the results in

a fairly short space of time.

Cleansing the aura

Having trained in Shamanism, I formed an understanding of how we need to keep our

auras healthy and free of damaging energies. When someone sends a bad feeling

towards us, it can create what shaman’s call ‘shards’ in our auras. It looks and feels like

shards of glass sticking in the aura. If we don’t remove them, we can feel

uncomfortable, unsettled or mildly unwell or out of sorts. I do a cleansing at least once a

week, or if I am feeling any of the above ‘symptoms’. In time you develop a sense of

if/when negative energy has been directed towards you.

� Stand or sit comfortably

� Think about the seven chakras – imagine them pulsing through your body and

feel the flow of the energy

� Let the energy extend outside of your body forming a bubble all around you.

� The bubble completely surrounds you from head to foot

� Be aware of the protective quality of this bubble. No old, negative or stale

energies can remain inside of it. Any negative energy must leave.

� Be aware that you are able to send energies out but bad energies cannot get

inside it.

� Choose a colour for your bubble. It can be clear or any colour of your choice

� Call up your bubble at any time that you may need protection from negative

energies i.e. supermarkets and other busy places.

� The bubble can also be used to protect you whilst you sleep



Smudging

Another Shamanic way that you can cleanse the aura, is to apply a smudging method

using Sage, which can easily be grown in your own garden, or purchased in new age

shops & sweetgrass is also very effective. Light your smudge stick, place it on a abalone

shell {which won’t burn} and fan the smoke around your whole body by using a feather,

particularly focused on your chakra energy centres. Ask for negative energies to be

removed and for balance & harmony to be restored within you

Be aware of how you are feeling before you begin. Following the cleansing do self-

awareness check and check how you are feeling. This is a method you can use daily,

weekly or as required. You can now also buy smudge spray for cleansing the

environment, great for the office where you don’t particularly want to be walking

around wafting smoke with a feather!

You can also cleanse the aura with a rattle or a drum, both of which I use personally

most days. I rattle and drum the whole house once a week also and it leaves it feeing

fantastic.



Advanced Techniques

Over the years, I have developed a wide range of techniques. As you develop spiritually

you may find, as I have, that every now and again spirit gives you something new to try.

Listen to your intuition and never be afraid to try something that you have not done

before.

Visualisation

I have had some extraordinary results from using visualisation techniques. Visualisation

can add a great deal of extra power to a healing session. I have highlighted several

techniques that I use, but do remain open to developing your own as you become

experienced in this area

� Think of someone or something you love – this works on a very deep level, by

actively encouraging you to open yourself up outside of the channel of healing. It

changes your aura and creates a loving connection between you and the horses.

� Imagine one large spiral or a multitude of smaller spirals - coming up from your

feet up to the top of your head and out through your palms – this technique can

make a dramatic difference to a session. Many times I have used it to remove

blocked energy. In those events there have been several unbelievable

miraculous recoveries in horses.

� Imagine that the horse’s problem is lifting up into the universe, and

disappearing and dissipating into positive useful energy. This also works well by

redirecting a negative energy flow. You can imagine the horse being filled up

with good healing energy, which kind of squashes out the negative.



These are a few of the techniques that I use in a session. I tend to trust intuitively which

one to use at the time, and I suggest that you follow the same principles. Don’t be afraid

to find your own techniques, as this will come as you become experienced and

confident.

Colour- colour can be a powerful tool in a healing session. Be guided intuitively with the

colours you use and imagine the whole horse is being flushed through with the colour,

from the top of his head, all the way down to his hooves and out through the tail. I use a

lot of white light, gold and silver and then am guided which other colours are needed. I

have had several horses collapse when I have done this visualization.

Cass arrived as a 9 year old beautiful bay gelding that had been on the German show

jumping circuit. He eventually ended up in Jersey where he picked up and threw his new

owner across the stable. After that he came to the rehabilitation yard with a rotated

pedal bone and a terrible distrustful attitude towards people. At 17.2hh he was

impossible to put a bridle or a head collar on as he was very fearful and aggressive. He

was reluctant to accept healing and I could not trust him for students to work with. It

took a long time, and a lot of patience but, shortly after I was given the colour

visualization by spirit, I decided to try it with Cass. I had given him a lot of space since I

had known him, but he hadn’t let go of his past and was still holding on to the anger. I

intuitively felt that he was not going to be able to release it without some help.

I stood in the stable doorway, with a student, and we did the visualization together. His

head soon started to lower and he closed his eyes. His whole body started to relax and

his muscles became soft. Eventually his nose was touching the stable floor. After about

fifteen minutes, his knees buckles and he dropped to the floor as if he had been

knocked out. Just as it looked as if he was going completely down, he managed to right

himself. As he came to, he took one look at me and ran at me with teeth bared. I stood

still and told him that I knew he did not mean that and that he knew I was helping him.

He did not touch me but stood a foot away gnashing his teeth and looking very cross.



At that point we left him to go and have our lunch. When we returned he was out in the

large concrete yard, dozing in the sun. There were five of us and I asked everyone to ask

Cass, in their minds, to come over to us. Almost before I got the words out, Cass started

to amble over. He stood in the middle of the group and asked for healing. All of the

students had tears in their eyes as this wonderful horse let go of his awful past. He told

me that he was so grateful that he would like to be a therapy horse and help people

who had traumatic backgrounds. He had become a cuddly affectionate horse in one

afternoon.

After that, whenever I visited the yard, Cass would always come over and put his head

on my shoulder. Sadly, the yard went bankrupt so Cass’s future is looking rather

uncertain. I am still trying to find a therapy home for him {July 2012} and hoping that he

will not be sent to the sales.



Developing your confidence

The only way to increase your confidence is with practice and experience. They say that

fear is only a lack of knowledge. If you absolutely know what you are doing, you don’t

feel nervous and worried about outcomes.

Contact a rescue centre or ask as many friends who have horses, or the local stables – or

whatever is possible to get to be near horses. You can post adverts in tack shops and

vets for pro bono clients, to help you gain experience.

Trust in what you are feeling when you are with the horse. Listen to your inner wisdom.

Believe in your own abilities and always speak the truth for the horse. Although you may

be worried about getting it wrong, if you allow your intuition to be your guide you will

rarely go wrong. If things appear to go pear shaped, know that there is some learning to

be had and ask for guidance in finding out what that learning is.

Some owners have become nervous of their horse, and cover this up by shouting a lot.

Horses hate this, and usually the first thing they tell me is to ask their owner to ‘stop

shouting’. Learn to develop strength of character, and don’t be afraid to tell the owner if

you feel the animal’s management could be improved, or even discuss the owners

attitude, or behaviour. If you are confident enough, you can teach the owner more

effective ways to communicate with their horse.

Confidence is a state of mind. It can easily be developed. If this is an area where you

would like help then please contact me to discuss the coaching/mentoring service that I

offer to students.



Positive Thinking

Everyone has issues at some level. One in four people suffer from lack of confidence and

low self-esteem. They may outwardly look as if they are confident, but many people

wear a mask to protect their vulnerability. Sadly for the horse, the owner may

subconsciously push their problems onto them, by role-playing their own inadequacies

through the horse. Often they are unaware of this, and are horrified when they discover

it.

For instance when a horse is ill, the owner may spend a lot of time crying and weeping.

Whilst we appreciate the upset and worry, this is not conducive to the animal’s

recovery. It is of utmost importance to remain positive in the presence of the ill animal.

Horses – in fact all animals and people to - absorb energy at base level, and if it is

negative energy, it will drain them. In my opinion, this can actually manifest illness or

behaviour problems; at worst it may compound existing problems.

To imagine how this feels, think of a negative or depressed person that you may have

spent time with – how did you feel when you left them? Exhausted, depressed, and

deflated? Now think of spending time with someone who is positive, cheerful and

optimistic. When you leave this person you feel uplifted and happy. It has scientifically

been documented that people with serious illness have a greater chance of recovery if

they have a positive attitude.

We are not taught to be positive, we are subconsciously conditioned by the media to

react to external stimuli i.e. problems or events. If you look at any of the major TV

soaps, all of the characters are terribly reactive and negative, acting out before thinking

and always seeing the dark side of events and people.

Focus on becoming proactive. Being positive is not about shoving problems away, or

burying our heads in the sand. It is a mindset that suggests that you recognise a



problem, identify it and all its components, and then set about finding a solution.

Sometimes there is no solution, for instance in a terminal illness. Death is a part of life,

and nothing will change that. But we can learn how to accept death as the natural order

of life, and indeed for it can be a beautiful and transcendent process, if you allow it.

Take the time to learn about the grieving process, and help your clients to come to

terms with imminent loss. I initially did a short course with The Animal Care College

www.animalcarecollege.co.uk on pet bereavement. It helped me learn how to cope with

my own grief, and it has made a difference in how I handle situations with owners.

Occasionally we get asked by owners to tell them if it is the horse’s time to pass. Having

to make the decision to let an animal go and then act upon it is a hard part of having

animals in our life.

In the UK we are afraid to talk about death. Be courageous, and lead your client into a

conversation about how they will deal with their loss. As a qualified Pet Bereavement

Counsellor, I learned that if we are prepared for death – i.e. decided whether we are

going to have the animal cremated or buried, anesthetised or shot, at home or at the

vets etc – this makes the final process much easier to deal with. It allows the brain to

put itself into some sort of order, and you also feel that you didn’t make poor decisions,

that you may regret later, at an emotional time.

I suggest the purchase of books on positive thinking, and attend courses or seminars

that might help you with this. A commitment to ongoing personal development is vital

to this work and, if you are serious about pursuing it, I would suggest that you take this

as a given. Try not to discuss negative things with your friends and family, unless these

conversations are solution focused. Avoid ‘toxic’ people and don’t allow others to take

energy from you.

Thinking in this way will attract greater opportunities to you. You will also find that like-

minded people begin to become a part of your life. Right now I don’t have one toxic

person in my life, and believe me there was a time when I could genuinely say that most



of my circle was toxic. Today, if I meet someone who is a taker of energy and dreams, I

do not allow them into my life. Unfortunately in many instances it can be our family who

can represent the worst negative influence. But that can change, if you decide to make

this commitment to a positive way of life.

The stronger you are on this energy level, the greater you will be able to help your

clients and their horses.

If you bought this course from www.janbarley.co.uk then do go and check out other

courses that I am adding. Positive manifestation and Emotional Intelligence are two that

I will be adding once they are written as well as a whole host of other course, some of

which will be accredited as this course is.



Spirit Guides & Power Animals

Your guides are not sent to you to do all the work. They are there simply give you signs,

and provide guidance, which may be interpreted as your own intuition or higher self. If

you follow the signs that are given you will receive confirmation. Sometimes these signs

may be innocuous and you won’t know for sure if they are a sign, so trust in your

instincts.

It doesn’t require a great deal of effort to call your guides into closer connection with

you. On a daily basis, simply assume that they are there, and ask them for help and

guidance. When you meditate, ask for a sign and ask for a name, and write it down.

They don’t care what you call them, as long as you recognise that they are trying to help

you. There are plenty of good CD’s and books on the market and there is also a very

useful handbook for contacting your spirit guides and power animals on

www.janbarley.co.uk

Spirit or power animals are related to Shamanism, and can play a great part in your

development. There are many Spirit animals according to Native American tradition.

You can call on the energy of these guardians whenever you need their particular

strengths. Notice that at particular times you keep seeing the same animal. Maybe a

robin keeps alighting by your back door, or you see a deer every night for a week.

Having a power animal is a bit like having a live pet. If you do not feed him {with

attention and ritual} then he will leave you. Power animals are almost always wild

animals and not our companion animals. You may have one main power animal that

stays with you for life or you may experience a variety of them as you progress on your

path of learning.

A power animal may be a warm blooded mammal or it may be a fish, bird, reptile or

insect. The size of the animal does not impact on its power. For instance, say you had an

ant as your animal. Ants are incredibly good at working highly social networks, working

as a team, building and laying down foundations. They can carry extraordinary weights



way and above their own body weight. Armed with the power of the ant, you could

literally build an amazing supportive network around you.

Your power animal and spirit guide may work with you during healing sessions. You can

request their help or sometimes find that they come along and help without you asking.

Personally, for me, they are an essential part of how I work.

A good book on understanding the meaning of animals that enter your life is Animal

Speak by Ted Andrews, limited only by the fact that it is American and some British

creatures are not listed. Stephen Farmer also has a book called ‘Animal spirit guides’ and

he also has a pack of beautiful power animal cards.



Distant Healing & Communication

I personally believe that the power of the mind is untapped. I believe that we all have

access to an ancient source of wisdom that is simply lying dormant within us, untouched

for years. Anyone can conduct a distant healing communication; indeed sometimes it is

found to be much stronger than a ‘hands on’ session. This may be because it is in the

privacy of your own home and there isn’t the added pressure of an owner.

Prepare yourself in a calm quiet place, light a candle or two and maybe burn some oil

and have gentle soothing music playing quietly in the background. Do whatever relaxes

you. If you can create a sacred place in your home and garden, this would be all the

better. It does not need to be an elaborate set up, a small corner in a room is sufficient.

Lay down some crystals and things that are special to you. Burn a little incense or sage

to cleanse the area in preparation and have a few splashes of colour in the area. Open

your chakras. Try not to have limitations on your time, and have a pen and paper to

hand. Write down whatever comes into your head, no matter how odd it appears!

Hold the photograph between your palms, and just allow the healing to flow into your

hands. Connect with the horse first, and ask if he is happy to communicate with you.

You may feel odd sensations, such as pains in your legs, arms, hands, jaw or a headache.

Write these things down. They may be related to that horse i.e. your left foot would be

the horses inside hind. Keep an open mind. Horses will show you where their pains and

discomforts are.

The amount of time spent per animal can vary. It can be an intensely powerful

connection, which may develop to the point where just thinking about the animal will

warrant a result. You can also place a photo of a needy case next to your bed, and ask a

question and visualise the animal before you sleep. In the morning, you may have an

answer.



To finish a session you can hold all the photographs in your hands and send a mental

thank you. Keep the photos in a nice place i.e. a small wooden box or a pretty folder.

This is just a matter of respect for the animals you are working with, plus it keeps the

photographs safe for when you need to return them to the owner



Looking after yourself

At some point{s} in your life, you may find yourself unsettled, depressed or unsure of

yourself. There may be no apparent reason for this, or you may experience a trauma or

loss which creates this feeling. In my experience, it is vital that you listen to your body

and your soul at this juncture. Sometimes it can be the manifestation of a spiritual

growth spurt, so don’t resist it and over time it will settle down again, with enhanced

abilities. I have had periods where it feels like ii am a caterpillar in a chrysalis. I used to

resist it, but then discovered that it always, without fail, generating huge growth spurts,

results in my being able to implement changes that benefitted my life on some level. Be

mindful of your state of being at all times and listen to your heart and soul.

Let me tell you a brief story. In March 2003 my beloved 5-year-old pony dropped dead

in the paddock behind our garden wall. A post mortem revealed that it was an

extremely rare case of sudden death syndrome. At the time I was very busy visiting

horses and teaching Reiki for horses. I was booked solid for the next month, so I carried

on working. This was an incredibly painful time. Halfway through April I said to myself

that I wished I could take a break from my work. I felt overwhelmed and I needed time

to heal and grieve.

Almost immediately my work dried up. I had no students booked for May and June. This

was highly unusual but I didn’t question it. But, it turned out that my advertising

campaign had ‘somehow’ been put on hold with the two national horse magazines

where I ran my adverts. I called them up and they had no idea why my adverts had not

been in the magazine. They were as confused as I was.

I recognised this as a sign, and I followed my instincts. I took time out; I studied

shamanism and qualified as a practitioner a year later. I questioned my long held

spiritual and personal beliefs. I emerged as a stronger and calmer person. During that

time my psychic abilities increased, my animal communication skills developed and I

finally got started on setting boundaries with people in my life.



So my point is that you must listen to what is going on in your life, and recognise the

signs. Rest, on all levels, is vital for all energy workers. This downtime is like the garden

bulbs in the winter. It doesn’t look or feel as if anything is happening as we go through

the bleakness of winter, but under the ground the bulbs are getting ready to push

through in the spring with colour and joy and strength.

Downtime creates new abilities, greater gifts, fresh insights and beliefs. Don’t deny

yourself this time when it comes.



Temperament Theory

If you take the basic concept of your own temperament, you will naturally strive to do

the things that you know you will be happy doing and, consequently, be more likely to

be successful at. Trouble arises when you try to fit a square peg in a round hole and you

do the things in life that do not sustain or fulfil your soul.

Keirsey Temperament Theory is just one of various types of personality typing, that is

based on the concept of four basic temperament types, and within these types there are

four variants each. This makes a total of sixteen different variants.

Identifying temperament type is based on only two things: -

• What people say

• What people do

It isn’t possible to provide a crash course in temperament theory in this course, but I

hope to prove a simple overview, in order that you realise that you cannot expect

people to act as you do, and say what you say. Understanding this allows you to

communicate with other types based on their communication style.

There are two styles of communication

Concrete

Concrete thinkers communicate with solid facts, day to day events. They are not future

driven but think and speak in the here and now. They are not interested in abstract

possibilities. A concrete thinker will talk to you about what they did today, whom they

spoke to and what happened.

Abstract

Abstract thinkers talk and think about ideas and possibilities. They may have an active

imagination and discuss feelings and dreams, inventions and plans



There are two styles of behaviour

Utilitarian

Simply put, people who are utilitarian do what works, and worry about whether it is

right afterwards – if at all!

Co-operative

Cooperative people do what {they think} is right

There are four base types

Artisan – Concrete Utilitarian Guardian – Concrete Cooperative

Idealist – Abstract Cooperative Rational – Abstract Utilitarian

Within each type variant one is Directive and one is informative. Directive types may

find informative types irritating and informative types may find directive types bossy.

Example of directive and informative saying the same thing: -

Directive: ‘I am hungry, let’s go to the café and get a burger and fries’

Informative ‘I am hungry’

Then we have expressive and reserved types. Expressive types tend to be outgoing and

reserved less outgoing.

The sixteen role variants

A Expressive Promoter Supervisor Teacher Field Marshall Directive

B Reserved Crafter Inspector Counsellor Mastermind Directive

C Expressive Performer Provider Champion Inventor Informative

D Reserved Composer Protector healer Architect Informative



• Row A – Pre-emptors – action orientated people who get things done

• Row B – Contenders – naturally competitive

• Row C – Collaborators – good at bringing things together

• Row D – Accommodators – like to maintain harmony

Listed below are details of each type in order of strengths. As you can see Artisans &

Idealists are complete diametric opposites to each other, as are Guardians & Rational’s.

They would find it challenging to agree in many areas

Artisan Guardian Idealist Rational

Tactics Logistics Diplomacy Strategies

Logistics Tactics Strategies Diplomacy

Strategies Diplomacy Logistics Tactics

Diplomacy Strategies Tactics Logistics

How this knowledge can help you?

For instance, if you are trying to start your new business, you will need to incorporate

strategies and tactics in order to actually get it off the ground. As an Idealist, you may

struggle to do this as you spend long time thinking about possibilities. Taking action is

not your strong suite. 45% of people in the world are guardians, so when you are

working on a marketing campaign or putting your web site together, this needs to be

taken into account. Guardians like facts and figures and relate to authority.

Likewise, if you are an Artisan, you may face problems with co-workers, due to poor

diplomacy skills. Other types may find you rude, but you just like to get on with things,

resolve whatever needs doing as quickly as possible and then move on to other things.



Study both tables well, as it can help you to identify your weak areas, which you can

then focus on bringing into greater alignment.

Having a personality test done can be very useful. When I had my chart done during

training, I suddenly understood why I struggled in some areas of my life. I had been

trying to do things that were not aligned to my strengths. After that I began to seek out

areas where I could utilise my strengths. I am an Idealist Teacher, which totally made

sense as I love teaching. But I could see that, in the past, I had been in relationships with

a few Guardians and found it highly frustrating and I struggled with Artisans as it always

felt like we were both different species. Understanding this can massively impact your

relationships with others, particularly your clients.

A good book to read is People Patterns by Stephen Montgomery.

Effective communication with horse owners

Understanding the temperament theory will help you to realise why we are all different.

People are doing the best they can with the tools they have. We all have to start

somewhere, and we have all made mistakes with our horses. Many people lack

confidence but may bluff their way through. It is our job to help and not to judge. Listen

to what people say and watch how people do things. Get the recommended book and

build up your knowledge. It is easier to influence another person if you speak their

language.

According to transaction analysis people have three ego states

• Child

• Adult

• Parent



When we communicate with each other it is important that we are on a parallel

communication level. This means that child talks to child, adult to adult and parent to

parent.

If child is talking to parent, or adult to parent or parent to child then this is considered as

a crossed transaction. This is the reason for arguments and misunderstandings. We

must aim for parallel communication and realise instantly when we are crossed with

another.

When in the child ego, people can be playful, spontaneous and fun or conversely they

can be angry to the point of tantrum! Deal as an adult with the child by reasoning with

them, or if they are playful allow your child ego to play! I am sure we have all witnessed

the adult having a tantrum!

Adult to adult is a perfect transaction as it is dispassionate, without emotion or angst.

The parent ego can be a nurturing parent or a nagging parent. Recognise in yourself

when you feel the urge to be dictatorial to others, as this is the nagging parent and will

create a negative response in others. Recognise when others are doing this to you and

respond as an adult.

This information will be incredibly useful to you if you study it and people watch. Now

you can assess their temperament and see what ego state they are in. This can make

you a powerful communicator as understanding is far preferable to talking!

Sometimes, when owners are nervous, they tend to babble nonstop. This is not useful to

your session as you won’t be able to listen to the horse, and also the horse may be

irritated by the constant noise. You can either not respond at all – and people do get the



message that you need to be quiet - or you can ‘break state’ by asking the owner an out

of context question. This is a well-used powerful NLP technique and never fails to work.

For instance, the owner may be talking about her problems with the horse, so I might

ask something like ‘What did you like to do when you were a child?’ When the brain is

faced with something that is out of sequence it cannot cope, so it goes into a state of

chaos trying to work out how the question is applicable. In that few moments, you can

secure take the opportunity to tell the owner that you need to be quiet for a few

moments. It takes a bit of courage but it is great fun when you have mastered it, and it

does work. It’s a great tip to use for your own relationships also.

Make it your job to understand people more as it will go a long way to significantly

impacting the success of your practice.



Other complementary therapies

Many other complementary therapies will work well alongside healing. Indeed, for

those of you who seriously want a career based totally in the complementary market, it

is prudent to acquire several skills. It is difficult, if not impossible, to make a full time

career healing horses. Most practitioners have a human practice in healing and/or

therapies.

Many healers have qualifications in massage, Indian head massage, crystal healing, EMT,

Numerology, Reflexology, Cranial Head massage, Aromatherapy, Flower Essences and

many more as well as the humanistic skills like counselling, coaching etc. What this

means is that you can work on the human side of your practice as well as the animal.

You will be very lucky indeed if you can orchestrate a full time equine healing practice,

so it makes sense to have more than one string to your bow.

What this means is that when the equine side is a little quiet, you have income coming

in from your other therapies and vice versa. Most local colleges offer part time, or

evening classes in alternative therapies. Do the best course that you can afford, as it will

pay dividends later. Ideally seek out accredited courses.



UK Veterinary Act

The Veterinary Act of 1966 is an important piece of law for animal energy workers. It

provides protection for the animals, and helps to weed out the quacks in this profession.

Basically what it means is that when an owner calls you up, you must ask if a vet has

been consulted for that problem – no matter if it is a physical or emotional/behavioural

problem. If the horse has not been seen by a vet, then you must ask the owner to give

her vet a call and notify him that she is going to have a visit from a healer. If you break

this law, and you are found out, your insurance cover is invalidated.

The act in its entirety is paragraphed below. It is also detailed on the copy consent form

in the next section in this manual. I would advise that you always take a consent form to

your first sessions, and have the owner sign it.

“The Veterinary Surgery Act of 1966 prohibits anyone other than a qualified veterinary

surgeon from treating animals, including diagnosis of ailments and giving of advice on

such diagnosis. However the healing of animals by contact healing, by the laying on of

hands or distant healing is legal. However the Protection of Animals Act 1911 requires

that if an animal clearly needs treatment from a veterinary surgeon the owner must

obtain this. Therefore before treating animals it is advisable to seek assurance from the

owner that the animal has been examined by a vet. To give emergency First Aid to

animals for the purpose of saving life or relieving pain is permissible under the

Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 Schedule 3.”

Consent form example on next page



HEALING HORSES

Tel: 0111 247 8913 www.healinghorses.co.uk Email: [email protected]

Horse name: Owners name:

Age: Tel:

Date:

Address

Brief history:

The Veterinary Surgery Act of 1966 prohibits anyone other than a qualified veterinary surgeon from treating animals,

including diagnosis of ailments and giving of advice on such diagnosis. However the healing of animals by contact healing,

by the laying on of hands or distant healing is legal. However the Protection of Animals Act 1911 requires that if an animal

clearly needs treatment from a veterinary surgeon the owner must obtain this. Therefore before treating animals it is

advisable to seek assurance from the owner that the animal has been examined by a vet. To give emergency First Aid to

animals for the purpose of saving life or relieving pain is permissible under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 Schedule 3.

Veterinary Surgeon Consulted:

Date consulted:

Owner to sign:

It is not advisable to exercise your horse after a healing session.



Insurance

You need to have insurance for your business to cover professional indemnity, public

liability and stock insurance if you have products on site. There are a few companies

that cover complementary therapies. I have detailed the two most well-known and

respected below. I use Balens as you can have a wide range of therapies covered at no

extra cost. I have about eight listed therapies and this year {2012} paid £110.00.

Balens www.balens.co.uk Tel: 01686 893006

Towergate Tel: 0113 294 4000 www.smg-professional-risks.co.uk

Charges

If you don’t need to make a living, and can afford to charge a minimum rate then that is

fine. But be aware that if you put little value on your services, then others will not value

what you offer either. There is also a very real possibility that if you charge too little you

may be inundated with work, reach exhaustion point and have to stop the healing for a

while to recoup your energies.

If you consider the price that vets, blacksmiths, chiropractors, physiotherapists, dentists

etc are charging then I estimate that a minimum charge of £35.00 per horse is a

reasonable fee. You will be with the horse for an hour or so, plus time spent traveling

and in discussions with the owner. If you wish to charge more, or less, then that is your

choice. Also consider traveling costs and charge a minimum of 40p per mile to cover fuel

and wear and tear on your vehicle. If you are visiting more than one horse at a yard then

split the traveling costs between owners.

I can’t emphasize enough that you must value yourself. This is not arrogance or over

inflated egotism. If you run out of money you will run out of energy and feel little

enthusiasm for this work.



I think it is important to make a difference. I know that I have changed many lives with

my healing communication, my actions and my words. Many of my customers have

become students and friends, who are now helping others. So consider my advice, and

develop self-worth. You are important, you have chosen to help horses and this makes

you a special person.

At the time of writing I charge £65.00 plus travel per session. As my skillset is vast, I can

bring much more to a session that healing and that comes at a premium. I am rarely

with the client for less than one and a half hours. I know I can make a difference and, to

be fair, it is usually done in one visit, so my fee is cost effective for the client. When you

are starting out, you probably won’t have that level of confidence so it makes sense to

start off at a lower rate. But, as you may recall, in Reiki there has to be an exchange of

energy. When I first started, I practiced on other peoples horses in the yard. As an

exchange I asked for a bag of feed, carrots or help with my horses’ turnout and care.

That worked extremely well and gave me a lot of confidence in preparation to get out

and start my own practice.



Paperwork & Accounting

There isn’t a great deal of paperwork associated with an energy practice. It is simply a

case of keeping records up to date.

As far as accounting goes, this is also fairly straightforward. I use Excel spreadsheets to

do my books, and this works well. You can either do your own accounts or hand

everything over to a bookkeeper that will charge you from £15.00 - £25.00 per hour on

average. Doing your own bookkeeping is easy. All an accountant wants to know is

details of: -

• Incomings

• Expenditure – what it costs to run the business

• Capital expenditure – i.e. office equipment

• Bank charges

• Loan interest

There isn’t a lot that you cannot claim for, ranging from vehicle expenditure to postage

and clothing. You can even claim a small allowance for a home office. The secret is to

find a good accountant that is happy to advise you on better ways of running your

business cost effectively.

Make sure that you keep up to date with your books, maybe doing them as you go or

once a month. It is a horrible job to do it at the last minute. If you are late with your tax

returns you will face a penalty.

As soon as you go self-employed, contact your tax office and ask them for advice. You

will also need to pay voluntary national insurance contributions, the sum of which they

work out for you. You can pay National Insurance contributions monthly.



Marketing your practice

In my experience traditional advertising does not always work. The very best form of

marketing is referral. When people are talking about how great you are, then your

phone will ring. But we all have to start somewhere. For all of my business interests I

have used some or all of the following methods. I rarely spend money on advertising

these days. All of the suggestions listed below are predominantly free

• Speakers Club –Great for confidence building. I gained a lot of experience as a

member of the Association of professional speakers. It’s not as scary as it

sounds, as you don’t have to stand up and speak until you are ready and even

then it’s usually for a maximum of seven minutes. I paid £20.00 a year and £2.00

a fortnight, plus an initial £10.00 for a manual.

• Networking - talk to as many people as you can about what you do. Try to set up

alliance relationships with others, so that you cross-refer each other. Effective

networking works when you look to be helping others, rather than shoving your

business in their face. Focus on building relationships so that people trust you.

Networking does take time but are usually worth it. There is now a range of

women only groups which can be quite productive and brilliant for making new

contacts and friends.

There are professional networking clubs, but they tend to be more direct

business to business related than to therapists. Saying that one lady I know who

does Indian head massage has radically improved her business since joining a

professional group. Their prices range from £250.00 to £500.00 a year and you

attend an early breakfast meeting –which you also pay for – weekly, bi weekly or

monthly. However, in the main, these sorts of clubs are not going to be your

mainstream target market for Reiki for horses. If you have human therapy



qualifications and skills then I would highly recommend it. There are a lot of

clubs started up

There are also online networking groups like www.ecademy.com and

www.network2connect.com

• Media coverage - This is a good way of marketing yourself, especially if you

target all avenues of the media. TV may be difficult but radio, newspapers and

magazines are always looking for new and interesting stories. You will need to

find an interesting slant on your story, in order that it doesn’t come across as

blatant advertising. Contact them with a press release, no more than 300 – 500

words. Make it catchy. You can do a search on www.google.co.uk on writing a

press release.

• Social media – start up a Facebook page, Linked In and twitter and keep them

live. Try to link up with your target market, once you have decided who that is.

Social media can help you to build a business, but you have to be active.

• Blogs – this can be a way of reaching your target market, helping them to see

who you are and what you do. Always keep articles lively and positive and try

and have a message and a call to attention in it. I personally find that Wordpress

is one of the most professional free blogging sites. www.wordpress.com you can

also create a web site with your own domain from Wordpress. For the none IT

friendly, this is a great way to build something that looks professional. Its not

terribly complicated to set up but, if you struggle, there are plenty of people who

I am sure would be willing to help you.



• Adwords – Google Adwords can seem like a confusing and expensive process,

but it can work well for you to promote your website or blog and encourage

potential clients. Adwords advisors suggest a daily budget of £5.00. I have

experimented with that by dropping my daily budget and testing the results. If

you open an account, there will be a phone number on the site. Call them up and

ask for help in the setting up and also ask for a voucher. They gave me £50.00 to

trial for one web site I was working on, so it pays to ask. If you Adwords bid is the

highest, then your advert will be top of the page.

No one really wants to pay for advertising but until your web site is on page one

or two of Google it can work well for you.

• Business Link - Business Link offer great advice on helping your business and are

free in most cases. There is also a start up grant of £150.00 for new small

businesses. Make an appointment to go and see them.

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

• Targeted leaflet drops - create an A5 flyer and get it copied at printers. This is a

very cheap way to do direct marketing. Then visit an equestrian event near you,

like a gymkhana, and post leaflets on car windscreens and give them out to

anyone who is passing. Focus on benefits rather than features.

• Posting leaflets - these can be exactly the same as your flyer. Then place

coloured copies [ideally laminated – you can buy a cheap laminator from £19.99]

and in tack shops, pet shops, local supermarkets, vets and anywhere else you

can think of.



• Offer taster sessions to people of influence - this could be the specialist equine

vet, and you could offer to treat his or her horse so that they can watch you

work. If you are brave enough seek out local celebrities that have horses and

offer them the same deal. This can be a scary prospect for many people, but bear

in mind that celebrities are only people all said and done. The worst thing that

can happen is that they ignore your request, and you won’t die from that! ☺



Conclusion

I hope that you have enjoyed the Reiki for Horses handbooks. Use the guidelines as your

bible, but don’t be afraid to find your own way with your healing practice. You will

discover things that I don’t know, and that which works for you. Be courageous and

trust your own instincts. I very much hope that you come back to study other courses

with me, and check out my other accredited courses and E-books Go to

www.janbarley.co.uk

reiki for horses handbook -...

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