Healing Through Horses and Earth Connection

All I wanted was to sleep on the earth and be by horses…

when Arkansas ended up in a massive burn ban this last week, my heart was crushed.

Not just because it’s on fire, but from my very real, ego-driven point of view.

What I wanted — and knew that I needed, and so did my family — was no longer able to happen.

Letting out a bit of my inner spoiled 5-year-old self, I allowed myself to get a little pissy about it. Before I knew it, though, my man had found us something even better: a long weekend with free-range horses.

But this musing isn’t about my ego or that bratty little child inside who throws a fit when things don’t go her way.

It’s also not about how amazing my guy is for making things happen (although I must admit, that is pretty damn special and wonderful).

This musing is about why I felt my family and I needed it so much.

The truth is, life’s been a whirlwind lately.

Go-go-go, burning our wicks from both ends. Between the constant demands of the modern world and living in the city, it feels like we’ve been moving at a pace that’s not only unsustainable but downright exhausting. And while we’ve been pushing through it all, I could feel the toll it was taking on us — mentally, emotionally, and physically.

We live in an age where everything is fast.

Fast food, fast information, fast decisions, fast emotions.

It’s like the world expects us to be in a constant state of “on.” And for anyone who considers themselves a little more sensitive or empathetic, like me, it can be overwhelming. The noise, the energy, the rush — it all piles up. Sometimes, it’s not just about wanting to unplug for a bit; it’s about needing to find your center again. That’s why getting out into nature is so vital. And for me, that means grounding and being around horses.

Grounding, or earthing, is such a simple yet powerful concept. It’s about reconnecting with the earth — literally.

Feet on the ground, hands in the dirt, skin on the grass. There’s something so healing about sinking into the natural rhythms of the earth. In the city, we’re disconnected from that energy. We’re surrounded by concrete, metal, and all the chaotic vibrations that come with modern life. We don’t even realize how much it’s affecting us until we’re able to step away and let ourselves re-sync with nature.

And horses?

They’re like grounding superchargers.

There’s something about being around horses that instantly brings me back to myself. They have this ability to mirror your energy and reflect what’s going on inside. Horses live in the present moment. They don’t hold onto past trauma or worry about the future. They exist here, now.

And when you’re with them, you’re reminded that you can, too.

You can let go, breathe, and just be.

That’s exactly what I needed after the month I’d had. I’d been writing a lot, diving deep into trauma, sharing my own stories, processing old wounds, and trying to help others navigate their own healing. On top of that, I’d been working with an incredible small group of people in a training that was intense and transformative. It was all powerful, beautiful work, but it was also a lot. Even though I’ve done my fair share of healing and processing over the years, the truth is, we’re never done. Healing is not a “one and done” situation. It’s a lifelong process, and every time you help someone else through their stuff, it brings more of your own stuff up to the surface to be worked on.

By the time we reached this long weekend with the horses, I was feeling it.

My energy was scattered, my body was tense, and my mind was all over the place.

I knew I needed to decompress. I needed to restabilize, to come back to my center, and to let the earth and those horses help me clear out the static. Because even though I’ve done a ton of work on my own stuff, there’s always more to uncover, always more layers to peel back. Working with others is beautiful, but it also has a way of showing you the places where you still need to grow.

So, there we were, out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by free-range horses, wide open spaces, and the kind of silence you can only find in nature. I kicked off my shoes, planted my feet on the ground, and let myself just breathe. It felt like coming home. It felt like everything that had been tangled up inside me was slowly unraveling.

There’s a reason horses are used in so many forms of therapy, especially with kids and people who’ve experienced trauma. They have this gift for helping you regulate your emotions. You can’t fake it with a horse. If you’re anxious or scattered, they’ll pick up on it immediately. But if you’re calm, present, and grounded, they respond in kind. Being around them teaches you to slow down, to tune into your own body, to become aware of the energy you’re putting out.

For kids especially, horses can be miraculous.

Children often don’t have the words to express their emotions, especially if they’ve been through something traumatic. Horses don’t need words. They communicate through body language, through presence, and through an unspoken connection that bypasses all the noise. Kids can learn to trust again, to feel safe, to open up in ways they might not be able to with a person. And horses aren’t judgmental — they don’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done. They meet you where you are, in the here and now.

This last weekend, I could feel my own emotional regulation kicking back in as I spent more time with the horses. I watched my kids relax, too. There’s something about the way a horse moves, slow and deliberate, that makes you want to match their pace. You can’t rush around a horse; they’ll sense it. So, you slow down. You breathe deeper. You let go of the frantic energy you’ve been carrying around. It’s like the horses teach you how to regulate your nervous system without even trying.

We spent hours out there, just being.

No agenda, no hustle, no deadlines.

Just us, the horses, and the earth beneath our feet. And honestly, it was everything we needed.

When I left, I felt lighter.

Not because all my problems had magically disappeared, but because I had taken the time to reconnect with something deeper — something bigger than the day-to-day chaos of life. The horses had done their magic again, helping me let go of what I didn’t need and reminding me of the importance of grounding myself, not just for me, but for my family, too.

Life is fast, and it’s easy to get swept up in the current. But sometimes, all you need is to step away, put your feet on the earth, and spend time with a horse to remember what it feels like to be truly grounded. Because when you’re grounded, everything else falls into place. You can handle the chaos with more grace, more patience, and more presence.

And that, my friends, is why I’ll always come back to the earth — and the horses.

I’m also excited to introduce my upcoming one-hour class, The Healing Circle — Transforming Pain into Power Through Connection, Healing, and Empowerment, which will be held in Dallas this November.

This class is designed to help you take the weight of your pain and trauma and transform it into a source of strength, using tools like grounding, connection, and emotional regulation. If you’re ready to dive deep and start the journey of reclaiming your power, comment HEALINGNOW or DM me for early bird details.

Also, share below — what are some of your favorite grounding rituals, and how do you know when it’s time to reconnect with the earth? I’d love to hear your experiences!

As always loving you from here,

Rene Schooler

#camping #traumareleasecoach #TraumaHealing #TraumaRecovery #horsetherapy #grounding #healingcircle #dallas

#children #bigfamily #ranchlife #ilovehorses

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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