Horses… Equine Therapy is becoming more popular in Columbus, Ohio
Following a Dream for a Grassroots movement toward personal and community growth and healing…
- Opening Your heart and minds through inter-species communications.
For many years, I had a dream to move somewhere where there was land, open sky, green grass and a change of seasons. My husband and I looked up and down the east coast from Florida to Maine, and then considered going westward to our old stomping grounds near Denver. So we were very surprised when we discovered a nice little farm right outside of Columbus, Ohio that called to our hearts. This farm was very close to where I attended the Ohio State University, and only a few hours away from where we were born. As soon as we situated ourselves, and with horses already on the land, I started to realize how happy I felt in their presence. Whether with one horse at a time or walking within the herd, my heart began to open and I felt great. My appreciate for nature and all that it has been teaching me here on the farm is constantly bringing me more depth and growth on so many different levels.
So here I am, enjoying the early morning light pouring in and feeling at home with the tractor out in the fields and the gorgeous maple and walnut trees outside my windows. I am excited to spend part of this Sunday focusing on creating my new Integrative Equine Therapy Business that is being developed one step at a time. For the last 6 months, I have been researching Equine Therapy and have been thrilled to see that there has been some great success with these programs in the Columbus area. I have found that that there are programs lent towards personal discovery, mental and behavior issues, job skills, social team building, sensory impairment, terminal illness and so much more. Most of them are non-profit and based on utilizing the community resources for the betterment of individuals and groups. My hope is to add this farm to the list of successful businesses interested in making their homes, stables and communities a place where we can contribute and make this world a better place to live. My hope is to bring meaning into a world where so much is Unknown and Unexperienced.
With this new Equine Therapy Program, my dream is to create a grassroots program where local people get involved and use their talents to produce an experiential approach to health and wellbeing. We will hold an intention to learn about ourselves through interactions with our equine friends, the horses here on the property and with those that visit. My vision may be a little different than others. While I admire what is already in existence, I’d like to take a more holistic apporach. From a bodyworker perspective, I find that dialoguing with horses in a therapeutic setting can have a dramatic effect on how we feel in our bodies, as well as emotionally, in our thinking…hearts, and with our spirituality. So this program will be a Holistic model meant to enhance all those aspects of our lives for who participate. Included, we will offer integrative services such as education, bodywork, acupuncture, energy healing, psychotherapy, meditation, women’s groups, corporate leadership programs, 1:1 therapy work as we grow. These modalities will be part of the program to strengthen and educate people about the connection between humans and our equine friends. Indeed, with mutuality with animals and nature, we learn to live more consciously in harmony and unity.
In the last couple months, I have been studying with a very wonderful and insightful woman named Jackie Stevenson, the founder and CEO of “Spirit of Leadership LLC” about how to lead companies and individuals to coach and educate equine participants in individual and group dynamics”. It has been an enlightening experience and I am highly anticipating my future in sharing her work along with my other skills in the near future. I remember the first day I went there and she asked us to go out into the field and spend time with the herd. I thought to myself after standing there for an hour, “what the heck am I doing standing out here with these horses”. But then the land and the trees began to swallow me up and I felt myself grounding down and opening to so much more than my usual daily life. Ever since that first day, I have looked forward to the next class. My relationship with each horse and the group is awakening me to so many new possibilities and intimacies. I feel met in a comprehensive way. In the meantime, I have been questioning and implementing some of Jackie’s ideas and techniques into my already strong foundation in the field of Healing Education. For sure, the herd is based on inclusivity. However, in order for people to come together in an order that work, a learning process takes place. It often takes patience and observation to find out how to fit in and make something work successfully.
I am thrilled to be part of the Cleveland Community, and furthering the process of bringing something similar to the Columbus, Ohio area. Our equine friends, and also all other aspects of nature and inhabitants on this planet have something to offer. We live on a planet where mutual compassion and understanding can help us to find confidence and thrive in a land that is meant to be heaven. Earth is our home, and we all have each other.
I am planting seeds wherever I go with my ideas and enthusiasm. I am reaching out and asking for help and participation for whoever has a gift or a challenge that they would like to offer.
If this sounds good to you, give me a call upon this invitation, and let me know your interests and how you might want to participate.
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT
740 966-5153
