Braveheart (aka Encore) is an eight-year-old Clydesdale/Thoroughbred cross. The Clydesdale is a tall breed of draught horses from Scotland, made popular by the Budweiser Beer commercials. Braveheart is now our tallest horse and he has a huge heart. There is a softness about his demeanour despite his large size. He has these liquid eyes that invite you to relax and connect deeply with yourself. He is soft and quiet and loves a good belly massage – his head lowers to the ground in deep appreciation.

Braveheart is the most gentle horse we have met! This is remarkable based on his life history. Within our herd, we have rescued and rehabilitated a number of horses who become the ‘wounded healer’. These horses have special gifts to share with people through their individual life experiences. People resonate with particular horses that call to something similar in their soul.

We first heard of Prospero’s Braveheart when Jessica Fobert and Zoe Carter rescued him from a livestock auction in 2014. These auctions can be the last finish line for many horses. Free Rein created a video about his rehabilitation with Jessica- this was the second episode in the series of which Horse Spirit Connections was featured in the third episode. (Here’s a link to the full series!) Nursed back to health, Braveheart went to a ‘horse sanctuary’ and heartbreakingly needed to be rescued again in 2016. When he first came to us Braveheart scored 1 out of 9 on the body condition score. This magnificent horse has survived incredible odds to join our healing team.

When Braveheart came to us he was withdrawn, shielding his bruised heart as he focused inward to heal on all levels and did not want to engage with people when they came to meet the horses in our barn. So we gave him space to just be a horse. In a FEEL session, Meet the Herd is the first contact with our horse teachers, enabling the horses and people to choose who they wish to connect with. After 3 months, Braveheart started to show us that he was ready to engage. Now Braveheart is a ‘big hit’ – he is so soft and loving. He gently places his giant head close to a person’s chest, breathing into their pain, hence his new name, Braveheart.

Juliette and another horse were found starving in a dry paddock in 2012. When Horse Spirit Connections received the call, we went to visit Juliette and were shocked by her condition. She was apathetic, just skin and bones.

When we put her out in the field the next morning, she collapsed on a slight hill. Lying down on the ground with legs stretched out and her head straight out, there was no life in her eyes. Andre tried to lift her head to put her halter on to encourage her to stand up. Her head was a dead weight. Wendy sat down beside her and talked about life at Horse Spirit Connections. She let Juliette know this was a good place to pass on. It would be her choice and we would honour it.

You could hear the herd’s encouragement as they spoke to her about their experiences – how they had been rehabilitated to become a ‘whole’ horse again and were working with humans in a teaching and healing capacity.

The vet had been called and so we stayed with Juliette. Watching her we could see she was dancing between the worlds. “Do I stay or do I go?” To have choice and to exercise it! By the time the vet arrived, Juliette was up on her feet and munching grass. Her decision had been made!

Over a period of eight months, Juliette regained her trust in people and is a valued member of our herd and a wise teacher. People are drawn to her sage, grandmotherly manner and insights.

Spirit joined our horse rehabilitation program in 2011. Spirit had raced at the Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track in New York where he showed some promise and won a number of races. After his second year of racing, he ended up at the Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Rescue Centre. When he came to us, his thin body couldn’t support him and he had lost the spirit to run. In his short four years of life, ours became his sixth home.

Unfortunately, Spirit’s introduction to our herd was traumatic. He presented himself as such a victim that neither one of our herds would accept him, in fact, they physically attacked him and he suffered even more abuse. He began his recovery in a field on his own and then Aria agreed to join him helping him settle into a new way of life.

Throughout all this turmoil, Spirit remained calm and sensitive. Feeling safe, the next two years saw him going through all the traditional life milestones that should have occurred in his first four years: kicking up his heels and racing throught the fields; developing confidence; expressing his sexual interest in the mares (they kept him in line!); creating his own little herd within the bigger herd, playing with Thor and Red Man and most importantly being respected for who he was! Once he trusted himself, he grew to trust people.

Spirit makes a very deep and healing connection with people he resonates with. Other times his playful nature brings a smile to people’s faces. As his name suggests Spirit Walker walks between the worlds.

Red Man, the wounded healer, has evolved into an incredibly gifted healer following a difficult illness. Red Man is a spotted mountain horse who has always been incredibly sensitive to the emotions of his herd and the humans around him – an empath. In order to protect his huge heart, he developed an armoring of being a clown, lover boy, and overall foolish teenager.

What has been most intriguing has been the shift in his role of teacher and healer with humans after he recovered from his illness. There is now a vast maturity and he is accessing wisdom gained from his own wounding and the horse ancestors to allow him to have a basis for understanding and meeting both the pain and the potential for healing in people. His willingness to be of service, through open heartedness and vulnerability, reveals his true strength and power.

Contendor is a magnificent white Paso Fino which is a breed of horse that has a smooth, dancing gait with a lot of “brio” or presence. He has very stallion like energy and is the protector of his herd.

Contendor is the closest to a wild horse that I have come to know. He is incredibly sensitive to everything within his environment. Some traditional horse people view his mercurial behavior and say he should be desensitized. This is his incredible gift!

Being so sensitive, he does not like to be touched especially around his head and ears. However if Contendor feels connected to you or wants to be a teacher with you he will touch YOU and it is such an honoring to be the focus of his attention.

One of our master teachers, Contendor has a strong spiritual gift and will join you on your journey with the oneness of creation.

Rhea (aka Aria) is also a Paso Fino – a Spanish breed of horse known for its elegance. Rhea demonstrated this elegance and was winning show ribbons when she was two years old in Florida. Rhea was presented to us as a sweet and docile mare who had fallen on hard times. When we first met her, she was depressed as her baby had just been weaned (taken away from her) at three months of age. Coming off the trailer at our farm, Rhea displayed a tendency called stringhalt which ended her riding career. Rhea was very disappointed as she loved to perform and gait in front of a crowd.
When Rhea arrived at our farm, we let her become a horse again with very few demands. Interestingly as she felt safe, she slowly revealed her true personality! Definitely not a docile mare! Rhea is highly intelligent and we now affectionately call her a “Diva”. She is a very strong teacher for those people she feels worthy of her attention.
In 2013 Rhea let us know that she wanted to get pregnant and help birth a new horse consciousness, similar to the rainbow and indigo human children. We were in alignment with this noble intent and in 2014, Rhea gave birth to Starlight Dancer. She remains in her element as a mother.
While continuing in her role of mother (Dancer is still with her), it is wonderful to have her back as one of our valuable horse teachers for humans, where her sweet and gentle gaze can have a profound impact, so much so that she was renamed Rhea, the goddess of the gods.

Dancer was born in 2014 on the night of the supermoon. Aria quietly and efficiently engaged in the ageless miracle of giving birth to an exceptional horse named Dancer. It was profound to have a heart to heart connection with him when he was only four hours old – to feel one conscious being connecting with another.

Aria had her hands full with this independent, fiery horse. Dancer is full of boundless curiosity and a passion to explore his world. At three days old he was sprinting ahead of Aria outrunning her as we watched, with our hearts in our throat, as he sped across the uneven ground.

Within a week, Dancer became an escape artist leaving Aria waiting anxiously behind. We had to reinforce our fencing to ensure he stayed with Mama. At two months of age we brought Contendor and Paris back into the herd to provide much-needed teachings and discipline.

Dancer has a huge heart, tons of enthusiasm, and no fear. We are enjoying watching him grow into his very unique talents. He has a strong gift in engaging his third eye (sixth chakra) .

Paris is a wise mare who is part of Arabian and part Quarter horse. When we first met Paris, she was a high-spirited Arabian. She had nine owners in eight years during this time. She knew her own mind and did not want to be ridden. Her last owner was a friend of ours and was doing equine therapy while still trying to ride her. This part of their journey was not going smoothly, so her caretaker brought Paris to a four-day workshop here at Horse Spirit Connections. When Paris arrived she was a flighty and nervous horse, when she left she was relaxed and confident. She had been heard!

When her caretaker was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she asked if we would accept Paris into our herd. It has been a joy to see Paris evolve into a sage teacher with incredible insights for people. She embraces the divine feminine and can lift your spirit.

Paris willingly provides a grounding and steadying influence in both her herd and all those that come into connection with her.

Velvet, a gray Welsh Pony cross, came to HSC in the fall of 2023. She spent some time at a riding school, and her small size and white colouring was a magnet for children who were looking to love a pony! Even with a big heart, there’s a mischievous side to her.

Hundreds of years ago, Welsh ponies were used in Wales for many purposes, including ploughing fields, pulling wagons for transportation, and their small size was suitable for working in the coal mines. For these reasons, they were bred to be hardy and good-natured, and Velvet displays these traits.

Velvet eventually needed a new home, and when she arrived at Horse Spirit Connections, she quickly bonded with Starlight Dancer and adjusted very well to her new environment.

She has a happy-go-lucky spirit and a gift for helping to lift one’s mood. She loves attention, and her feminine energy helps people to feel nurtured.

Ruby is a Quarter horse/draft cross, a wise older mare that came to HSC in November 2023. Ruby lived her earlier life as a renting horse, being ridden every day and always by different riders. Many of them were not experienced, which sometimes caused her pain (the little white spot on her right side was caused by an ill-fitting saddle). There was not always enough feed for all the horses on that farm, which made life more difficult.

In the four years Ruby lived at her next farm, which was a FEEL farm, she slowly changed from a shut-down horse with little confidence and trust in people to an amazingly attuned and aware one. Her real personality, her big heart with lots of love and her age-old wisdom were beginning to shine. Here, she was the lead mare, her leadership style consisting of subtle cues and loving guidance.

When Ruby arrived at HSC, she unloaded with grace, briefly looked around, smelling the air in all
directions and then she swiftly headed for the barn and placed herself in her new stall across from
Braveheart’s. She definitely knew where she wanted to be.

To a special horse with a shining and indomitable spirit.

Angelina was a Paso Fino with a keen intelligence and strong curiosity. She was a special horse who demonstrated a powerful intuition when working deeply with people.

Within two days of her arrival at our farm, Angelina was diagnosed with laminitis which is a debilitating condition that affects their feet. It had been an ongoing journey to keep her in balance.

Angelina was one of the first horses here at Horse Spirit Connections who was willing to embrace the teachings of FEEL, leading the way for all of the horses to follow.

A number of years ago when she had been in a healthy state, Angelina became pregnant. However her body reacted to her increased hormone levels with an acute state of laminitis which led to a natural abortion at 7 months. Horses’ experience a wide range of emotions just as people do. This life event gave Angelina a depth of experience that allowed her to relate to people and resonate with their emotions. This allowed her to connect at a higher level.

To a magnificent horse whose passion to help people continues to be felt across dimensions.

Rosa is so bright and inquisitive. She is intrigued with the transformation that can happen between horses and humans. She is part Andalusian and part Dutch warm blood. The Andalusian horse is known as the pure Spanish horse or the horse of Kings. Rosa has a huge energetic presence and when she runs she floats across the ground.

Rosa was rescued in 2010 by a caring individual who wanted to rehabilitate her as a riding horse. She brought her along from a neglectful past where she was found abandoned in a field with father, sister, and her mother who had passed on. With her family torn apart, Rosa threw her energy out in all directions and became a bully with the other horses. She also did not want to be ridden. Through an animal communicator, Rosa was quite clear in telling her owner that she’s here to help people, and not be a riding horse. Knowing she wanted to be a therapy horse, her owner investigated a number of equine facilities and chose Horse Spirit Connections for Rosa’s next step on her life journey.

Rosa inspires people just through her incredible presence that envelope’s you with a sense of warmth and peace. She has developed a very gentle, nurturing way with people that renews a sense of trust.

To a horse with a huge heart and profound wisdom.

Dusty started her partnership with humans while playing the sport of polo. She was one of Wendy’s first polo horses brought up from Kentucky. While being a very quiet thoroughbred at the farm, when her feet hit the polo field, she was charged with excitement. She loved leaping and galloping down the field following the play of the ball. When Wendy stopped playing in 2000, Dusty partnered with Andre and retired in 2012 giving her the opportunity to give her full attention to helping people.

In 2006, Dusty found a deeper calling supporting people on this path of self-discovery and profound soul connection. Her huge heart was immediately attracted to the immense opportunities for horses to heal people’s hearts. Being a quiet, reserved horse, she has an incredible ability to hold a sacred space for people as they journey deep within themselves.

Northern Lady was Andre’s first horse and has been with us since 1995. She is part thoroughbred and part percheron. Lady is very majestic and is considered to be the matriarch of her herd. While reserved, she has a calm demeanor and is attentive to everything around her.

Andre and Lady learned to play Polo together. She loved to race down the fields, turn on a dime, and run in the other direction. Unfortunately her long body created a physical impediment for such an active sport and she had to retire.

Lady gave birth to Mystique and was an excellent mother. Mystique is now following another path.

When we started the FEEL work, Lady was in her element and quickly became a master! She blossomed and discovered the many healing gifts she had to offer to people. Women are drawn to her quiet strength and emulate her graciousness and power.