The present

This week I would like to focus on the present since last week I talked about the past.
SO how ARE horses helping us today? Well in a lot more areas than you would think there is.
There are therapeutic horses, police horses, search and rescue horses, sport horses, military horses, agriculture horses (although not as common in todays society.)
One of my favorites is therapeutic riding. Through organizations that use horses for therapy we are able to help veterans, troubled kids, and the mentally ill.
But how?
Horses are prey animals and their instincts make them depend on the ability to sense underlying energetic and emotional currents in their environment. They use their animal wisdom (smell, hearing, body, awareness, and vigilance) to keep safe. The are masters of mindfulness because the are fully in the present moment... They don't judge someone for who they are or what they have done and they don't deny or mask their feelings. They can sense when someone has something wrong with them and they project our inner selves. Horses teach us to be calm and learn from our environment as they do.
It's because of all these traits we are able to learn from them. They have become the teachers in a sense. They teach soldiers to remain in the present, to be part of a herd again, they develop social skills, physical skills, and develop confidence.
Many people going through therapy say there is something rewarding about being with such a beautiful creature.
When people say they have created a bond with their horse like no other... it is because it is like no other. The horse connects to you as if you were part of its herd. They make the people (such as veterans) in need of love feel loved.