A Zen Connection with Horses reader’s video – such an enjoyable brag!
Here’s a Youtube video of Kathy Honeck, who has been intensively working with the Zen Connection with Horses approach.
I just love it – I was “doin’ a little dance” while I was watching this video.
What makes this short, on the ground video so special, is that Wunjo, the same happy, willing, soft legged, relaxed Wunjo in this video, used to be a very old, saggy backed, petrified of his saddle, shut down, 25 year old horse. (Notice that I said he “used to be very old” – cos’ he sure doesn’t look it any more!)
This video is a credit to both Wunjo and Kathy. Kathy changed that old picture to this beautiful new picture in a number of ways:
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She committed to Wunjo that she would work through every issue with him and not make him do anything again – even to the point that she would accept if he never wanted to be ridden again at his age.
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She then stuck to that commitment.
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She helped Wunjo release all his old traumas with the procedure in the book Zen Connection with Horses, specially the traumas that he had about being saddled and loading onto a float.
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De-traumatising about his saddle, systematically and with infinite patience seemed to be where Wunjo’s biggest breakthrough happened.
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Then Kathy added the mind connection tools to all the knowledge and skills that she already knew, to ask Wunjo to do things in ways that he understood.
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Then she worked with systematic, easily understood, baby steps towards what she wanted him to do.
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The outcome is that his back has healed and lifted back up to such an extent that I was stunned. I was surprised that such a huge skeletal change was possible. When you’re looking at the video, notice the way his ears are softly swivelling around – that’s a relaxed, attentive and very willing horse.
Notice his rhythmic stride and soft, springy steps - this is a picture of a horse who is seriously deep in his comfort zone.
And despite working full time as a masseuse and having a very busy, “close to” self sustaining life style, she achieved this lovely outcome in under 7 months - many, many days spending just minutes with Wunjo and many, many days off with no “work” at all.
Congratulations Kathy!
