Field Notes

I was raised on a farm in the wilds of Yorkshire in the north of England, together with a herd of Jersey dairy cows, a flock of chickens, two sheep and their lambs, a goat called Betsy, a trusty beagle hound, a flurry of cats and kittens, and a horse grazing in the home field. These were the sounds and scents and companions of my childhood. I left the farm to live in the Netherlands and then in the West Indies before immigrating to the United States in 1990.

I’ve always surrounded myself with dogs, and I found myself craving the company of horses again some twenty years ago on one of my visits to southern Nepal. Wherever I travel I try to make time for a horse trek and I’ve ridden in various conditions and terrains, in Egypt, England, India, Nepal, New Zealand, and throughout the United States. I’ve worked at stables and barns close to my home on Aquidneck Island, learning horses from the ground up and from the outside in. That learning continues each day. Riding is a joy but is only one component of life with horses.

Eight years ago a vibrant Appaloosa mare named Sugar walked into my life and changed the way I experience the world. She has been a conduit to deepening my connection not only with horses but with other animals and with the natural world. I watched as Sugar formed a profound bond with her paddock mate, a spirited, sensitive young blue roan mare called Aja. I learn continually from observing the intimate dance of horses. My six-year-old black labrador, Sachem, is the other member of our tribe. His intelligence and interaction with the horses has informed my understanding of interspecies communication. My work as an equine Reiki practitioner and intuitive animal communicator is constantly enriched and evolving thanks to these animals who I regard as my companions, partners, and guides.