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Richard might ask probing questions, depending upon the group and whether they know each other. Some might be willing to share what led them to this horse experience while others are not. Richard always asks if people have any past horse experience and has them rank their experience on a scale of 0 to 10 that he uses as a gauge to learn how fearful they are of the animals. This gives him some insights on how to make sure that each person has a good experi- ence. As each one tells something about themselves, he listens for clues into what issues they may be experiencing. During this time, he educates them about the interest-
ing history of the Trakehner breed. He does this because he wants them to respect the horse. Throughout his introduc- tion, Richard subtly emphasizes the size, strength and power of the horse; he does this purposely to bring their fears to the surface.
Releasing Fear Richard’s philosophy is that fear is at the root of what controls us and seems to be the cause of many addictions, reasons for depression, PTSD and anxiety that may require medication. Fear causes torment in our lives. “The horses heal the human by teaching humans how to get their personal power back. Personal power is lost or taken away when a human is wounded by life events or circumstances,”Richard says. It’s something both he and Judy understand all too well. Twelve years ago, Judy was thrown off a
horse into the wall of an indoor arena and suffered a concussion. The owner of the facility and several other ladies laughed as she lay on the ground. Because of that wounding experience and because it was not treated with love, Judy struggles with getting back on a horse. Her confidence was profoundly shaken. Richard is 5’2” tall and has been bullied about his size most of his life. While breeding two of their horses by live cover, Richard was kicked in the gut in a freak accident when the hobble around the mare’s lower legs came loose. “I nearly died from internal bleeding and was in intensive care for days,” he says. “When I was released from the hospital after a month-long stay, I knew I had my own PTSD to deal with. So I had Judy take me out to the horses to find the mare that kicked me.” Employing his own therapy methods, while still in hospital scrubs, he crawled through the fence and found her. She had been subdued all month, Judy says, somehow knowing something bad had happened and so she was as eager to see Richard as he was to find her. He hugged and loved on her and forgave her. As a result, he has healed and has no more PTSD symptoms. “I just have a higher level of respect for their power,” he says simply of the horses he loves.
ABOVE: A young girl bonds with a Trakehner in the herd. 16 July/August 2014
“I have learned from letting people interact with the herd
that there are similarities in how a herd of humans and a herd of horses interact, react and communicate. It is interesting to watch which horse picks their human counterpart and how each human is attracted to a certain personality of the horse,” he continues. “I think you would be surprised, as I was, that in a herd setting the dynamics change and it truly becomes a real family affair with the horse welcoming the humans to become part of their herd.” Because so many people who come to their program have
been profoundly hurt by other humans or are so critical of themselves that they can’t love themselves or allow others to do so, Richard teaches them to let the horses love them. “We know that most horses want a relationship with humans and welcome them into their herd. This is a very non-threatening and safe way for wounded humans to begin to trust them- selves and let another ‘being’ love on them,”Richard explains. “The result is perfect love that makes fear go away!”
Looking Ahead What are the future plans for Richard and Judy’s equine therapy operation? “Our dream is to provide an on-site horse farm treatment center where humans can interact with the horses during an extend- ed stay to accelerate their healing through a full emersion program,”Richard explains. Currently the attendees have to drive out for daily sessions—there are no overnight accommodations at the farm. They lease a nine-acre facility for the 16 horses. “Ideally we would have more acreage and 25 or 30 horses on staff which could lead to taking in injured and retired sport horses—a great second career for many of them. This would allow us to treat more than 16 injured humans at a time since our therapy pairs up one horse to one hu-
man,” he says. A bigger facility could do wonders to expand their outreach: a covered indoor, meeting rooms, kitchen and perhaps a bunk house type of hotel for the guests. It all requires big funding of course. “I also hold workshops for corporations and even for
groups of teachers. It’s amazing how a herd of horses is simi- lar to a classroom of children!” he laughs. Richard is sincere and heartfelt as he describes the possibilities of leaving a legacy behind of helping people heal. “My ultimate dream would be to expand our ‘Natural Humanship Training’ nation- wide. I would love to travel and train others to set up similar equine therapy centers.”
If you would like to help, donations are always welcome at Human Interpersonal Services, 6127 W. 16th Street, Greeley, CO 80639. Hu- man Interpersonal Services is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Learn more at
www.humaninterpersonalservices.com or find them on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/TheColoradoTherapyHorses.
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