Life With Braveheart

09/01/2026

Yesterday I had a beautifully profound experience that touched my soul.

It reminded me, in the clearest possible way, why we must never underestimate a horse.

Until a horse is given true safety, space, and choice, we may never know who they are, or what they carry, or what they are capable of offering. So much of a horse’s brilliance remains hidden simply because they have never been allowed to be more than managed, trained, or tolerated.

Nicola’s horse Stormy is a deeply sensitive mare. I have spoken about her here before. She has pronounced sensory sensitivities, delicate skin, a low threshold for pain, and a very small window of tolerance. Connection is not easy for her. Touch is something she chooses carefully, and only on her terms. Even with Nicola, she has only recently begun initiating contact, and always briefly.

Stormy is not a horse who seeks interaction. She is a horse who protects herself.

Which is why what happened yesterday mattered so much.

A client came to spend time with the herd for a soul coaching session, one of the services I personally offer. She said she felt this calling to come and heal with the horses. We were not asking anything of the horses. We were simply sitting among them, talking quietly. At one point, Stormy walked over, paused, and offered a very clear suggestion for a treatment my client needed. Then she turned and walked away again. (a treatment very much aligned with an illness she has.)

I laughed and said, “Well… that’s unusual.”

But in truth, it was entirely Stormy. She came in, communicated what needed to be said, and left.

For context, I work as an animal communicator, and the horses are always invited, never expected, to participate in sessions. If they choose to step in with guidance or support, we listen. They are free to walk away at any time. Their choice is always honoured.

We continued our conversation while the horses grazed. After a while, we stood up and moved closer to the herd. Stormy left the spot where she had been grazing and came to stand beside us. She settled, resting with one hind leg cocked, eyes soft and closing.

And very clearly, I heard from her, “I want to help with healing.”

I sugge

29/12/2025

29/12/2025

Pretty boys Braveheart 🖤

03/12/2025

So special ro he this trusted by Spirit and Mally ❤️

21/11/2025

Ferno enjoying some play in the water

21/11/2025

Braveheart 🖤

21/11/2025

What you’re seeing here is a really good example of how a horse’s nervous system can move through activation and then settle into healthy mobilisation.

Braveheart got slightly activated at the start - there was a bit of a traffic jam at the sack bridge, he couldn’t find his way through, and that mild frustration or confusion can momentarily spike the sympathetic system.
That’s normal.

When he finally jumped the bridge, that spike of activation released into movement - which is why he shot forward and went into a gallop.

Here’s the important part:

Once he was through, his movement became organised, rhythmic, and synchronised with the herd.
That tells us he wasn’t in fight-or-flight.
That’s a ventral vagal–sympathetic blend - a regulated horse using energy to move, play, and rejoin his group.

In other words, the initial activation wasn’t fear.
It was the nervous system doing what it’s designed to do:
mobilise, release, and return to connection through movement.

This is what healthy activation and natural regulation look like in horses.