DIXON, CA (MPG) - When Char Gaborko went out into the arena to meet a large brown horse and a smaller, tan one, she didn’t know what to think. She’d been experiencing anxiety and sleeplessness after dealing with a loss of hearing which meant the loss of her career as a teacher.

“I was working through some very difficult issues, and I couldn’t picture the power of [horse therapy] but immediately felt this was a safe place,” she said, referring to an arena under the direction of Denise Wilson Freedom Equine Connection in Dixon. “Even today, it washes over me, and I feel it again.”

What Gaborko may be feeling is the electromagnetic field a horse radiates which can expand to several feet in all directions. It is five times stronger than a human’s, creating a sphere-shaped field that completely surrounds a person and can change one’s heart rhythms and emotions.

“I didn’t even know the horses’ names, but it was a powerful experience that affected all my senses and my whole body,” Gaborko said. “I cried for a solid week just processing words and feelings.”

Wilson, who works at a hospital, grew up with horses, studied horse therapy for years and started the business with her husband to most specifically work with post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by first responders and medical staff who witnessed COVID deaths.

She explained that when our heart and body connect to a horse’s energy, we feel relief inside, a sense of well-being, and our bodies begin to slow down and heal. We experience what is going on inside of us.

“I’ve had horses since I was a child so for 50 years, I have always instinctively and intuitively shared them with others. At first, I hadn’t done any research, but it got me through teenage angst. Now, I wanted to do it intentionally,” Wilson said.

A horse can feel and hear a person’s heartbeat from four feet away. Because their heartbeat is slower, ours slows down to match theirs. Think of blocked energy that can now dislodge. We can feel a sense of relief and a sense of well-being. That’s when we can begin to heal ourselves, Wilson explained.

According to HeartMath Institute (kindredhorsesspirits.com,) “Horses are always in a blank state. Their focus is on eating and sleeping. In a herd, there is always one standing guard and because they have an electromagnetic field, they can feel trouble and if they do, they will run. Then they will stop and be fine. They are always in the moment.”

“Horses have an amazing ability to read our nonverbal communication and adapt to hidden messages and emotions we often don’t know we carry. Growing evidence and research support Equine Assisted Psychotherapy’s effectiveness, which Freedom Equine Connection provides through a team of certified, licensed professionals and horses,” Wilson explained.

The organization’s services do not include getting on a horse or riding a horse, but just being with a horse. Also, there is never one person alone with horses. The person is encouraged to think about what is keeping them up at night, she said, and then the person may be led out to the horse (or horses.)

“We are always alert to their emotional and physical safety but there is never a problem getting them out there,” she said. Our emotions carry different energies and horses will feel these energies and respond to them by showing us what we are feeling, even when we are unaware of ourselves.

As Gaborko strokes the mane of the dark brown horse, the horse closes its eyes similar to a dog enjoying a petting. Gaborko was so impressed with her experience and healing that she joined the Board of the organization’s non-profit. What could have been months of appointments with counselors, and why horse therapy is growing in popularity, her healing happened in less time giving her peace and a sense that “God has got me and I was OK,” she said.

“There is a mental health crisis in the world right now,” said Wilson. “We want to help people.” The organization’s mission is to now find a larger barn. For more information, go to freedomequineconnection.org or email [email protected].