From Panic to Peace: Reya’s Journey Through a Nervous System Cycle
When we think of helping a horse through a stressful event, our instinct is often to step in—to calm, to fix, to intervene. But what if the best support we can offer is simply holding space? When my foster mare, Reya, found herself tangled in a thorny branch during a windstorm, I was faced with a choice: force control over the situation or trust in the intelligence of her nervous system. What unfolded was a powerful lesson in stress, regulation, and the role of an anchor in moments of chaos. This story isn’t just about Reya—it’s about how we, as horse people, can learn to see stress not as something to suppress, but as a cycle to support. A lesson that, if we allow it, can deepen our relationship with our horses in ways we never expected.
