A Two Way Street: The Healing of Mustangs, Veterans and Other Partners
On Sunday January 10, 2021 By the Love of Horses explored the documentary “Mustang Saviors,” by David Glossberg, who masterfully tells the intertwined stories of mustangs and war veterans, teenagers and children, all at risk in their own ways, all having at times been traumatised themselves and, in a profoundly beautiful way, needing and helping each other. The story is a little like a tapestry weaved of individual threads of giving, of helping, of overcoming the fear of the past and the future, of learning to reside in the present moment and of learning to trust. The story begins and ends with the mustangs, it is true, but in between it circles to include these different groups and what they can, in their turn, offer back to the Mustang and to each other. Healing here is a two-way street. It is the very two-sided nature that provides the basis for the healing in the first place. For it is not simply a question of the veteran needing the mustang, but it is also the other way around. And it is in significant part because the veteran seeks to help the mustang that the veteran is himself, or herself, healed.
On this podcast we explore this moving and important therapeutic initiative with guest Meggan Hill-McQueeney, President and COO of Bravehearts, a Therapeutic and Riding and Educational Centre in Illinois, U.S.A.
Listen to the Podcast at https://www.zoomerradio.ca/podcasts/by-the-love-of-horses/
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As a rider at 60 years old, I believe that all can benefit from the secret of riding. I myself, raised with a British background, take inspiration from the Queen who continues to ride at 94 years old. I believe that the same can be true for today’s youth. Riding can give them hope that they can overcome the challenges that they face and give them the confidence to become all that they can.
I was moved by the calls I received after my interview with Libby Znaimer from women and men who told me their stories of their love of horses and riding. They told me how riding set them up to overcome their circumstances. Some came out of the Depression, some out of World War II... these riders did not let these experiences dampen their efforts to achieve a full and happy life and make a contribution to their respective communities. All mentioned that riding helped immeasurably in this. They believe that riding gave them the confidence in themselves and in their ability to do something ... to go after what they wanted their lives to be.
If you are interested in sharing your experiences of horses, whether of riding or not, in the past, or more recently, on my show on Zoomer Radio, please contact me at ByTheLoveOfHorses@redscarfequestrian.ca Susan Jamieson
By The Love Of Horses is written by Doug Allen, a student of history at the University of Toronto, who believes in the need to be versed in country things. Doug’s father travelled extensively by horse on the Canadian prairies and his uncle as a small boy wept at the passing of a family horse. He is writing a novel set in Winnipeg, Canada exploring the nature of indigenous and non-indigenous relations and what it means to come home.
Hear the Podcast of the Show at https://www.zoomerradio.ca/podcasts/by-the-love-of-horses/
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