Healing Horses Holistically
by Charlotte Jensen, SARA Publicist
When abused, neglected horses wind up in sanctuaries, they find the support
and vet care they so desperately need. When those same horses land in a SARA
sanctuary, they get all that--and more. A look at how Reiki is changing the way
horses are rehabilitated.
Leah D'Ambrosio, Reiki teacher and co-founder of SARA, was training students
at Pregnant Mare Rescue in Aptos, California, when she first encountered Las
Vegas Dancer. The former racehorse, a new arrival saved from slaughter, made it
crystal clear she wanted nothing to do with Leah or the class. But as the other
horses in the pasture lined up along the fence to soak up the Reiki energy, Las
Vegas Dancer couldn't help but watch curiously from a distance. Before long, the
mare approached with cautious steps and ultimately pushed the first horse out of
the way. "She continued to go down the line, pushing horses out of the way to get
Reiki from their person," D'Ambrosio says. "And when she got to the last person,
she turned around and started over."
Las Vegas Dancer
It wasn't the first time she had witnessed a fearful horse demonstrate this kind of
monumental shift. "Horses come to these places feeling insecure and unsure of
themselves," says D'Ambrosio, who has volunteered at Pregnant Mare Rescue for
two years. "Reiki helps bring them back into balance and gets them to a place of
trusting their caregivers."
Bringing abused and neglected animals of all kinds back to a place of trust is a
critical challenge faced by shelter and sanctuary volunteers and employees
worldwide. Reiki programs endorsed by the Shelter Animal Reiki
Association (SARA), the only nonprofit of its kind, support animal caregivers by
giving them an easy-to-use, holistic therapy complementary to the care they
already provide.
The system of Reiki was developed in the early 20th century by Mikao Usui. The
original purpose of the system was spiritual development, but in modern times
the emphasis has evolved as a system of energetic healing that uses specific
Japanese meditative practices and breathing techniques.
Today, Reiki is successfully utilized to support healing in medical settings such as
hospitals, cancer centers, hospice programs and AIDS clinics all over the country.
And as Reiki steadily gains acceptance and respect from doctors and patients
alike, it's only natural that those who have experienced Reiki for themselves
ultimately want to share it with their beloved animals.
Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary
It's a chilly Friday morning the day I tour Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, one
of SARA's founding shelters, located in Essex, England. Established in 1983,
Remus was formed to address the plight of abused, neglected and starving horses
in the area. Today, nearly 200 animals--horses, donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats and
cats--call the peaceful, 40-acre sanctuary home.
In the early days, Remus relied on traditional veterinary methods to help the
animals in its care. But today, holistic modalities like Reiki take center stage. The
move is indicative of a growing trend as an increasing number of shelter and
sanctuary owners and veterinarians investigate--and embrace--nontraditional
approaches.
As Caroline Thomas, volunteer and SARA teacher, walks me through Remus'
outbuildings, stables and lush, misty grounds, her passion and dedication to the
animals becomes quite evident. She's the one who introduced Reiki to this
sanctuary--and Sue Burton, founder of Remus, couldn't be happier with the
results.
"We love it," Burton says. "It's just so useful to them--[it] puts them in a better
place emotionally to deal with what they've got."
Bugs
For Bugs--one of Thomas' favorite horses at
Remus, a 20-year-old "gentle giant" who
suffered from one of the worst cases of chronic
arthritis their vets had ever seen--that meant
helping the mare deal emotionally with the
challenges of post-op recovery. "Her walking
became so difficult that it was feared she may
need to be put to sleep," Thomas explains. But
Remus never gave up on Bugs, and after
raising £3,000 ($4,800) from the public, the
mare was able to have a life-saving operation.
"Reiki has helped her to cope with the box rest
that she needed to help her heal, which meant
long days and nights in her stable. Each time I
offered her Reiki, she was so bright, chilled and
very happy."
In Chelsea, Vermont, at the Hooved Animal Sanctuary, Reiki helps the horses feel
something special they've probably never felt before: love. "Since these horses are
usually coming from a neglect situation or even heading for the slaughterhouse,
the pure love of Reiki may be the only love they have ever felt," says Kelly
McDermott-Burns, who has taught Reiki classes at the sanctuary since 2008.
"The stress level for these horses is very high of course, and Reiki can help them
relax and maybe even trust a little so they can begin to heal."
According to Lynn Hummer, founder and president of Pregnant Mare Rescue,
"What I experience with every Reiki session is the visual confirmation and then
the physical benefits. The horses relax and settle in. One gelding consistently
benefits from his treatments. He has a sore hip and moves much better after
treatment. He will roll and stand, shake and then throw a buck as he takes off.
That to me says, 'Thanks! I feel good!' "
But part of what makes Reiki so special, Hummer adds, is that the therapy goes
beyond its healing capabilities. "Reiki is a visual testimonial to horses being
sentient," she says. "Broadly speaking, it denotes beings with consciousness or
sentience. You can see horses participate in Reiki. You can experience horses
from two stalls away wanting to participate in the Reiki session. Their ears prick,
they stand at attention facing the energy, sometimes kicking the stall wall in an
attempt to communicate, 'I want in; I want to be closer!' Horses at liberty or in
the pasture will come and stand, close their eyes, exhale and enjoy. It's very
moving to watch, and I feel very connected to the horses.
Foals soaking up Reiki at Pregnant Mare
"[Reiki] has become a necessary part of our healing commitment to our beloved
equines," Hummer adds.
These kinds of positive results following Reiki sessions with animals actually
served as part of the inspiration behind SARA's launch in 2008. "I noticed in my
work with horses that they often show dramatic responses to the energy during
treatment," says Kathleen Prasad, SARA president and co-founder, who has
worked with horses and Reiki for more than a decade. "I've seen even huge
skeptics become interested in learning more about Reiki when they see a horse
receive a treatment." Today, SARA dedicates its efforts toward bringing Reiki
programs to animal sanctuaries worldwide.
As more and more shelters open up to the idea of Reiki, more animals like Bugs
and Las Vegas Dancer will be able to benefit. Nina L. Margetson, executive
director of Horse Haven of Tennessee Inc. in Knoxville, which has been rescuing
horses since 1999, was initially skeptical when she first heard of Reiki. "But I
allowed it as long as the activity didn't cause any harm to the animal. I have a
very open mind." Reiki is now a mainstay at the sanctuary.
Indeed, when those in the field see firsthand how Reiki helps the horses in their
care, they use words like "spectacular," as Margetson now does, to describe the
results. "I have watched volunteers doing this out in the paddocks with the horses
and have seen once frightful horses learn to trust and show curiosity to the people
performing it," she says. "I have also seen volunteers become more relaxed
around the horses, and the only way I can describe it is there is a calmness at the
barn. Horses are less restless after a session, and volunteers have an unseen
connection with the horses."
Anxiety, arthritis, tumors, cancer, colic, Cushing's disease, chronic emotional
problems, end of life-no matter what a horse's problem, Reiki can attend to it in
some way. "The real beauty," says Carrie Dorsey-Higdon, who introduced Reiki to
Horse Haven one year ago, "is that there is no situation I have encountered in
which Reiki is not the perfect fit."
For more information about SARA's shelter and sanctuary Reiki treatment and
training programs, visit www.shelteranimalreikiassociation.org.
Charlotte Jensen, communications and media relations manager for SARA, is
an internationally published journalist based in Orange County, California.