Archive for June 23rd, 2005
Thursday, June 23rd, 2005Animal Therapy
Some weeks seem filled with challenges. Last week a friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. Then this week my dad went into the hospital. Yesterday a nurse friend of mine got a call saying her kids had been involved in a car accident; she was asked to ‘go to the scene.’ I spent three hours worrying until I got a call telling me that the kids were okay.
I drove out to Triple Creek Ranch yesterday to help with the weekly classes. I really just wanted to go home and go to bed. But as my car crept down the dirt driveway, I saw the horses and my spirits lifted. I parked, climbed out of my car and squeezed through the pasture fence. Ruby, the new baby mule, lifted her head and I called out to her. She trotted toward me, her ears flipping back and forth, her tail swishing. I wrapped my arms around her sun soaked neck and inhaled her mulish smell. My muscles relaxed, a sense of calm washed over me. Later, I climbed atop Dillon bareback and rode him out into the pasture. The gentle rhythm of his walk soothed me. Oaks shaded us from the hot afternoon sun. The only sounds were the steady clop of Dillon’s feet and the songs of the birds.
Back at the barn, our two new kittens (Larry and Mo) wrestled with each other. They batted at dust motes and scampered between the tack. I lifted Mo into my lap, felt the rumble of his purr and warmth of his tiny body. He stretched out and cupped my finger with his paws.
I left the ranch last night feeling lighter, the stress lifted from my shoulders, and glad for the therapy of animals.