By Kathleen Cloutier
Translated by Marie Josée Hull 

This summer while I was at my beginnings in equine facilitated wellness, I experienced an unforgettable experience. A man in his forties called me wanting to have an experience with my horses. He did not a session; he only wanted to be in contact with the horses. He had only a few months to live due to a diagnosis of cancer in his spine. So I scheduled a session without knowledge of what he would experience with my horses.

The morning came and Maya my black mare, was waiting for my client impatiently at the gate. When he arrived at the farm, he was barely able to stand on his two legs. Due to the extreme heat that morning I offered to him that he meets the horses from inside the barn. I brought in the horses and place a chair in the middle of a stall for my client.  I began guiding him through a body scan to help him connect with his body. I could not help but notice the palpable connexion he, and Maya had. Maya was keeping her head near him while being totally connected to this man.

Through the body scan the man identified his lags as being a great source of pain and the message being “levels”.  I did not understand the meaning of his message, and I asked him a few questions. He understood the message was related to the fact that he was no longer able to walk as he used to.

When I asked him which horse, he felt a connetion with, and he immediately looked at Maya. I took her out of her stall and explained to my client that I would allow her to come close to him with his permission. He was ok with that. I also explained to him that Maya was a mare that had been abused and had significant pain in her legs.  

When Maya came out she went to him straight away. She put her muzzle on his legs and began to lick them from top to bottom as if she wanted to ease his pain. After this precious moment my client asked if he could turn and let her do the same on his spine. I told him he could turn but only Maya could decide if she wanted to do the same. When he turned Maya put her muzzle on his spine, and she licked once and stood there quietly in what appeared to be a meditative state. After a few seconds, she shed a tear on his back and left to go back to her stall as if her work was done. The man was moved, and he kept the memory of the black mare who shed a tear on his injury.

A week later, I received a call informing me that my client had passed away. I took the time to go see Maya and tell her of the news and thank her for giving this man the serenity he was unable to find alone in his illness. 

Kathleen Cloutier