You can usually spot her dappled body on the pasture’s periphery. A seasoned, shy and sentinel member of the herd with a beautiful face that looks at you with one blue and one brown eye.
From the very beginning Tizzy’s owner wanted her to have a job participating in my youth classes, but Tizzy never seemed very interested in joining up. That is until today.
Tizzy began banging her hoof on the metal gate that separated her from the paddock I was readying for the soon to arrive class. Obliging the request, I opened the gate and watched her trot by me, the first one in the paddock.
Several of my regularly scheduled program horses came up a few minutes later to join her.
The last one to step off the youth bus was a 14 year old African American girl named Jaden.
I greeted her beautiful face looking up at me with one blue eye and one brown eye.
Tizzy let out a call from thirty feet away and came racing towards the fence where the young girl stood in amazement. The connection was so apparent; it felt like electricity in the air.
The youth director told me the girl’s mother had been murdered in front of her and she had not spoken a word since that day, almost two years ago. Jaden had been in counseling and participated in this violence prevention group but through it all had remained silent.
Our first exercise was centered on grooming the horses, (which I use as a metaphor for self care). The young woman was paired with Tizzy for the exercise.
As Jaden slowly brushed the horse, Tizzy closed her eyes and then wrapped her necked around the young woman’s shoulders, much like horses do with their young.
Moments later we could hear the young girls muffled sobs. Tizzy stood quietly, gently holding Jaden against her warm body, arms wrapped around the horses neck, her face buried in the Mare’s thick mane.
The activities now complete, I asked everyone to gather in a circle and share their experience of grooming the horses. After several comments by both staff and participants,
I asked if anyone else in the group had reflections before we moved on.
“ I want to say something, the voice stammered” It was Jaden, who hadn’t spoken a word in more than two years. She told the group that while Tizzy was holding her, she had remembered being with her mom at her Grandfathers horse ranch in Mexico.
They were celebrating his birthday and Jaden sang Happy Birthday to him. He had put his arms around her and whispered in her ear…” your voice is a gift from God, promise me you will never lose it.” Until today she had forgotten her promise.
Tizzy she explained softly.. had helped her remember.
I am often asked, if you don’t ride the horses at your ranch, then what do you do with them? Now you know.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Horse Sense for the 21st Century™ Alyssa Aubrey, CEGE Incorporates horses in human development through Equine Guided Education. www.medicinehorseranch.org
