An equine Reiki treatment

Working with Reiki

Reiki is effective as a single treatment or as part of a care program. Its potential benefits include management of stall behaviors (often referred to as “stall vices”) such as weaving and cribbing; support during transitions such as trailer loading, transportation, barn/stables and schedule changes; support during farrier work; relief from anxiety and depression; relief from conditions aggravated by stress; accelerated recovery after sickness, injury, or surgery.

What Reiki looks like

A Reiki treatment can last from a few minutes to an hour. It is given silently, and preferably in a quiet environment. The horse’s owner or caregiver is invited to be onsite during the treatment but does not need to be present.

Every practitioner develops their unique approach. I begin a treatment from a distance, observing quietly until it feels appropriate to approach the horse. Only then do I engage and invite the energy to do its work. An exception to this is if an animal is acutely distressed and I can confidently offer relief.

The practitioner may work hands-on, placing the hands in various positions on the horse’s body, or hands-off and held several centimeters from the body, or several meters away at the stall door or the paddock gate. Reiki is also practiced as a distance (remote) treatment. Hands are not placed on an open wound or diseased area of the body, nor on naturally sensitive parts of the body. The practitioner allows the horse to guide the form of the treatment. Horses and their environments can be unpredictable and the work must be approached with flexibility. It is sometimes necessary to pause and resume, or to reschedule the treatment.

What Reiki feels like

Humans receiving Reiki treatment report a sensation of warmth or tingling where the practitioner’s hands are in contact with or close to the body, or a feeling of relaxation and wellbeing, or no sensation at all. The horse often appears oblivious to a treatment. Horses might show affection and sometimes curiosity: many horses are unaccustomed to having a human in their immediate space who is engaged with them but not talking, only observing and listening, asking nothing of them. It is not unusual for a horse to call attention to parts of its body that need care. The horse might paw the ground or lick a leg or foot, or reach its muzzle to another part of its body. A treatment can leave a horse deeply relaxed or sleepy or experiencing an energetic ‘release’ such as yawning or urinating or passing gas. A release is noted and reported to the owner or caregiver.

Intuitive communication and insights

I experience a quickened, intuitive communication with many animals. The information that I gain about an animal is an echo of their energy state and their physical, emotional, and psychological needs. During and after a treatment my intuitive energy is highly activated and I continue to gain insights into a horse’s physical and feeling state, sometimes indefinitely. If my insights concern the horse’s wellbeing I consider it my responsibility to convey that to the owner or caregiver for them and their veterinary professional to interpret.

I do not have veterinary or medical training.
Reiki treatment is not intended to replace veterinary care.
The insights that I share with an animal’s owner or caregiver are not intended to be used for diagnostic purposes.