What One Little Mare Teaches Us About Safety and Self-Trust

Life is best when we slow down and learn to trust

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about Freebird—one of the horses here at DreamCatchers—more than usual. In her eleven years, she’s carried a weight that’s hard to put into words. For reasons unknown, trouble seems to find her. Life hasn’t always been kind.

But that’s not the story I want to tell today.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing some personal reflection—looking closely at how I respond to the world, to stress, to discomfort. At the same time, I’ve been quietly observing our horses. They each have their own way of moving through life, and their own ways of responding to the energy around them. Freebird, especially, has been a mirror.

What I’ve noticed is this: Freebird needs time. She needs space to assess what’s happening around her. She needs the chance to decide, on her own terms, whether something feels safe. If you approach her too quickly—if your energy is rushed or uncertain—she reacts. Snorts. Moves away. Does whatever she can to protect herself.

But if you slow down… if you speak softly, offer her a sense of consistency and calm… she’ll stay. She’ll listen. She’ll let you in.

And isn’t that true for so many of us?

How often do we try to push ourselves—or others—too quickly through fear, uncertainty, or healing? How often do we forget to approach with gentleness, to give ourselves (and those around us) the time to feel safe?

Freebird has reminded me that trust isn’t forced. It’s invited. She’s also reminded me that, sometimes, we’re all just trying to figure out if we’re safe.

At DreamCatchers, we honor that process—in our horses, and in the people who walk alongside them. We believe in slowing down. In showing up with softness. In creating space for each person (and each horse) to decide, in their own time, that it's okay to exhale.

Because healing doesn’t happen in a hurry.

It happens when we feel seen. When we feel safe. When we’re spoken to with a voice that says, “Take your time—I’m not going anywhere.”

And sometimes, that voice needs to be our own.