Horse Sense and the Human Heart: What Horses Can Teach Us About Trust, Bonding, Creativity and Spirituality [Paperback]

Horses can teach us about trust and love and be part of a therapeutic healing process for troubled humans. The authors, both practicing psychotherapists, use horses in their treatment program with mentally disturbed patients, who often bond with their equine companions even when they are unable to relate to other people. The McCormicks explain how horses, quick to sense pretense, force people to rely on their instincts and to be honest with themselves. But riding is only a part of the authors' treatment program. Their clients establish close relationships with the animals by feeding and grooming them, cleaning their stalls and equipment, observing them at work and play, and learning about the long history of humanity's interaction with the horse. The healing process begins when clients learn to relate first to horses and then to their therapists. This is a fascinating book, though its appeal may be limited to those with an interest in psychotherapy or in the therapeutic use of animals. Recommended where interest warrants.?Deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll. Lib., Rochester, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Can horses really teach us to be better human beings? In this groundbreaking work, you will discover that the answer is a resounding "Yes". While working with severely disturbed youths, therapists Adele and Deborah McCormick discovered the best healers were their herd of Peruvian Paso horses. Through their work with horses, the McCormicks' patients were initiated into the hidden world of animal energy and instinct, and found a safe and natural way to learn about their own dualistic natures. Patients learned to tap into their primal "animal" mind and energies and apply them toward more creative and responsible living. What took days or months to uncover in an office setting took onyl minutes when patients were on a horse. You will read case after fascinating case of people discarded by society and the psychiatric community whose lives were turned around by the intuitive guidance and friendship of their equine therapists. What People are saying... "This book got me. It is about personal growth and the cultivation of wisdom, and is one of the wisest contributions I have come across in years...Its implications for healing are utterly profound. Horse Sense and the Human Heartis a breakthrough work." --Larry Dossey, M.D. author Prayer is Good Medicine and Healing Words "Horse Sense and the Human Heart is an eye-opening and heartwarming adventure. In sharing their pioneering therapeutic discoveries, Adele and Deborag McCormick take us on a shamantic interspecies odyssey. They reveal a secret world governed by wise equine masters, availalbe to help heal our psyches, and guide the human spirit on its journey toward wholeness." --David Jay Brown, author, Brainchild and Mavericks of the Mind

Adele von Rust McCormick, Ph.D. and Marlena Deborah McCormick, Ph.D., have been psychotherapists for over 30 years. Currently, they are co-direectors of the Institute for Conscious/Awareness and co-founders of the Three Eagles Equine Experience in Calistoga, California.

Chapter 1 There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse. —Surtees, circa 800 a.d. Since childhood we have all had encounters with the Classic Horse. It is the horse of our dreams, fanciful and airborne, with a long flowing mane and tail. Its nostrils flare, displaying an inner spirit as magnificent as the mighty wind. It is the waves of the ocean and the fire of the setting sun. It saves us from the world. This mythic horse has marched forever through time with humans. This enduring image is a catalyst, opening us up to new horizons and teaching us about our inner feelings, the doorway to intuition. The Classic Horse rings in our psyche like a church bell; its overtones reverberate and linger, long after the bell has rung. No one knows how our friendship with the horse began, but we do know a deep affection and camaraderie exist. Throughout time horses have been powerful archetypes, giving humans direction as they venture into the labyrinths of the soul. Over the centuries horses, being natural travelers, have faithfully accompanied people on journeys, external and internal. The horse has willingly carried us to faraway places, to enchanted castles, to and from battle, and even to the grave. It has accompanied us to new frontiers and joined us on heroic adventures. The ancient Celts, Greeks, Indo-Europeans, Iberians, Berbers, Persians and Asians knew horses embodied a healing metaphor and reflected that belief in the rich mythology surrounding horses. The ancients called them messengers between ourselves and the divine, companions to the gods. Even today urbanization has not killed human affinity for this mythic horse. Its mystery, allure and healing attributes live on. We discovered that involvement with real horses, particularly ancient breeds like the Iberians, stimulate this age-old archetype. In modern times the lore surrounding Iberian horses continues unabated. In Portugal, the horse is revered as the "Son of the Wind" who came out of the sea from the lost continent of Atlantis and is imbued with the same magical qualities as its ancestor, the unicorn. Aware or not, humankind has been raised on these horse stories and they are an inseparable part of the human psyche. Remember Black Beauty, the Black Stallion, Roy Rogers and Trigger, the Red Pony, and the great El Cid? The Classic Horse awakens the human heart to the essence of a love the ancient Greeks called agape—a complete and all-encompassing love of the creator and the created, a love difficult to practice as it is so selfless. Yet we can grow closer to it if we listen to the voice of the Classic Horse. One can ride this horse in spirit only. You can ride, watch, read, imagine or just think about this Classic Horse, and during times of stress summon it as a source of comfort and guidance. Close your eyes and see yourself in the saddle of this strong and noble animal. When you do, you become strong and majestic as well. Listen to its hooves hitting th