Equi-Heart Pledge: Letting Go of Little Man: How One Horse Helped Heal My Heart

At the Happily Ever After Ranch, we intend to give every one of our horses a lifetime home. However, sometimes, you start to have a knowing that a certain horse has a different destiny calling him forward.

Yet, even when you know you're making the right decision, letting go can be fraught with all sorts of emotions, including sadness, guilt, loss, regret, and doubt...emotions which can muddle a "clean break." As the date of Little Man's departure neared, I was feeling all of this and more...thankfully Little Man himself had the perfect plan.

Little Man at 2 yo

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It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon so I took the opportunity to do some energy & body work for my horses, who were dozing gently in the sunshine. It was several days before Little Man's scheduled trip to his new home, so I wasn't really thinking about Goodbyes.

But according to Little Man, today WAS a delicious day to clear the way for a beautiful goodbye.

Three of my herd were gathered around for an energy healing and body work session, including my head mare Serendipity, her daughter Frolic, and our Pegasus, Little Man. As I worked on Seren's, then Frolic's body, we all dropped further and further into the Zone: the quiet, still space where things can most easily Shift.

Seren & Frolic: In the Zone

As I finished with Frolic, I noticed that Little Man was standing nearby, totally in the Zone with us. As a youngster, his attention span is often short and he doesn't always stay "with" us, yet there he was, eyes closed, neck lowered, nostrils breathing deeply, occasionally licking & chewing along with the other two.

Knowing Little Man had recently tweaked his neck in the ice & mud we'd been having, I figured it was as good a time as any to offer him some parting healing as well, so I sauntered quietly over to him and tried to lay my hands on his neck.

He refused. Three times. He had a better idea.

He correctly intuited that it was ME who needed the healing.

And so, in one of the ONLY times he's ever offered healing energy, Little Man set about ensuring we created a clear space for a beautiful goodbye.

Little Man & Jenn, 3 yo

While patently refusing to allow me to touch HIM, he made it very clear that he wanted to touch ME.

And he knew exactly where to begin his work: My heavy heart.

Now if you know Little Man, you'll know he's mouthy. You never quite trust that he'll keep his "hands" to himself.

But today, he very gently and very specifically, with great respect, began to take energy off of my heart space. He'd nuzzle my chest, then yawn, releasing what he picked up. Over and over again, he did the same thing: gently grabbing some stuck energy around by heart with his mouth, and then yawning to let it go.

In fact, the gentleness with which he went about this was quite astounding for him!

Nuzzle, yawn, nuzzle, yawn...it couldn't be more obvious what he was going. Oh, yeah, except the tears, that made it pretty clear too!

As he worked his way through my heart layers, he spoke to me of Goodbyes.

He spoke of gratitude and appreciation for all that he had been offered here. Of honoring the courage and bravery to do the right thing by finding him a place he could flourish. Of the beauty of letting go, when there are expansive new adventures which will bring empowerment, satisfaction, and fulfillment.

And oh, how I cried, as our Little Man, a tiny, gawky yearling when he arrived, fully embodied this blossoming wisdom that now lived in a gorgeous 16.0 hand bay body.

Little Man, 6 yo: All Grown Up!

And then he moved onto my head, grabbing stuck energy from the left side of my head and continuing the same pattern: nuzzle, yawn, nuzzle, yawn.

It was as if he wanted to show me ALL he had learned while he was here. Though he rarely choose to USE this healing ability while here, he wanted me to know that he had picked up a great deal of WISDOM by watching this herd for all these years.

In fact, he made it clear he intended to share this wisdom with his new partner, in their new home.

And so layer by layer, we dissolved the emotions that stood in the way of a good, clean break, till we stood, ensconced in appreciation and love for each other's BEINGNESS...and the tears flowed more as I realized what a beautiful being he had grown up into.

A beautiful being who was now ready, in fact, eager for the next chapter of his life story to unfold, with new games, new adventures, new partnerships, and yes, even a brand new gelding friend, something he's wanted for years!

Little Man with Marnie, in his new home in the forest!

Little Man being ponied with his new friend, Zeus

So THANK YOU Little Man, for showing me how to let you go gracefully, in full acknowledgement of the beauty of what has been, without regrets, and with full appreciation for the grand door that is opening that will usher you more fully into ALL who you are meant to become.

We love you Little Man, even if you really are BIG now! Big of heart and big of body. May your Pegasus wings spread peacefully & powerfully over all whose lives you touch moving forward.

Little Man in a CO sunset

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Looking for Another PERFECT HOME!

PostScript: It took us 3 patient years to find the ideal home for Little Man! We have one other gelding who would thrive in the perfect home with his special someone to devote time & energy to him.

His name is Galaxy and he's a gorgeous, 7yo, 17 hand, black, off-the-track TB gelding. Due to neck injuries at the track, he will never be a sport horse prospect, but he is currently rideable w/t/c as a light pleasure mount (no heavy duty training)

He is curious with an active mind and so wants something to do! Parelli, games, light riding, agility, liberty work, you name it, he'd like to try it. Although he is generally calm & somewhat lazy by nature, as a BIG TB, he can be exuberant and spirited (tho respectful), so requires a confident, experienced partner. Requires shelter, large living space, and turnout/pasture with friends & room to run! Prefer a long-term, free lease in CO, but will consider other ideal homes.

If you know someone who might LOVE this charismatic gelding, please be in touch, he deserves a wonderful home: drjenn@healingwithhorse.com.

Below are some pictures and here is a link to a video where he is lying down while I'm chatting about the vision for the collective...shows you part of his personality (and his snoring!):

http://healingwithhorse.com/about.html