Casper lived with 14 other horses before they were all rounded up by a rescue. All were adopted out, but Casper was still at the rescue after 16 months. Pictures show that he had a halter on – not sure for how many years, but that didn’t help him become halter broke. The rescue facility that Casper stayed at – his caregiver spent time and knew just how to halter him, he trusted her. When he came here to be with us Dec 6, 2019, that trust didn’t automatically come along. In fact he wasn’t interested in connecting or bonding with horses or myself. His response was deep fear. My…

Allowed to do what he wanted, felt like doing – Caspers beautiful, fun, happy personality shines through in movement!

I was finally able to halter and move Casper to the Arena on 3-23-2020. We’ve made great progress. Yesterday I was able to offer a series of acupressure points, via the tip of my wand, and Casper is letting go of tension – many ‘lick and chews’… While still terrified, he is making exceptional progress. It will take time to get his emotions sorted out. Trust takes time…

Progress with Casper- walking straight forward on a lead rope. Don’t all horses do this? No…In answer to a question… This is about PTSD, severe – no trust when interacting if he is haltered, very little ‘try’, or curiosity, he becomes frozen in ‘brace’ – his brain telling a body part to move, gets disconnected, he CAN’T move… Thanks to clicker training and waiting for him think and respond, this is the first time he took more than 2 steps forward – in a straight line, when asked via lead rope. His response at the end – going internal, is him coming off adrenalin. Our continued connection – without me…

Casper Day 34… Trust. Confidence. Connection.Casper is very responsive and a clear communicator. I am demonstrating how to support and guide him. His over sensing (self preservation) is a lot like my dog Auzzie. Yes, it is about working with the physical -asking for step forward, step back… but the bigger picture of awareness for Casper is spiritual, emotional, – Can I leave, do I want to leave? How can I pay attention to details when I need to watch everything else going on? He is curious, and the treats and chewing allow his body and mind to keep releasing nervous energy (TMJ motion – the most proprioceptive nerves in the body…

First Bodywork session 12-16-2019- without haltering, without touching. Results were astounding. Watch closely.

Today, Everyone met…

Day 6, I moved Starry in with Casper. Starry is my 20 year old gelding, he lost his mate in 2017. He lives with 2 mares and a gelding, but he gets pushed around and feels disconnected. He is an amazing guy, but lately he has lost his sparkle. I’m hoping he and Casper end up as best buddies. With a new horse in his round pen, Casper is thrilled… We had gained a good connection, yet after 6 days, he remained untouchable, in his mind and senses. The first goal in our partnership is to stand close to him and have him feel comfortable with this. We’ve achieved this.…