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Firestar

Firestar came to the ranch to be boarded here in 2013. I was told that he had lived in a couple locations where equine therapy was offered to the public, but he seemed to get upset and out of sorts whenever there was a session.

As soon as he came I asked him why that was. He said to me that he did not know what his role was during those sessions. He did not know what to do when he felt people’s emotional releases. He did not know how to have boundaries.

I let him know that he did not have to participate or do anything at all. Just be himself and stay in his own essence and energy in whatever regard or space he needed to be in to keep himself balanced. He loved that answer, and never had a problem when the sessions were happening here.

After a couple years, his owner decided she was not going to keep him. She had fallen off him during a lesson because he has a strong tendency to jump and run from sudden movement. The person giving her a lesson had taken off his hat quickly and the pony had jumped sideways. She ended up getting hurt. She never got back on him after that accident. From what I understand the owner right before her had exactly the same thing happen and actually had become afraid of him.

He has vision problems in his right eye that distorts what he sees. It has created an edge in him that is not dangerous intentionally, yet his sudden and unpredictable movement can easily unseat a rider. When I’ve been around him on the ground and a spook happens he always make sure not to run into me, but he can very suddenly run off.

He has shown me that his biggest edge came from one of his owners years ago, an abusive and unpredictable man that took out a lot of his frustrations on his pony, unfortunately. It felt like there was alcohol abuse there in his memory of the man.

At that point he was called Robespierre I believe. He came here with the name Starfire, and I was asked to change that when his owner relinquished him to me. That’s when he became Firestar. He actually likes both names much better than any previous name.

A few months before his owner tried to sell him he told me that he actually carries guilt from having hurt people that he loved. He said he needed to be ridden again. With his owner’s permission we got him under saddle with the help of a trainer and a small adult friend of mine. He did perfectly! He was extremely grounded and safe for those few rides and he told me he was so thankful to have released that energy of having hurt someone unintentionally. He was understanding that his voice would be heard here. He feels it is such a great gift.

His owner was unable to sell him easily so she gave him to a nearby school with a riding program, but he didn’t last long there. He was apparently under stress and got even more spooky than ever before. They loved him but had concerns he could accidentally hurt a child. I popped over there to visit him and he was by himself with an elevated feeder that was so high that he had to choke himself to eat. He’s only a little bit more than 13 hands in his robust Haflinger way.

I was really glad when they returned him here. He had developed even more eye problems from his stress there. He needed some time to decompress from the experience, and being back here really was good for his heart and soul. Being here was the safest he had ever felt.

A good friend of mine had a young son visiting me in 2015 who just fell in love with the pony. She pulled up when they were playing together after his many requests to meet him. At that moment Firestar was following beside him...fast, slow, jumping the jumps even, in harmony and unison. She had never seen anything like that, even though she and her kids had horses and ponies.

She volunteered to be his sponsor and for a few years contributed to his upkeep. So his transition to living here again happened very organically and gently. And for a while, he had his own little boy to play with him and even occasionally ride him.

I noticed over the years that his interest in the Horse Medicine sessions seemed to be increasing. He would come a little closer. He was observing and starting to feel the energy himself in a good way. He would even walk up to the fence to meet people. He would stand close to the people receiving and just told space in a good way. His exposure to so many people healing assisted his own process. I could feel the change in him.

In 2020 a friend of mine was bringing some of her retreat clients here to spend some time with the horses. The night before the horses would not tell me who was supposed to work with them. Knowing where we would be would help me with the set up plans. Not getting an answer from them was unusual but I let it go. They do no best.

The next morning when I asked who was ready to work with the group they still wouldn’t speak up! I trust in their wisdom, and again just released it. When the women arrived Firestar spoke up loudly from his paddock at the end of the driveway. I had put him down there because I did not anticipate him participating. He clearly said to bring them down. I am ready, he said! I am the one to work with them today. He felt so strong and open and confident.

He shined. He was never haltered or tied up, but just stood there allowing everyone to connect to him. He was fine with the tears and the laughter. He was just fine with it all. I was amazed and so happy for him and I was crying too. So much transformation with so much grace and ease.

He has since shared that he needed it to be on his timing. They were a very special group of ladies that offered him a beautiful opportunity. And he needed to express to me how much he appreciated that he is given his sovereignty here. It is precious to him, and now he knows he has a choice in all of it. You might say that is rare for most horses as people usually have certain sets of expectations of them.

The horses here recognize how special and important having choice and sovereignty is and have great gratitude for it. It facilitates them sharing their hearts and who they are with so many people.