BY AARDE WRITES for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 8/14/2026
Hey, Aarde,
I’ve learned that I have some internal health issues that aren’t going to be easy to live with, and I’m really sad about it. I abused my body in the past but have tried so hard to make up for it, only to find out it’s failing me. I don’t know how fast this will take hold, but it feels like time has sped up, and it all feels a bit out of control. My doctor says there’s not much I can do except manage my pain moving forward. I’ve seen some videos of horse therapy and wonder if that might make me feel better. Do you have any suggestions?
Signed,
Soul Therapy
Hey, Soul Therapy,
My heart is with you as you manage both your physical limitations as well as your emotional heaviness. Learning that your vessel has cracks is not an easy thing to process, and I’m grateful that you’ve reached out for, hopefully, some helpful advice.
Firstly, release any guilt from past abuse. You cannot change the past, only focus on the now. The now is asking you to accept that your body doesn’t make up the totality of who you are: your spirit, your energy, your soul. Albeit, our bodies are our ships on this ocean of life, and the idea of sinking is not all that comforting.
So, learning to evaluate and compartmentalize the form and function of your body from your spirit can be extremely helpful. Yes, the vessel is important, but it isn’t everything, and the unseen parts of you are actually what make you who you are. That is what horses sense, and more so than your physical body.
This is the magic of horses, and you were right to consider them. Horses live in a deep relationship with energy. Long before you touch them, they feel you. Your breath. Your intention. Your presence. They have a spiritual heaviness that can ground you as you connect, accept, and manage your feelings about your upcoming physical transition.
Many ancient civilizations worldwide knew that horses offer an intuitive partnership. They can mirror human moods, which can display a person’s energetic hitches back to them. If you are scared and timid, they will display scared and timid behavior. If you are confident and calm, they will show you the same. We are all made up of buzzing energy and operate within resonant frequencies that can affect, or be affected by, everything around us. From a somatic perspective, our nervous systems are living, shifting landscapes of sensation, energy, and responsiveness.
Horses emit energetic feedback that can tell you a lot about your body language, pain, or mood. Their patience and empathy can ground you in their presence, allowing relief from constant thoughts and worries about current pains. Practitioners have used horses for somatic attunement, recognizing that horses react instantly and complement human heart rates, breathing, and emotional energy, which creates mutual nervous system regulation through nonverbal communication.
The ancient Chinese practice of qigong focuses on circulating qi, your vital life force, with gentle movements, breaths, and intentions. When qigong is practiced near horses, they respond—subtly but powerfully. They attune to the energy near them, yawning, breathing deeply, and standing near, “sharing a field of grounded awareness. And in that space, something ancient and healing emerges,” according to True Nature Integrative Health.
In the ’90s, equine somatic (relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind) therapy emerged as a framework to focus on the biofeedback resonance between humans and horses—and the energetic, emotional, and physical bond between horses and humans became widely formalized. We now see it used often with people who are diagnosed with PTSD, autism, and terminal illnesses, among other conditions. For decades, veterans have been utilizing equine therapy with great success to manage PTSD, which includes learning to be present and live in the moment, attain inner peace and calmness, develop boundaries, move beyond fear, improve communication, increase energy and vitality, expand awareness, work through grief and loss, and build trust, patience, confidence, and leadership.
You can watch any Western film to see the ineffable camaraderie between a cowboy and his horse. A relationship that extends beyond language, borders, and cultures. Many Native Americans have long viewed horses as medicine healers, sacred relatives, and even a form of living medicine. Some see them as beings who carry sacred energy and support mental, emotional, and cultural wellness. Horses carry us in all ways; they are our connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. Even the ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates wrote about the benefits of horseback riding as a healing modality.
Now, when talking about healing, be sure not to assume that being near a horse will reverse your diagnosis, realign broken bones, or regrow organs. It’s about our minds coming to terms with the expectations of our bodies, then finding the healthiest ways to manage those feelings about our reality, without performance, grounded in patient solid presence. Whether it’s ancient Greek philosophers, Chinese qigong masters, Native Americans, or modern-day veterans and healers worldwide, humans have always given horses an important role in managing our somatic health.
Keep in mind, it isn’t a horse’s job to heal us; healing is our responsibility. Horses simply mirror whether we are doing it wrong or doing it right. If you’d like to learn more about this modality, consider reading a memoir by Jody Nixon, Metaphorse: When Horses Mirror the Soul.
I wish you patience, strength, and gentle healing as you move forward on your journey. Here is a short list of local equine somatic therapy locations in or near Pierce County that you might want to reach out to:
Young Hearts Therapeutic Riding, Trusting Equus Equine Gestalt Coaching, Sundance Circle Hippotherapy, Healing Reins, Equest Special Riders, Meadows Center for Equine, Horses Guiding Humans, Wild Magic Equine, Heartsong Equestrian Facility, High Point Equestrian Center, Four Winds Riding Center, Hope for Heroes Equine Therapy, Serenity Equine Rescue and Rehab, and Healing Hearts Ranch.
Do you have a question for Ask Aarde? Send them to Jdaarde@gmail.com
