Nevada and Ruella reading each other
I'm in a stall in a place called Texas, many nightfalls from where I was born and lived with my family until a year ago. On a day not long ago, the horses in the barn said "The Woman is coming. She will know you." I wondered how that could be.
But she came and put her hands on me, and she knew about what happened. She showed me pictures in her mind, the way horses silently communicate; I showed her more pictures. Would you like to know what we saw? Here is my story.
"I was born in what men call Nevada on a spring night, wild and free. My mama was the Lead Mare of a band, my father's favorite. The other mares stood watch for her, and the Stallion guarded, lest predators find a new foal on the ground. 'Up! up!' said my mama. Newly in this world, I already knew the importance of what she said. She nuzzled me, then pushed me up toward her udder, full of life-giving milk. I'll never forget that first taste, surrounded by love. 'You must be ready to run from danger soon,' said Mama. Already I knew she was ready to lead our band to safety if a predator threatened. But that night was quiet. My father watched as Mama and I slept peacefully.
But she came and put her hands on me, and she knew about what happened. She showed me pictures in her mind, the way horses silently communicate; I showed her more pictures. Would you like to know what we saw? Here is my story.
"I was born in what men call Nevada on a spring night, wild and free. My mama was the Lead Mare of a band, my father's favorite. The other mares stood watch for her, and the Stallion guarded, lest predators find a new foal on the ground. 'Up! up!' said my mama. Newly in this world, I already knew the importance of what she said. She nuzzled me, then pushed me up toward her udder, full of life-giving milk. I'll never forget that first taste, surrounded by love. 'You must be ready to run from danger soon,' said Mama. Already I knew she was ready to lead our band to safety if a predator threatened. But that night was quiet. My father watched as Mama and I slept peacefully.
Wild horses running
"And so my days and nights, summers and winters passed. Sometimes we ran for fun, sometimes because predators threatened. Even walking or trotting, we sometimes covered 20-30 miles a day, seeking out just the right herbs, and the forage we loved. I grew and grew...a yearling, a two-year-old, three and four years old. Some of my age mates were leaving the herd. The young stallions were gone, driven out by the mares when it was their time. The fillies hung to the outskirts, sometimes leaving with a stallion from another band. And yet I stayed. Our stallion, my father, did a rare thing. Because of his love for my mother and me, he started teaching me the ways of the Band Stallion, coaching me in leadership.
The gray filly
"When I was five years old, an amazing thing happened. At the waterhole I stood near a gray filly. I had seen her before, but not this closely. She put her neck over mine when we finished drinking. It was then I knew that I would have my own herd of two, just the gray filly and me. We stayed near my loved family, and lived happily. One day she moved toward the mountainside where she dug in the rock, finding a deposit of iron. She knew the foal she carried would need minerals."
The Time of Terror
While we were grazing, Loud Machine came out of the sky and chased us. We were terrified and ran our fastest, but couldn't outrun it. I heard screams from my father and mother, the gray filly, the others. Foals got lost. A pregnant mare went down and couldn't get up. We heard gunshots.
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We ran where the Machine herded us, and then realized we were in a trap! My father screamed again when we were separated from the mares. The creatures closed the gates on us, away from our families. Where was my gray filly? I never saw her again.
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My father tried to get back to his mares. He threw himself over the fence, landing hard. The two-leggeds came for him, but he ran. He got away, I think. I never saw him again. They loaded the mares and took them away. Where did Mama go?
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We were loaded too, and so much happened so quickly: A long trip to a BLM Holding Facility in Pauls Valley, OK, gelding, branding, cutting my hooves, needles in me, in a cage. Everything hurt. Then I was in a pen on 'Adoption Day.'
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Communication: Nevada and Ruella
"My story was told in human terms because The Woman knows about what happens to mustangs. She didn't know about the gray filly; that part I told her. The rest she knew because a man called Mike told her. He is in Texas and takes care of me. I was so afraid; I didn't know what to do. Everything is so small. The other horses say it's OK, but I'm afraid of all the fences. My family is gone. I didn't know these horses. I couldn't touch them."
A trainer adopted the horse in Pauls Valley for a client, Susan, who wanted to help mustangs. He put 60 days training on him, naming him Nevada for the place he was born. His new owner had him delivered to a nice stable in Dallas, where he is cared for. Her friend Mike asked if he might look out for Nevada, as Susan lives in another state. Nevada was stalled next to his horse Gunner; he knew he needed help. Mike is my Liberty Foundations student at Spirit Horse Ranch near Oklahoma City. I went to Dallas for 2 days to get acquainted with Gunner and Nevada, and advise/teach Mike the best course of action for them. The first afternoon Nevada went into a large corral to get acquainted with me, as did Gunner. I handled them using the language of body, mind and spirit, communicating Liberty Foundations in their own language.
A trainer adopted the horse in Pauls Valley for a client, Susan, who wanted to help mustangs. He put 60 days training on him, naming him Nevada for the place he was born. His new owner had him delivered to a nice stable in Dallas, where he is cared for. Her friend Mike asked if he might look out for Nevada, as Susan lives in another state. Nevada was stalled next to his horse Gunner; he knew he needed help. Mike is my Liberty Foundations student at Spirit Horse Ranch near Oklahoma City. I went to Dallas for 2 days to get acquainted with Gunner and Nevada, and advise/teach Mike the best course of action for them. The first afternoon Nevada went into a large corral to get acquainted with me, as did Gunner. I handled them using the language of body, mind and spirit, communicating Liberty Foundations in their own language.
Gunner and Ruella in deep communication
"Breathe with Me." --Gunner
What happened the next day, however, was one of the more amazing experiences of my life. It was a sunny morning, so my general plan was to take the horses to the corral. They are in individual stalls with turn-outs at night. I entered the barn and paused, clearing my mind, exhaling and creating space for the horses. What I received was a clear message from Mike's gelding Gunner, stalled next to Nevada. "Breathe with me," he said. Every horse in the barn leaned over the half-doors of their stalls, watching.
I stepped to Gunner's door as he extended his muzzle. He moved his nostril toward my nose, inhaling, inviting my breath. As I exhaled, he inhaled, then exhaled into me. And then he moved his head away, pointing toward Nevada, clearly asking that I breathe with Nevada. The mustang extended his muzzle toward me as I walked to his door. I don't know how long I breathed with him. It could have been 10 minutes, 10 hours. My watch told me later I was in the barn with the horses 90 minutes, mostly with Nevada. Please share the magic with me:
What happened the next day, however, was one of the more amazing experiences of my life. It was a sunny morning, so my general plan was to take the horses to the corral. They are in individual stalls with turn-outs at night. I entered the barn and paused, clearing my mind, exhaling and creating space for the horses. What I received was a clear message from Mike's gelding Gunner, stalled next to Nevada. "Breathe with me," he said. Every horse in the barn leaned over the half-doors of their stalls, watching.
I stepped to Gunner's door as he extended his muzzle. He moved his nostril toward my nose, inhaling, inviting my breath. As I exhaled, he inhaled, then exhaled into me. And then he moved his head away, pointing toward Nevada, clearly asking that I breathe with Nevada. The mustang extended his muzzle toward me as I walked to his door. I don't know how long I breathed with him. It could have been 10 minutes, 10 hours. My watch told me later I was in the barn with the horses 90 minutes, mostly with Nevada. Please share the magic with me:
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Mike and I then took another horse to the corral, but serendipitously 'forgot' to bring a pan of food to work with. Mike went back to the barn for it, and came back running, breathless at what he saw! Nevada and Gunner were in their separate turnouts, a high fence between them.
Both horses were at the fence with necks/muzzles extended upward, their nostrils touching, quietly breathing together. Nevada had a family again, and found comfort with his brother Gunner, a domestic horse who found a way to help a frightened off-range mustang.
The magic is real.
Both horses were at the fence with necks/muzzles extended upward, their nostrils touching, quietly breathing together. Nevada had a family again, and found comfort with his brother Gunner, a domestic horse who found a way to help a frightened off-range mustang.
The magic is real.
Renn of Spirit Horse Ranch, Fat Cat Photo
Learn more about Liberty Foundations at http://www.libertyfoundations.com; you may contact me at ruella@libertyfoundations.com
Join us on Facebook at Spirit Horse Ranch Liberty Foundations, where you'll find daily reasons to love horses!
Small coaching groups are forming, as well as private coaching by appointment at Spirit Horse Ranch near Oklahoma City; if you’d like to learn, we’d love to welcome you.
Several Liberty Foundations Clinics are planned for 2014, and online classes and coaching will be available soon. Telephone and email coaching is available now. May I help you and your horse? Let me know in comments below, or by email, please.
(c) Ruella Yates, 2013
Join us on Facebook at Spirit Horse Ranch Liberty Foundations, where you'll find daily reasons to love horses!
Small coaching groups are forming, as well as private coaching by appointment at Spirit Horse Ranch near Oklahoma City; if you’d like to learn, we’d love to welcome you.
Several Liberty Foundations Clinics are planned for 2014, and online classes and coaching will be available soon. Telephone and email coaching is available now. May I help you and your horse? Let me know in comments below, or by email, please.
(c) Ruella Yates, 2013
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