The Reluctant Horse Whisperer
by Ruby Gallagher

Sometimes all that’s required is to show up, be present, as the gorgeous Deity of Prosperity greets you with open arms and bestows gifts and goodness on your fine self.

Other times, the Universe glances at you over the top of her glasses and says, “Sure, you can have fabulous bounty beyond your wildest dreams; but first you got to learn to accept it, and second, you’re going to have to do something that scares the pants off of you and then you can be successful. You got a problem with that?”

It was the latter that caused me to become the Reluctant Horse Whisperer.

My life as a healer, psychic, and light trance channel evolves when I am asked to do something which I don’t consider to be one of my personal skills.

I was startled when the body work clients started asking for readings, and dubious when the people far away wanted to receive readings on the phone. But I was fully dumbfounded when the email arrived asking, “What would it take to get you to a stable in Salem to do readings on some horses?”

Blinking at the message, I commenced to gape like a carp. Me? Horses?

Well, it shouldn’t be a big problem except for that pesky little detail concerning my unsettling Fear Of Horses.

The other hitch, so to speak, was the underlying fear that I wouldn’t be able to hear the horses, or worse, that they wouldn’t have anything to say to me. Opportunity was knocking at my door, and I took a deep breath and said yes.

The windshield wipers kept me company on the Sunday drive to the stable. “Oh, I’m a lucky gal,” I whispered, upon seeing the horses confined to their lovely bedrooms, err, stalls, and relished the sturdy wood and wire between us.

It was another big relief to walk up to the first horse and ask a question and then hear the horse’s voice in my head.
“What would you like to discuss with the horse?” I asked the owner.

“Find out why he’s afraid to jump,” she immediately asked.

I slipped inside my head and whispered softly and thought loudly, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, please, why are you afraid to jump?”

He was direct. “If she would show a little confidence in me, maybe I could jump for her! Why don’t you ask her why she’s afraid to jump?”

I looked at the owner and scrunched up my face in apology. “He wants to know why you’re afraid to jump.” She turned ashen at being discovered.

The horse continued, “Tell her don’t be such a chicken. She’s got a big butt. She won’t be coming off.”

I laughed hard and begged the woman, “Please don’t take this wrong, but he suggests you not be such a chicken -- he says you’ve got a big butt and you won’t come off.” One of her hands flew to her mouth in surprise and the other slapped her thigh in delight.

Thus began my career as a horse psychic.

The first group of readings went so well, the trainer told her friend about me and two more stables were scheduled.

The first surprise at the next stable was the size of the creatures; they were all much larger than the first group. I found myself nose to nose and looking up at really large animals with large feet. And teeth... they have big teeth. Don’t confuse the issue by telling me they are vegetarians. Who’s to say I’m not just a really big carrot to them?

I was not prepared to be greeted with a head butt and nuzzle by an individual who weighs half a ton more than me.
Deep breath... And again ... “Oh, he likes you,” the owner’s daughter gushed. “How reassuring,” I thought as I caught myself from tumbling backwards.

When I approached another horse, he greeted me with “Say, did you know there’s a big light coming out of the top of your head?”
The fear level decreased, but has not vanished. It’s easier now that I understand the horses are a lot like people -- heck, there’s people who are too high strung or dangerous for me to want to be around, just like with the horses.

I’ve learned how each horse has a particular personality and level of emotional development. There are some funny, intelligent and good natured horses out there, and others who are bored and arrogant.

Some very tender moments were exchanged between the horses and their owners. We cleared up misconceptions, facilitated promises and compromises. This is turning out to be very rewarding work for me, and I’ll continue to chip away at the fears and accept yet another really good gift from the Universe.

(previously published in New Connexion, A Journal of Conscious Evolution)