A group of men, each early in their journey of recovery, arrived at the farm for an equine recovery group. Among them was one man who carried a quiet but powerful fear.
He was afraid of horses.
Yet there he was—standing in a field of them.
When asked why he came, he said something that many in recovery understand all too well:
“I’ve tried everything nothing worked… and I cannot stay sober.”
During the first half of the group, he kept his distance from the horses, standing only where he felt safe. Fear had shaped much of his life, and the instinct to protect himself was strong.
But recovery often asks us to do something we have never done before.
At one point in the group, he was invited to trust the team—our human facilitators and our equine partners, including a full-sized draft horse.
Standing between the facilitators, he closed his eyes.
His body trembled. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Slowly, with great courage, he stretched out his hand into the open space in front of him.
He didn’t know what would happen.
Then something extraordinary occurred.
Without being prompted, our gentle draft horse slowly walked toward him. Step by step, she approached with calm presence. When she reached him, she gently lowered her massive head and placed it softly into the palm of his trembling hand… and breathed.
The man opened his eyes, And he began to cry. Through tears he said,
“I’ve spent my whole life living in fear… fear of everything. Drinking and drugging felt like the only way I knew how to deal with it.”
He paused, looking at the horse in front of him.
“But now I know something different.”
“I don’t have to live in fear anymore.” “I can do this.”
In that quiet moment, standing in a field with a horse who asked nothing from him but honesty, something shifted.
Fear gave way to courage.
Isolation gave way to connection.
And hope took its first breath.
One Response
I have witnessed a horse, head down, hold space with a person while they grieved the loss of a loved one. people describe the power of our equine team and thier grattitude for the chance to seek services with having no ability to cover the fee. I donate so all who seek counseling has the oppurtunity to recieve services.