I offer this little story as a cautionary tale about the unexpected effects of not taking your animal communication session seriously enough. If you ask a question of your animal partner without the respect and earnest interest in the answer, you might be left empty handed.
I was given the opportunity to talk with a beautiful dressage mare and her riding partner of many years. It was a good conversation with the mare as I learned about her years in the show arena and how she felt about her work. We discussed all of the fun stuff about her home and animal friends, her likes and wishes.
The woman who asked me to connect with her mare really only had one question, “How did (her mare) like her new young rider?” As with all of my sessions, I was furnished with a photo as my guide. The image showed this woman and a young child, maybe eight years old, side by side on a pair of horses, one being the mare in question. When I asked about this question in our conversation, the horse seemed pretty clear.
The mare was kind and patient, telling me that the child was sweet and enjoyable enough. She felt honored by the faith placed in her by her human companion to shepherd this girl into the realm of equitation. She was happy to work with the woman in bringing this child up in the discipline they had shared for so long, but she was also a bit disappointed. She missed the more challenging work they once shared preparing for shows and she found her current work lacking in mental stimulation. She was bored.
With this in mind, I shared this insight with my client, suggesting ways to create a training challenge for the mare while simultaneously helping the child learn about ground work and training. I felt sure that some tangible good had come of the session and that the mare would be pleased to have some new and challenging fun.
My client met my reading result and suggestions with silence. Awkward silence. Then, she proceeded to explain that the mare and young rider were already showing and earning ribbons, working hard at their labors. She suggested I must have just been “off.”
Something didn’t feel right. The message from the horse had seemed so clear, and it spurred me to ask further questions of my client. Her answers suddenly made clear the fact that the child in the photo supplied was not the older, more mature younger rider my client was asking about. She gave me a picture of the wrong girl!
Everything the horse told me about the child I was asking about may have been true. As to this other girl, we’ll never know.
The moral of this story is to be respectful enough of the animal and the process to provide me with a clear direction. Set yourself, your animal and me up for success with clear, thoughtful questions and a current and accurate photo. This way, we can all get the most out of our shared time together.