No matter what their individual situation might be, Nancy’s goal remains steady: “To draw out our clients’ feelings, help them open up and encourage them to talk and express what’s in their heart.”
Much of the work is task oriented. Oftentimes, the nature of a session is determined in the moment depending on what’s presenting, either with the client or with how the horse is responding.
“I don’t always know what’s going on with clients when they come in,” says Nancy. “Other times you think you have it all set out until they come in and throw down the unexpected.” Facilitating a successful session can be demanding and requires her to think fast on her feet.
Nancy once challenged a particularly angry young client with guiding his horse through an obstacle course, using only a thin string for a lead. With great patience and persistence, the rewards of influence over force eventually became clear.
“There are so many touching moments,” says Nancy. “So many ‘Aha!’ moments. It can be quite an enlightening and powerful experience.”
If you ask, many of her clients and/or their parents might even say it’s been life changing. “Our daughter got her happiness back,” writes one grateful parent. Another client writes: “The interaction … opened up a whole new world for me!”
“I love what I do and how it helps people,” says Nancy. “It’s one of those things that you can try to explain, but you don’t really get it until you experience it.”
