I fell in love with horses when I was 5 years old!
Although I have worked with all animals for most of my professional animal communication, behaviorist and healer life, I actually got my start working with horses. Horses have always been near and dear to my heart. And today, I love working with these amazing athletes, who have unique and special needs and challenges. We ask a lot of our horses, and often don't take nearly enough time to listen to them, understand them, and help them when they need help.
Horses live long lives, and most folks intend to give their horses a forever home. After all, our horses are a large part of our lives and we spend a great deal of time, energy, money and effort on their behalf!
But the fact is that millions of horses are purchased or trade hands every year, and most of these amazing animals wind up moving on from one owner to the next, until they are at the end of their lives and on the auction block. Through no fault of their own, they either weren’t the right horse for the job, they were outgrown, abused, or injured, or were simply misunderstood and mishandled so they became horse nightmares!
People don’t mean for things to go wrong with their horses.All horse lovers feel the same way about this. But things do go wrong, all the time.
If you have a horse you are having difficulty with, please! Give them a chance to tell you what they need and why they are behaving the way they are. Then, we can determine the best way to help them rebalance, heal, learn and perform to the best of their ability. Click Here to Get Started Now
Val with Maisie & Sunshine, her first horse teachers!
What's the single biggest question you would like to ask me about your horse?
I am currently developing class topics and would love to know what is on your mind and what you would like to learn or get help with. If you'll submit your question to me now, I will let you know when I have a new class coming up.
NOTE: I will not be able to answer your questions directly, you'll have to wait for a class. However, if you need more immediate assistance, please let me know that you are interested in a consultation. See Getting Started with Animals
Thank You!! I am looking forward to hearing what's on your mind!
The following is a Preview from my soon to be published book:
Heart's Wisdom for Horse Lovers 12 Mistakes People Make With Their Horses -- The Essential Handbook for Novice & Amateur Riders
Many years ago I went to a Pre-Olympic Trial Dressage Competition and was introduced to a world class upper level Grand Prix dressage[1] horse, Zeus, and his owner/trainer, Jim. As soon as Jim learned that I could communicate telepathically with his horse, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me across the arena telling me "You have to talk with my horse!!"
I was surprised to learn that when they were in practice sessions, Zeus was brilliant and perfect.But when they entered the show arena, he consistently messed up the intricate and subtle movements, causing their scores to be low.Jim wanted to know why.
Zeus told me that he was very angry with Jim, and went on to outline several reasons why.He loved his work and was very good at it, and he knew what meant to win. He liked being the best, and loved hearing applause, feeling the pleasure of humans appreciating him and his work.
He also knew that the show arena was the only place he could get back at his owner and not be punished for it.Among other things, he felt Jim overworked him in practice, going over and over the same movements until Zeus was sick of them.Zeus wanted to be rewarded when he did things correctly.And he wanted an apology, from Jim.
When I explained all this, Jim tried to shrug it off with an insincere apology -- to which Zeus responded by turning his back to us, swishing his tail, clearly refusing the apology.Jim stormed off angrily, and left me there in the stall alone with his horse. Zeus turned back to me and shared that he felt pleased that he'd been heard, and confident that he was right in his position. He suggested that we wait and see what his human would do, as he felt certain that Jim would be back.
Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, Jim came back.He quietly acknowledged that Zeus was correct in all his points and went on to offer a sincere apology.I was relieved to witness Zeus as he accepted the apology.To be sure the gesture was appreciated and understood, Zeus reached out and touched Jim gently with his nose.
The next morning I was awakened early by a phone call from Jim:"I have horses and students that you need to work with here in Houston.When can you get here?!"
It turns out that after our talk, Jim and Zeus went out and won their competition! Although I had been already exploring my gifts and telepathic abilities as an animal communicator for several months with many amazing things having happened, this was the start of my career as a professional animal communicator in 1993.
I specialize in assisting performance athletes achieve their personal best (humans, horses and dogs). Animal communication in combination with various healing therapies for both humans and animals helps address the multiple causal factors each individual team must overcome, and also in uniting the two so they can think, move and dance as one being.
Performing or competing with your equine partner should be a joy for both of you, human and animal. It should be easy and almost effortless, dancing together through a heartmind link, and overcoming obstacles together in an energetic and harmonic flow.
One of my client’s, Katie, excitedly told me that after her and her mare’s session, that they were in total sync with each other mentally and that it was happening consistently, way beyond chance.For instance, if she thought about going out to her barn to see or work with her horse, Lucy, and glanced out the window to see where she was in the pasture, Lucy would - at that very moment - lift her head and look at her there in the window in the house.Then, before Katie even left the window, Lucy would head toward the barn to wait for her!
If we take the time to listen to our partners, they will try to tell us when something isn't working for them. We can help enhance and improve performance in the show ring by being willing to address the issues that are bothering our horses, and taking the time needed to clarify the rules of the game so they know what’s expected.If we take the time to identify our horse’s unique learning style, we can even shorten training time because we can better understand their talents, skills, abilities and purpose.
Another major factor in improving performance is identifying and resolving health problems and physical discomforts or imbalances, whether it's coming from the horse or their human.Many of our horse problems actually come from their human partner’s imbalances.If we are struggling with our horse in some way, you can be sure that there is something that isn't working for our animal friend!Our job is to find out what that is, and correcting it so we can get back to the game.
Our best riding instructors and coaches are right there beneath our saddle!Why wouldn't we ask them for help or feedback when we are trying to work through a difficulty?They know intimately better than anyone observing from the outside what we are doing wrong.They can tell us if our signals or cues are being misinterpreted or applied in a confusing manner, or if we're doing something that's interfering with their ability to perform easily…
My leased horse, Tailor, and I were working very hard one day trying to pick up a left canter lead.He consistently got it wrong and our instructor was getting exasperated with us both.In my frustration, I would start over, asking and applying the cue again, even more firmly each time we tried it.And Tailor, he would again and again pick up the wrong lead.I could tell he was getting very upset with me as well.
I called for a time out.And sat for a moment with Tailor while we caught our breath and regrouped.All of a sudden it dawned on me that I should ask him what was going wrong – after all, I can communicate with animals!With a sheepish grin, I apologized to Tailor and said: “I’m so sorry for not asking you this sooner.Please help me understand what is going on here.Do you know what I want you to do?”
Tailor said, “Yes! You want me to step out with my left front leg in a canter.”
“Great!That’s right.Then please explain to me why you are leading with the right front leg when I want you to pick up a left canter lead?
Tailor said, very matter-of-factly, “You are sitting too hard on my left shoulder and have a death grip on my mouth with your left hand.I can’t lift my left front leg or extend my shoulder or neck, and if I move my head – which I have to do - I’ll be hit in the mouth with the bit.I am giving you the only action you are allowing me to give you.”
OhMyGod!He was exactly right.I sat stunned in the saddle while I realized that that was exactly what I was doing.Instead of opening and lifting my left buttock so he could lift under me, and giving with my hands, I was locking him into a tight, tense shut down pattern.The only way his forward energy could go was to the right.I realized then that my body and my mind were not in sync.Had I asked him sooner, we could have regrouped much earlier.And this was not something our instructor had been able to see – only Tailor knew exactly what was going on.
Our best answers often come directly from the horse’s mouth (or telepathic mind, in this case!).Once we know what's wrong, we can work towards correcting the problems through appropriate care-taking, making the needed changes and general rebalancing. Through my proprietary methods, I can help you and your horse heal from trauma, such as from injury, illness, death or grief.I can also help prepare an animal for surgery or other medical interventions so they are able to recover with less trauma and fewer complications.
Can you figure out what was happening in each of these next few stories?
Katie had a young filly who had begun urinating on her hay!With hay bales costing over $8 a bale at the time, Katie was desperate for this behavior to stop.Why was she doing this?Nothing Katie had tried so far had worked and she was losing a lot of money
I once worked with a handsome stallion named Toby who had recently begun kicking his stall walls and wouldn’t stop even though he was hurting himself.He angrily squealed his displeasure constantly, was aggressive and threatening to his handlers where before he had been docile and pleasant, a real joy to be around.What had happened to make Toby into a terror?
A very expensive 6 year old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Lalo, with Grand Prix dressage potential, was imported to the United State from Germany.But ever since he’d arrived 3 years ago, he was constantly ill with one thing or another.After all the excitement and joy (and expense) of finding him, his person, Jane, despaired of ever getting the chance to show him.
Another client, Susan, contacted me: “My mare, Blackie, is so mean to me.She bites me, steps on me, she won’t let me put her bridle on, and she turns her backside to me when I go in her stall.She ran away with me today during our riding lesson.Why is she acting this way?”Susan was so distressed she was in tears.“I always bring her treats and give her all kinds of special attention.I saved Blackie from the butcher’s auction block!I’ve spent a lot of money trying to take care of her.I don’t understand… doesn’t she appreciate all I do for her?Does she know that I saved her life?!”
Adama, a 5 year old Hanoverian gelding, was giving his human, Tina, a terrible time even though she’d raised him from a foal.He was increasingly difficult to work with on the ground or under saddle, he spooked often, and was nippy, pushy and rude.As he became Increasingly dangerous, Tina was at the point of having to decide whether to keep him or get rid of him.She knew she couldn’t go on like this much longer, yet she hated the idea of giving Adama up.She knew something was dreadfully wrong, she just didn’t know what.
So what’s really going on when our horses behave like this?What are they thinking?Do they understand the consequences of their actions?Do they want to die or are they desperately unhappy?Do they really want another owner?Are they just trying to make our lives miserable? Or are we just making some of the classic and often deadly and tragic mistakes people make with their horses?
Remember that your horses are greatly affected by us, their caregivers.What we do, say, think, decide and feel can rock their world – or anchor it!The better balanced you are, the less stressed they will be.The more informed you are and better prepared to handle and understand horses in your life, the happier you will both be.
[1](Dressage is a style of classical horseback riding popularized by the Austrian and Spanish Riding Schools of classical horsemanship.You might remember the Disney movie, The Miracle of the White Stallions, about the fabulous dancing white Lippizan stallions who were saved from extinction during World War II by General George Patton'smen?It’s a great movie if you haven't seen it…)
Val with Ptailor Made
Pokey enjoys a face rub!
Just horsing around wtih Tailor
Dedicated to assisting seekers ready to take a pro-active approach to improving their relationships with themselves & their animals through improved communication, energy medicine, health & balance for body, mind & spirit.
CALL ME AT:(210) 863-7928 Val Heart & Friends 16607 Blanco Road Suite 12105, San Antonio, TX 78232
Office Hours are 10 am - 4 pm, Tuesday - Saturday, Central Time
