Horses and Health NC

03/13/2024

Mud season

It’s mud season!

12/09/2023

We had a Merry good time at this year’s Horses and Health NC/Mane Source Counseling Christmas party! 🎄🎅🏽⛄️🐴

10/21/2023

Instant gratification comes at a cost..

And many times is actually a longer, harder path.

Connection is understanding.
Control is fear.

Connection feels calm
Control feels heavy

Connection grows
Control is stagnant

Next time you attempt to "control" your horse, breathe and switch vour perspective

From " What is wrong with this horse?"
To "What is this horse showing me?"

Then proceed and watch your connection grow, you will both feel lighter after.

How do you catch yourself in a controlling mood?

Do you feel it first or act first?

Peace & Love
Melissa

P.S- this is also true for all relationships in your life ❤️

10/10/2023

Horses help our mental health so go hug a horse today and everyday!

10/10/2023

Today is World Mental Health Day. Let's take a moment to acknowledge the importance of mental well-being and practice self-care throughout October and beyond.

Self-care isn't selfish; it's essential to maintaining our mental health and can be our lifeline to peace and balance. In a world that often demands so much from us, remember that it's okay to take a step back and prioritize yourself. Engage in activities that bring you joy and take time to nourish your mind, body, and soul.

10/04/2023

09/14/2023

Grab your limited edition Horses and HEALTH merchandise before the campaign closes. Featuring Dark Heather Grey Premium Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

08/02/2023

The beautiful thing about horses is that people feel seen in their presence 🐴✨

Horses do not have the biases we have as humans. Because of this, horses provide a nonjudgmental relationship where it feels safe to bring our authentic selves to the experience, including feelings of deficiencies, hurt, pain, insecurities, and fears. For some clients in mental health services, this can be the first time experiencing a relationship like this. To be truly seen and heard is a foundation for feeling safe and healing.

07/07/2023

Check us out! Horses and Health NC was featured on WNCT Online Originals.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)- Time to saddle up! Located at 2563 Doc Loftin Rd. in Ayden, local nonprofit Horses and HEALTH NC’s mission is simple – help people heal in Eastern North Carolin…

05/27/2023

Smiles to share!

04/18/2023

I’d like to recognize a very special resident living right here in Eastern North Carolina.

Ms. Mae Bell Vaughn is not only an outstanding citizen, she is our oldest living resident in Jones County at 105 years old!

Ms. Vaughn graduated from New York University with a Master’s degree at a time when African-American women had very limited options in pursuing higher education.

This proved to be an invaluable achievement for her future career, as she went on to become a teacher for nearly four decades.

Ms. Vaughn also became a community leader, fighting for civil rights and even becoming one of the first African-American women to vote in Jones County. She has also been very active in community service through food drives and donations.

For all this and much more, Ms. Vaughn was recognized on Monday by the Jones County Board of Commissioners, who adopted a proclamation recognizing her achievements.

On behalf of everyone in Eastern North Carolina, I’d like to celebrate Ms. Vaughn’s storied life and wish her good health so that she may continue to be a shining light in our community.

04/18/2023

Thank you to The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork for mentioning me and the new book edited by Cheryl Christopher Meola in their newsletter:

Integrating Horses into Healing - 1st Edition
"We got this great note from Malaika King Albrecht, MMES:
I wanted to pass along that a recently published book Integrating Horses into Healing - 1st Edition (elsevier.com) mentions the Masterson Method®.
I contributed 2 chapters to this book. In the one titled "Not just horsing around: an equine professional's guiding principles," I wrote about Masterson and becoming an MMES. I thought y'all might be interested in what I wrote, so I've pasted it below. It's my hope that others find their way to Masterson!
from page 244: After my older daughter and I attended a Masterson Method® weekend clinic, I was hooked. I started using the Bladder Meridian technique on all our TR horses and in sessions with groundwork students, including our Equine Services for Heroes groups. The results were astounding for the horses and humans learning and practicing the technique. I was thrilled when Masterson began their MMES program and became certified as a Masterson Method Equine Specialist. Masterson has been invaluable in teaching me the wisdom and science behind a lighter touch. MMES training was the first step in my ability to see (and thereby hear) more subtle communication from horses and respond with curiosity and greater compassion. This method is relational at its core and brought to the forefront my relationships with each horse and how important it is to know each as an individual.
Thanks Malaika - well done!"

03/22/2023

We are running a training March 31 and April 1 as a fundraiser for Horses and Health NC .. . no experience required! If you are interested in finding out more about equine assisted therapy, please message us about signing up!

03/22/2023

Sammy and Gunner teamwork 😊

03/22/2023

Thank you Ayden Chamber of Commerce for welcoming us!

We are proud to have partnered with Horses and Health, Inc. Through Horses and Health, Malaika and Dr. Meola are able to provide therapeutic equine services to domestic abuse survivors and Veterans and their families. Welcome Horses and Health NC!

02/14/2023

Check us out! Malaika and I were featured for 4 minutes on the Meet the Elite live podcast this morning!! We did a quick intro to Freckles Farm, Horses and Health, Mane Source Counseling, and our book coming out soon, Integrating Horses Into Healing!
https://mtefm.com/studio-2
https://music.amazon.com/.../bacd0.../meet-the-elite-podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/3lqMvAkxdzBnW19YPr6OTa...
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../meet-the.../id1542821209

01/21/2023

Because transparency and accountability are important to us, we're on GuideStar. We earned our Silver Seal.

"Congratulations. You've earned a Candid Silver Seal of Transparency on GuideStar!

Showcase your Seal on your organization’s website and social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to highlight your achievement and share your status with potential funders. Find digital images and sample text in the outreach toolkit.

Please visit our Help Center for assistance.

Candid Support"

01/15/2023

We are so grateful to Horseware for the generous donation of blankets, lead lines, and fly masks! Bonus: the blankets are so reflective, I know where everyone is when I throw late night hay on cold nights😊

01/14/2023

This was a pilot study that we were part of several years ago.

Results: Quantitative results identified positive trends in quality of life and well-being, as well as reduced psychosocial distress. FACT-G total score demonstrated statistically significant improvement in quality of life (t = −5.93, p = 0.01). Qualitative analysis identified the following five themes: human–equine journey, human bond through shared experience, reclaiming positive emotions, nurturing resilience, and evolution of a new identity.

Conclusion: The equine-facilitated support program resulted in reducing negative effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment, reclaiming positive emotions, and development of a new sense of self through human and equine connections. Further research is needed to strengthen and expand findings, and to further explore the impact of equine-facilitated programs in cancer survivorship.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/act.2019.29229.lmu

Abstract Background: As the incidence of cancer increases, there is a growing need to address consequences such as depression, fatigue, pain, distress, and decreased self-esteem, which often limit life participation. Although horses have been used to address emotional needs for people with other con...

08/27/2022

06/30/2022

❤️

They don’t get it. And you know what? Maybe they never will.⁣
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When you have a highly sensitive or traumatized horse, you hear so much about how she needs to be pushed, exposed, forced, and never coddled.⁣
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You hear about how you’re being too meek, too soft, not enough of a leader to her.⁣
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But… you’ve seen the terror in her eyes. You know she needs time, compassion, and space to heal as she tries to survive the human world. Not more pressure, more constriction, more force, more projection.⁣
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It’s not that you’re too soft. It’s that you have this soul-deep empathy for your equine partner you cannot ignore, no matter how intense outside pressure becomes.⁣
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People misinterpret your kind heart for weakness.⁣
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In reality, the strongest thing you can possibly do is hold true to your values, not conform to the harsh norms around you, therefore facing shaming and rejection from community.⁣
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The pain of both you and your horse being so fundamentally misunderstood by those around you can be indescribable.⁣
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But… over time, you will be able to see yourself as you are, regardless of what the people around you say. You will come to know yourself so deeply that when someone tells you you’re being weak, it feels laughable. When people say your horse is being stubborn, sassy, disrespectful, etc… you can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’s just a pure animal soul trying to make it through in the only ways she knows how.⁣
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When you stand so firmly in your own values, you will begin to draw in people who understand you. Who understand your sensitive horse. Who value compassion in the same way you do.⁣
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You are strong.⁣
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We commend you. We respect you. We see you.⁣
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Keep going. The world needs so much more of you ♥️