04/07/2026
🌿 “Well… that’s a bit of an upgrade from last week!” 🐎
Those were the first words one of my students said this week when she saw Crown waiting for her.
Just a week ago she’d been working with one of our smaller ponies. Before starting these sessions, she’d never been near a horse and found anything new or physically big incredibly anxiety-provoking.
Standing in front of Crown, she admitted,
“He’s huge… I’m quite scared.”
Instead of rushing in, we stopped.
She recognised she needed to calm her body first.
Together we slowed our breathing, talked about how our nervous system responds to fear and practised matching our breathing to Crown’s slower, calmer rhythm. We shook out the tension in our hands, feet and bodies and talked about finding a “safe place” in our minds—those people, places and memories that help us feel calm.
When she was ready, she designed an obstacle course for Crown using poles, ropes and cones. It was her challenge, her decisions and her journey.
At first, her body mirrored her anxiety. Her arm was rigid, she stood at a distance and every movement was cautious.
As her breathing slowed and her confidence grew, something beautiful happened.
Crown softened too.
His head lowered until it rested around her waist height, and together they moved calmly through the course, matching one another’s pace.
When they reached the jump, Crown knocked the pole.
She looked disappointed.
Rather than seeing it as failure, we explored what might help. She reflected on how changing her own energy had helped Crown slow down. This time, she wondered whether increasing her energy slightly might help him lift over the jump.
She tried again.
This time, Crown cleared it beautifully.
The smile on her face said everything.
At the end of the session she stood quietly in front of Crown, gently holding her heart and talking to him.
Then she looked over and asked me,
“Can horses cry?”
She told Crown that he didn’t need to worry anymore and that she would always be there for him.
For a few moments, neither of them moved.
Someone stepped in to try and encourage Crown forwards, but I asked them to wait.
Sometimes the most important part of therapy is allowing the moment to unfold without rushing to fix it.
A little later, they both walked on together.
When I asked her whether she thought she could use today’s breathing and visualisation techniques in other situations, she smiled and said,
“I don’t even need to go to my happy place anymore… I just need to think about this moment with Crown.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
Because sometimes confidence isn’t built by being told you’re brave.
It’s built by discovering it for yourself.💙🐎
