By Margie Royal
Can horses help you connect with your intuition and teach you about self-empowerment? After recently attending an afternoon workshop at Empowering Equus in Pisgah Forest, NC, I would answer the question with a resounding “yes!”.
I was part of a group of six adults who gathered for the experience on a beautiful Saturday in March. Our group began the afternoon sitting in a circle surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After an introduction, Julie had us work in pairs to get in tune with our intuitive sense. One of the exercises was to try and sense when you entered another person’s energy field. Another exercise was to help us make a “human to human” connection. We were asked to discover what we could sense by just looking into each other’s eyes. Some people saw images, and for some, words came to mind. Others noted feelings that arose. Julie was a wonderful coach through this; her passion for what she teaches and her ease in working with groups and individuals is evident. After these exercises, we proceeded to meet Julie’s horses. She told us that whichever one we had a connection with was the horse we would work with for the rest of the session.
It was not difficult to know which horse I wanted to work with. It was just like the feelings that come when you meet certain people who you immediately feel comfortable with. Surprisingly, that same feeling came up when I met Jade, a beautiful dark horse with a splash of white on her forehead and a mane of honey-colored hair.
Jade, one of the horses at Empowering Equus. Photo by Margie Royal
Each member of the group then had the option of leading the horse they chose into a gated ring. Julie demonstrated how, by sending energy out to a horse in the ring, she could make the creature trot, follow her, back up or stop. It was truly amazing. Others in the group were able to command their horse by sending out the same kind of force of will.
It made me realize I have more power than I realize. I am going to incorporate the lessons in sending my energy out to command outcomes and to try and further hone my intuition. It will be fun to experiment with this and monitor the results.
“Playing with horses in this intentional way offers an opportunity to effervescently know layers of ourselves clearly. Experiencing the energetic exchange between you and your horse choice is a treat.” – Julie Kerr
Julie has been working with small groups on her farm for 17 years. “Each group has its special place in my heart and none are ever exactly the same. Although the format is consistent, it generates a new delicious soup of horsenatlities and personalities mingling every time,” she said.
No prior horse experience is needed to participate. For more information and to book a session, visit empoweringequus.com
“I’ve been connecting horses and humans for 17 years with magical results. Horses as prey animals are designed by nature to give humans moment to moment feedback about how they approach relationships. Their genuine, unbiased interactions in this deliberate space provides profound understanding of your emotional agility. And allows for real time adjustment of your energy and focused intent to achieve the results you desire.” – Julie Kerr