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The Power of Being Around Horses and the Healing That Comes from Them....

• Captivate the Crowd • Season 1 • Episode 15

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My cousin, Melissa Williams, 10X World Champion with different breeds and different divisions, shares her experience growing up with horses and the many things she learned from them in this short clip from a longer interview. 

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Hi, I'm Melissa Williams and I have accomplished some world and national titles in different disciplines. I was always fascinated with horses. I knew I liked horses, but I didn't really realize how much they can connect with us and how much that bond can be healing and. A source of comfort. There are people who are afraid and forces and rightly I always say the smart people have some fear. And it's a large animal and you have to be respectful of that. But once you connect with them it's really fascinating to watch how people can blossom. It's wow, I did this. I communicated with this animal that's so much bigger than me and has so much power and so much beauty. And we connected and it listened to what I asked it to do. It's a real rush. It really is. They're very therapeutic. And for people who might be too afraid to actually get on their back and ride it's even just, Petting them when they're standing still and just entering their space and talking to them and being close with them is very soothing to most people. And, I have a other a friend of mine, she's a neighbor and she's always been afraid. And when she finally went next to one of the, big Friesian stallions she put her hand on his neck and he was accepting of it. And then they kissed. Then he put his head down and she was almost crying. She says, Oh my gosh, I can't believe this. It's a very powerful. Transformational. Absolutely. I I had such a passion for writing and then a passion for competing with them and unlike a lot of other sports you're dealing with another, live being and they have good days. They have bad days. The one thing that they do teach you as far as discipline and controlling yourself, and teaches you a lot of lessons. That really are applicable in daily life and in the business world. I would say that with horses how can that help me in my job it's the same thing when you're in a work environment is, it's if you're having a bad day nobody cares. You need to bring your A game and you need to show up and you need to be ready to do your job. And same thing with horses. It's like you're having a bad day. You've got to suck it up and be ready to go. There's lifelong lessons to be learned for sure. I continue learning them every day. These horses teach me something new and they, have this way of, just like people, some of them bond with you and that's your safe place and others are a challenge. Just like coworkers. Sometimes there's that coworker that you're like, I just can't get on the same page with this person. I can't vibe with them. I can't mesh with them. I just, they drive me crazy. And animals are no different. Sometimes the ones that are the most difficult to actually understand are the ones that we learn the most from. That's true of people too. The horses are very, empathetic and they're a prey animal and we're a predator animal, so the fact that they allow us into their world, like they often do is really fantastic and they won't let you in if they don't trust you. And so you have to adjust your energy and your intention so that They know, okay, this is fine. As far as. sensitivity, they're miles beyond us and they can adjust their heart rate. I think it's within three feet. They can actually adjust their heart rate and cause us to unknowingly adjust Our heart rate. And that's phenomenal when you think of that, that just that they, they have that ability to reach out to us., I have a couple that I can guarantee you they don't make my heart rate slow. The ones that I don't get along with as well they're a challenge for sure. But I learn all the time. And it's great lessons that can directly relate to life in general. And you were just being able to connect with this beautiful horse with just your voice and hand gestures, right? What would it be like for somebody if they were afraid of horses and then all of a sudden they got to have this experience? Has that happened for other people? I know for me, it was really a cool experience I do like to try to work my horses, what they call at liberty, which is no saddle, no bridle. Just a halter and nothing is connecting me to the horse except my voice and my intention. And it's a little scary because they can do technically, they can do whatever they want. But it's also very empowering When you realize that you can be standing in the middle of a round pen and be whatever, maybe eight feet from from this big animal. And if you say, whoa, they stop and you say trot and they trot and you say, Come step my, I usually do this for step forward. Once I asked him to, whoa, they know that means stop. And then this is step forward. And then I'll get into, once you get into their space, then they know, okay, I'm not going to be asked to go do anything right now. This is our time to get, I'm going to get petted whatever. And I usually ask them to back up and scratch them a little bit, give them a little bit of a treat. So they associate me with not always demanding them to do something, but also, let's have a moment together and I'll pet you and be your friend. But it's very empowering and it's amazing what they can learn. And that they don't have to do it. Okay. They absolutely don't have to do it. It's far easier for them. And I've had, it happens all the time. They look at you and go, yeah, not going to, I'm going to do what I want. But it, it's really fascinating when you've worked with them enough that they actually, they look for you, they look, okay, what are you asking me to do now? What do you want me to do now? And it's a thrill. It's really, it's exhilarating and and very it's just a real rush. It really is. It's very, and it's a little emotional for me, honestly. I, I have one in particular that I connect really, I've connected very strongly with her. Since she was born and we've worked together a lot at Liberty and we just have a connection and it's just a beautiful, I love it. I absolutely love it. It's different. Writing has its own magic.