How a Mindfulness Meditation Course Saved a Horse Rescue Centre
#LifeChangingStoriesSeries
Exhausted at the end of the day, Emma stood by the paddock’s gate, leaning on the weathered fence post. She was watching her motley crew of horses graze. The evening sun generously bathed everything in a golden hue, the last rays softening the rugged terrain. She sighed, and there was a mixture of wonder and hopelessness in the sound. She loved this life. Always had. But lately, the weight of it had begun to crush her.
At 43, Emma had been running her horse rescue for almost a decade. She had started it with nothing but a small nest egg and an overwhelming urge to save abused and neglected horses, fueled by a lasting childhood love of these animals. She’d built it from the ground up—literally—with her own two hands, a patch of overgrown land, a couple of derelict barns, a small stream and a few rescued horses in dire need of care. Her work was never finished, and the financial strain was relentless.
It wasn’t glamorous. Days started long before the sun rose and ended long after it had set. Emma had to be a jack-of-all-trades: a nurse when a horse fell ill, a carpenter when a barn needed repair, and a skilled negotiator when there wasn’t enough money to cover the vet bills. She was barely scraping by, each month a delicate balance of rationing, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and an endless hustling for donations.
She didn’t mind the hard work—it was the uncertainty that was getting to her. How long could she keep this up? Another 20 years? What would happen to the horses then? The thought haunted her, invading her dreams at night and at the forefront of her mind during the day. She loved these horses—they were her family—but her small rescue centre had become a financial black hole.
One night, after tallying her latest rescue’s vet bills, Emma sat at her kitchen table, staring at her computer screen in despair. Her search history was a painful reflection of her desperation: “How to make money with horses,” “Fundraising ideas for animal charities,” “Side hustle ideas for rural properties.” She’d tried everything, it seemed—selling manure offering tours, even birthday parties—but nothing brought in enough to make a dent in her humongous overdraft.
As she mindlessly scrolled through the search results, suddenly a phrase caught her eye: Mindfulness Meditation with Horses. She immediately clicked the link, more out of curiosity than anything else.
The website that loaded spoke directly to Emma’s soul: “Harness the Healing Power of Your Horses – Become a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Create Substantial and Sustainable Income with Your Horses.“
It was an online course, designed for people exactly like her—people who loved horses and wanted to share that love with others in a financially viable way. Emma wasn’t really into the “woo-woo” side of things, but something about the idea intrigued her. She had firsthand experience of the soothing effect her horses had on her. She had noticed that her horses had the same effect on the people who came to visit her rescue.
What if she could offer something beneficial to others? What if her horses—who had been so stressed themselves—could teach people how to stress less?
She signed up for the course on the spot.
The course was a revelation. It wasn’t just about teaching mindfulness meditation; it was about tapping into the connection between humans and horses, creating an experience that would help people ground themselves in the present moment. Horses, the course explained, are naturally mindful masters. They live in the moment, free from the kind of mental clutter that plagues humans. By teaching others how to observe and mirror the horses’ behaviour, Emma could offer something unique, that would make a huge difference in people’s lives.
For the first time in months, Emma felt a spark of hope flash through her mind. This was more than just another fundraising idea—this was a new way of thinking about her relationship with the horses. It wasn’t just about saving them; it was about partnering with them and working together to create something helpful for others.
The same day Emma proudly hung the certificate she had earned by completing the course on her wall, she began offering mindfulness sessions with her horses. She set up a modest website and collected e-mail addresses. She used the example e-mail provided with the course to invite people on her list to her sessions. At first, only a few people signed up—curious individuals looking for a different kind of experience. But word spread quickly.
Emma initially used the script provided with the course for her sessions, but soon adapted it to fit her horses. People who attended her sessions left feeling more centred, more grounded and much more capable of handling stress. They described the experience as transformative, a chance to escape the chaos of modern life and connect with something more meaningful. Her horses, too, seemed to sense the shift. They were curious, calm and cooperative. Even the most skittish of her rescues, a beautiful but deeply traumatized mare named Bellissima (barn name “Bells”) began to show interest in the people who came for the mindfulness sessions. Emma watched in awe as Bells, who used to tremble at the first sight of strangers, approached participants calmly, her huge, gentle presence acting as a balm for their frazzled nerves.
The sessions weren’t just good for the people who attended the sessions; they were good for the horses, too. The quiet, peaceful energy that the participants experienced during the sessions seemed to help the horses heal in ways that Emma couldn’t have predicted. For years, she had worked tirelessly to rehabilitate these animals, using every traditional method in the book. But now, as she watched her horses gently guide people through their mindfulness practice, Emma realised that perhaps the horses had always known how to heal others. They just needed the opportunity to do it.
Before long, every one of Emma’s sessions was fully booked, long in advance. She started offering small group workshops, and then weekend retreats. People came from far and wide, drawn by the idea of studying mindfulness with horses in such an intimate setting.
The financial strain that had weighed so heavily on her narrow shoulders began to lift. She was no longer drowning in vet bills or scrambling to keep the rescue afloat. For the first time in years, she felt an (odd!) sense of security, a sense that she and her horses had finally found their raison d’etre.
Making enough money to run her rescue centre meant a lot to Emma, but what really blew her mind was the new connection that existed between her and her horses. The mindfulness sessions had brought Emma even closer to her horses. She had always loved them, but now she saw them differently. They weren’t just animals she had saved, that she had to look after—they were fully-fledged business partners and mindfulness co-facilitators. Together, they were helping people lower their stress levels, just as the course had said they would.
At the end of another profitable workshop, as the sun began to set and the last of her retreat guests drove away, Emma found herself standing at the edge of the pasture again. Bells wandered over to her, resting her soft muzzle on Emma’s shoulder. The moment was magical, so filled with a profound sense of peace, that it brought tears to Emma’s eyes.
The horses had saved her, just as she had saved them. Emma had started her rescue thinking she was giving these animals a second chance at life. In the end, they returned the favour and gave her a chance to be the best version of herself that she could be.
Her tears soon dried on her cheeks, and a blissful smile spread across Emma’s face. In a month’s time, she was going to southwest France to meet her mentor, attend the practical part of her course and earn her certificate as a Master Teacher of Mindfulness Meditation with Horses.
Can you see yourself, sitting with clients next to the pasture where your horses are peacefully grazing in the shade, explaining to your clients that it was your horses xho have taught you how to be more mindful? How mindfulness helped you cope when your horse colicked, and it took all your strength just to stay present in the moment, and to keep your horse walking? Can you see the wonder on your clients’ faces, when they gather after the mindfulness meditation with your horses, to tell you about the amazing insights they received, or the surprisingly simple solutions to complex problems that became apparent while they sat quietly with your horse(s)? Can you see yourself walking confidently into the feed shop, to buy your older mare the very best grain money can buy, knowing that she has easily earned the wad of notes in your back pocket, helping you to present this course, by being nothing more than her sweet self?
If you too would like to start earning extra income with your horses, so that you can easily afford whatever they need, while at the same time helping your friends, family and clients to stress less, then you are going to want to start using the Harness the Healing Power of Your Horses – Become a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Create Substantial and Sustainable Income with Your Horses course right away.
