“No”

NO does a horse have the right to say no? My answer would be yes they do, the horses think and feel the same emotions as us. Some "problem" horses have come about because they have said no and no one has thought about why. Some horses say "no" to healing because they are scared about letting go, sometimes we have to go very slowly and let the horse direct the healing. One of my first healings was to a very scared horse, he had been rescued from the auctions and his new owners did not know what to do with him. Every time they rode him he would throw them off and was saying NO. I went into his stable and he said No to me by kicking out and biting. I respected his wishes and started healing from a distance until over a period of weeks I could get close to him to help. He showed me dreadful pictures of horses being loaded onto a lorry, they were all very thin and so thirsty. He stumbled and fell onto his side and could not find the energy to get up so the men started whipping him until he did. As he was telling me his story the marks from the whips came up on his coat, I healed the area and then he yawned and yawned and was exhausted. His healing went on for many weeks at the end of the period, his owners knew why he acted as he did and also that his back was damaged. They kept him as a companion for many years and he had a happy end to his life.

Horses saying no has been quite a common thing from mares not wanting to be put in foal, horses not wanting to be ridden because their back hurts. The list is endless but unfortunately "no" comes with a bite, kick, moving away, not wanting to be caught and this can bring about a negative response from people.

So yes horses can say "no" but are we prepared to ask why and listen???