Horses hold a special place in the history Native American Indians and they are not only part of my heritage, but are also part of my heart. I've always been amazed at how horses bring human beings together in so many ways, and how their very presence helps heal us. I have seen a horse help a young person who had suffered from abuse and neglect by a single soft nuzzle.

I was thinking about all the wonderful horses that have suffered at the hands of humans, all the beautiful innocent foals that have been thrown into cruel training and handling practices. Why? Because humans are in a hurry. They want everything now. So instead of trying to build trust and confidence in a horse, they do whatever is needed to get the horse to submit.  At our rescue facility we have every kind of situation. All different forms of abuse and and neglect. The hardest ones to reach though, are the ones that have been so brutalized by a "trainer" that they live in constant fear. They do not trust anyone. Most horses will run from fear, but when a horse has gotten to the point that he does not run and turns to fight, striking out for no reason, biting, charging people and other horses, he is living in constant fear and turmoil ... he becomes dangerous, to himself and anyone that gets close. He has been so brutalized he is in a constant state of fight. It is the saddest thing to witness. This is not the natural way of a horse. They are not born to be mean. They are big gentle creatures that deserve to be treated with honor, dignity and respect. And they want to trust humans. Instead, many "trainers" do whatever they can to "break"  the horse, including hobbling them, throwing a tarp over them, pushing them over and making them lie in the hot sun for hours on end, and even hitting them in the head with a 2x4 to make them submit. I have witnessed a magnificent, beautiful horse put down because of the ruthless practices used on him. He was so scared that he killed another horse and harmed several people that were trying desperately to help him. Nothing worked. Many different good natural horsemanship trainers tried to help and four different vets tried to help, but he had suffered a brain injury from a "trainer" who hit him with a 2x4. I have cried buckets over the abuses I have witnessed, and that is why I do what I do.

I do not profess to have all the answers, but I do know that we all have a responsibility to do what we can for every creature on this earth, including horses. Of course, I love all animals and provide homes to many at Blue Horse Mukwa, but horses have always been the medicine that heals me. Every horse that I have ever met has a beautiful spirit, it is just a matter of letting it shine and seeing it! All you have to do is touch one and look in its eyes and you will know what I'm talking about. The job of rescuing horses breaks my heart, but the Spirit of the Horse heals it.

In the Spirit of the Horses,

Rabiah Yazzie Seminole