HEART Space Fund

12/20/2025

This is one of the hardest hitting truths for caring, committed horse people to sit with.

Because trust feels like it should be enough. Because we feed them, protect them, speak kindly, show up consistently. Because the relationship matters deeply to us.

And it does matter. But trust and safety are not the same thing.

A horse can trust who you are and still have a nervous system that does not feel safe in a particular moment, environment, task, or physical state.

They can know you won’t intentionally hurt them and still brace. They can seek proximity and still freeze. They can stand quietly
and still be holding themselves together. Trust is relational. Safety is biological.

Safety is not an emotion or a belief. It is a state created by the nervous system’s continuous assessment of the world through what neuroscience calls neuroception. A subconscious process that asks, without words:

Am I safe here?
Is this predictable?
Can I escape if I need to?
Does my body feel okay?

The nervous system does not respond to love, logic, or intention.
It responds to information.

Information from the environment.
From pressure, even subtle pressure.
From unpredictability.
From past experiences stored in the body.
From pain, discomfort, or physical strain.
From whether the horse feels they have time, clarity, and agency within structure.

This is why a horse may trust you and still react, shut down, rush, spook, or resist.

Not because the bond isn’t real or because you don’t care. And not necessarily because you’ve failed.

But it is information. Information that something in the system does not yet feel safe enough to soften, organise, or engage fully.

Trust and safety are not opposites, and they are not enemies. They influence each other. Trust can help a horse move toward safety faster, and safety deepens trust over time. But they are not interchangeable, and confusing them often leads us to miss what the horse is actually telling us.

This perspective does not replace good horsemanship.
It sharpens it.

It does not ignore physical issues. In fact, it makes ruling out pain, discomfort, and ill-fitting tack non negotiable.

It does not excuse behaviour. It asks us to respond more skilfully to what behaviour is communicating.

When we understand this distinction, something important shifts.

We stop taking behaviour personally. We stop trying to “fix trust” when the nervous system is asking for safety. We stop asking horses to override their biology for the sake of the relationship.

And we start asking better questions.

What is this nervous system responding to right now?
What feels unpredictable or overwhelming here?
What might be happening in the body first?
What does safety actually look like for this horse in this context?

Love matters. Care matters. Trust matters. But safety is the foundation that allows everything else to work.

And it cannot be assumed. It has to be built.

12/01/2025

Most people underestimate what actually happens in the brain when stress, fear or overwhelm hits. We often talk about “mindset,” “self-control,” or “staying calm,” as if these are conscious choices always available. But biology doesn’t work that way.

There is a predictable, measurable sequence that occurs in any mammal under threat:

the limbic system takes control,
and higher-order thinking becomes limited or unavailable.

Once this shift happens, neither humans nor horses can reason, learn, or “behave better.” The body has already decided that survival comes first.

In humans, the prefrontal cortex is the seat of reasoning, planning, impulse control and reflective thinking. People assume it’s always accessible, but it only functions well when the nervous system feels safe.

During high sympathetic arousal -the classic fight-or-flight response - neural activity shifts away from the prefrontal cortex toward the faster, reactive survival circuits. Blood flow changes, stress hormones surge, and processing becomes rapid and instinctive rather than thoughtful.

Psychology sometimes calls this an amygdala hijack. It isn’t a literal hijacking, but it’s a helpful shorthand for limbic dominance overriding the slower, deliberate thinking pathways.

This is why a person in panic cannot “think their way out of it.”
Their thinking brain isn’t available.
Their biology is louder than your words.

So what happens in Dorsal Vagal | Shutdown?

In dorsal vagal states - freeze, collapse, dissociation - cognitive access is also reduced, but for different reasons. Instead of hyperarousal, the system goes into metabolic conservation. Energy and neural resources withdraw. Sensation dulls. Awareness shrinks. The person disconnects internally and externally.

Different pathway. Same outcome: limited access to higher cognition.
This isn’t a behavioural choice - it’s an autonomic reflex.

Horses also have an amygdala and limbic system that guide their threat responses. But their cognitive architecture is not like ours. They do not rely on a human-like prefrontal cortex for abstract reasoning, conceptual interpretation or narrative processing.

Their cognition is:
• immediate
• sensory-driven
• movement-oriented
• deeply tied to safety

So when a horse enters a sympathetic state - the spook, bolt, brace, reactive movement, heightened startle - nothing is being “hijacked.” There is no “thinking brain” to override in the human sense.

Their survival circuits simply take full priority.
They are not being stubborn or disrespectful.
They are over their THRESHOLD.

A horse in a limbic-driven state may respond to pressure or cues, but that isn’t learning. That is reflex. Behavioural compliance in high arousal happens through survival reflexes, not understanding.

High sympathetic activation produces:
• reflexive movement
• startle responses
• defensive behaviours
• impulsive decisions

Learning requires access to exploratory, social, perceptive pathways - the parts of the brain that only activate when the nervous system is regulated enough.

A horse in a survival state is not being disobedient. They are being biologically accurate.

Why does your nervous system matter to your horse?

When a horse is overwhelmed, they look for safety cues through:
• your breathing
• your muscle tension
• your posture
• your rhythm and movement
• your internal steadiness or lack of it

This is supported by research on social buffering and emotional contagion in herd animals. Horses read nervous systems, not instructions. If you escalate - tightening, shouting, pulling, bracing - you amplify the horse’s threat response. Their system mirrors yours.

Regulation is not passivity.
It’s grounded action instead of reactive action.

When you regulate:
• their heart rate shifts
• their startle threshold lowers
• their sensory field widens
• curiosity reappears
• movement becomes organised instead of chaotic

The nervous system returns to learning only when it feels safe.
You cannot instruct it back into place.

Why "CALM DOWN" doesn't work us or horses...

A person in panic cannot access higher reasoning.
A horse in sympathetic overload cannot “listen” or process cues.

Calm is not a command. Calm is a physiological state.

You cannot talk someone out of limbic dominance.
You cannot train a horse out of survival activation.

Both systems must come back into regulation first.

And for horses, the fastest pathway back to regulation is your nervous system.

This is an important nuance: Learning doesn't only happen in calm.

There is a healthy, regulated form of sympathetic activation where learning thrives - alert, engaged, energised, curious. The body is active, but the system is not overwhelmed.

This is where:
• play
• exploration
• liberty
• movement-based learning
• athletic training
• problem-solving

naturally occur.

Over-arousal shuts learning down. Healthy activation supports it.

The goal is not to force calm. The goal is to stay within the window where the system is “switched on” but still able to process information.

We are not anthropomorphising, we are talking biology here.

Everything described here is grounded in measurable physiology:
• vagal tone
• cortisol levels
• heart-rate variability
• limbic activation
• muscle tension patterns
• attentional narrowing
• metabolic shifts

This is not softness or emotion or opinion. This is mammalian survival architecture.

When you understand this:
• you stop blaming horses for being afraid
• you stop personalising behaviour
• you stop expecting logic in a survival state
• you stop fighting biology
• you start working with the nervous system

This is the foundation of compassionate, ethical, effective horsemanship.

At The Whole Horse Journey, this is exactly what we teach:
work with the nervous system, not against it.
Safety first. Connection first. Biology first.

12/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FUbGNJdxB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A Thanksgiving reflection by Chic Canfora on this heart-wrenching photograph by Carol Guzy of a family's devastation after their husband and father was dragged away by ICE agents -- and a security guard moved to tears by their anguish -- challenges Americans to confront an uncomfortable yet crucial question: is this who we really are as a people?

"This Thanksgiving, one image from Time magazine’s '100 Photos of the Year' has lodged itself in my heart and refuses to let go.

In the photo, a mother and her 3-year-old daughter stand helplessly alone, sobbing for the husband and father taken from them by ICE agents moments before. Just a few feet away -- in a space around the corner that they cannot see -- a [security guard] wipes away his own tears, unable to contain the pain of what he has just witnessed.

Two worlds separated by one wall.
Two kinds of heartbreak bound by the same moment.
Hope standing in the face of despair, each reflecting the other.

In this single frame, America reveals her heartbreaking contradictions: the immense love of a family ripped apart by inhumane policies, and the quiet humanity of an officer who, while he did not choose this pain, is forced to stand in its presence.

It is a portrait of injustice and also a portrait of conscience, the kind that still flickers in places we may never expect.

As we gather on Thanksgiving Day with our own families -- safe, warm, intact -- it is tempting to count our blessings without counting the cost for those who are being denied them.

Freedom is an empty promise in America if it is not extended to all who seek it here. And justice is only a word in our historic documents unless We, the People, insist that it apply to every child who trembles, to every parent who pleads for mercy, to every family who dreams of belonging in these United States.

This image should haunt us all.

At least, it should stir something ancient and honest within us -- that quiet inner voice that knows the difference between law enforcement and cruelty, between compliance and indifference, between what is ordered and what is right in our democracy.

So, on Thanksgiving Day, let us hold close the people we love but hold just as close the truth that our nation needs citizens whose courage is stronger than fear, whose humanity outweighs their loyalty, and whose unrestrained compassion in the face of injustice is nothing less than love in action.

If we do not commit -- today and every day -- to holding our country to a much, much higher standard, then we are simply accepting the fact that THIS is who we really are in America." -- Chic Canfora

Photographer Carol Guzy also reflected on this moment, observing that "sometimes it’s the quiet, unexpected moments that can reach most deeply into the collective conscience of a nation." Guzy recounted the scene moments before this photo was taken: 'Please help me, please help me!' the man’s wife cried. 'Take me too!' she said, as federal immigration agents dragged her husband away. Outside the building, she continued crying as a security guard came to assist her and her two young children. The guard was overcome — as I was — at the sight of the woman’s visceral anguish."

"[T]he most heart-wrenching stories to document are family separations," Guzy continued. "Children are traumatized watching a parent being taken away by masked men in a place they thought they were coming to for due process. My own father died when I was 6 years old, so I understand deeply the eternal hole this loss can leave in a child’s heart. The loss has aftershocks as families struggle without a breadwinner. Whichever side of our deep political divide one sits on, the inescapable reality is that it’s too often spouses and innocent children who are caught in the crossfire of controversial immigration reform tactics."

To read Carol Guzy's entire piece on this photograph on Nieman Reports, visit https://niemanreports.org/carol-guzy-ice-immigration-photojournalism-nyc/

Dr. Roseann "Chic" Canfora is an Assistant Professor / Professional in Residence in Kent State University's School of Media and Journalism. Follow her at https://www.facebook.com/chic.canfora

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To help immigrants who have been arrested or detained, you can support the critical work of the National Immigrant Justice Center at https://immigrantjustice.org/ways-to-help/

If you're looking for ways to take action and counter ICE overreach, supporting civil rights organizations like the ACLU that challenge their tactics in the courts has emerged as one of the only successful means of constraining ICE's rapidly expanding enforcement powers -- learn more at https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention

To help your community prepare to stand up for your neighbors in the face of ICE raids, you can find many grassroots resources on Siembra NC's website at https://defendandrecruit.org/tools-resources

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For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

For books for tweens and teens about girls living under real-life authoritarian regimes throughout history that will help them appreciate how precious democracy truly is, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426

For children's books that encourage empathy and understanding of Mighty Girl immigrants of the past and present, visit our blog post, "A New Land, A New Life: 25 Mighty Girl Books About the Immigrant Experience" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12855

To stay connected with A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter

10/02/2025

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall 🕊️

A trailblazer, scientist and advocate, she showed the world the power of compassion and inspired generations of women and girls to lead with courage and hope.

Her legacy will continue to shine.

09/23/2025

APA Statement on White House Announcement on Autism https://ow.ly/P6k850X0zCi

07/03/2025

Congress has passed sweeping health care legislation as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. Read about changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act—and the consequences for counselors—in our blog post. https://www.votervoice.net/NBCCGrassroots/News #/Blog/7817

06/14/2025

Today we are grateful the opportunity to host Foster the family DC for a third time and we had a returning family.

🌿We navigated trauma-informed mindfulness, the impact of displacement and transitions on the horses and families, and navigated an obstacle course with the horses to discover how we develop resiliency.

🦮🐎Thanks to our passionate and fun volunteers, Carol (equine specialist) with her dog, Norm, PTSD service dog, Rachel (trauma therapist), Jill ( equine volunteer) with her mare Nikka, and Danielle (HEART space VP) and our equine partners, Ember and Snuggleberry.

06/06/2025

Warning: What you are about to read could potentially upset you.

Still with me? Thank you.

As we start June, I thought I would share this:

FIVE REASONS I CELEBRATE PRIDE:

1). In high school, a teacher asked me in front of all of my peers, "Randall, are you bringing your BOYFRIEND to the prom?" in tones of obvious disdain and disapproval. Later that day, I found my locker vandalized and 3 different threatening notes. Two in my locker and one on my car, which had been keyed.

2). High School again. The student council, as a fundraiser, circulated "matchmaking questionnaires" around Valentine's Day. You answered a series of questions and were supposed to receive a printout that would show you your matches within the school. Later, when the results were delivered, I discovered that someone in the student council had changed the gender listed on my sheet to female so I showed up on all of the boys' lists. Another round of harassment and bullying ensued.

3). In my first year teaching at Harrisburg, one of the students asked when they would get to meet my wife. I replied, "I don't have a wife; I have a husband." Two days later, that student, one of my star beginning trumpet players, was removed from my class. The parent said, "I don't want a F****T teaching my kid."

4). In 2011, Steve and I decided to get legally married (we already considered ourselves married but had no such certificate). We had to do so in another state, hundreds of miles away from family and friends, as it was not legal in our state at the time. It would be 6 more years before it was legal in Arkansas, and 11 more years before we had the wedding of our dreams with all of our loved ones in attendence.

5). In 2019, I was disinvited from conducting an honor band. A group of parents, having found my Facebook profile and seen pictures of Steven and me together, complained to the organizer, and my invitation was rescinded. The same group sent me threats via social media. I forwarded screencaps of the messages to their employers. Two of them were band directors.

So, you might be asking yourself...

Why do I celebrate?

Here are FIVE MORE REASONS I CELEBRATE PRIDE:

1). I'm sitting in my Grandmother Irene's kitchen. She is cooking lunch and it's a rare moment when it is just she and I.

"Grandma, I've got something I want to tell you."

"What is it, hon?"

I swallow, nerves turned up to eleven.

"I'm gay."

She puts down her spatula and looks at me.

"Oh, good lord Randy, is that all?"

She hugs me.

"And do you think you're the only one in the family that is?"

She laughs, turning back to her cooking, and I start running the members of the family through my mind, carefully examining each one.

2). I'm eighteen years old and my older brother takes me to a party he is throwing for his drag queen friends. I am shy and awkward, and I am immediately impressed by their confidence, their joyfulness, and their sense of camaraderie.

"This is Sam," my brother says by way of introduction.

"Enchanté," Sam says, taking my hand and kissing it, then laughing and returning to his friends.

I start to feel like there's a little less wrong with me.

3). I'm twenty years old and nervous. I'm going out on a date with a handsome guy named Steve. We met about a week ago and seemed to hit it off, but dating has never been my forte.

We both show up at Dixie Cafe and immediately fall into a comfortable conversation. It is a near perfect evening.

At the end of my night I repeat to myself over and over "do NOT screw this up, do NOT screw this up, do NOT screw this up."
It apparently works because he agrees to a second date. I'm on cloud nine.

4). I am nearing the end of my time as a band director at Harrisburg. I know I will probably not be coming back the next year, and I've started saying my goodbyes. Steve, who joined the staff as my assistant director four years before, will be continuing as the head director. I feel secure knowing the program is in good hands.

One of my band parents, a recent divorcé, approaches me. He is a large man, and is a self-proclaimed conservative.

"Mr. Standridge, I've got something I've been wanting to say to you."

Oh great, I think, he's mad that I'm leaving and he's going to let me have it.

"I just wanted to say I'm really glad my daughter has had you and Mr. Cazort as teachers. You're probably the most stable relationship she see's every day. I'm glad that she knows what that looks like."

We shake hands, and I'm reminded again that the world keeps changing.

5). It's both mine and Steve's 25th Anniversary and our Wedding Day. We have decorated the venue in fall harvest decor and all of our friends and loved ones are there. My father, who has had a huge transformation during my adulthood, is the first one to throw rice at us, an it feels like I just won the lottery.

I celebrate because, despite all this, I'm still here.

All of my LGBTQIA+ Family...

WE'RE still here.

And, by choice, and through no little effort on our own part...

We can still be happy.

Thank you Pat Dixon for this amazing artwork

Peace Love and Music…for all. ☮️❤️🎵 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

06/01/2025

Today marks the beginning of Pride Month. This month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and honors the ongoing struggle for equality, as well as the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. It's a time for celebrating LGBTQ+ culture, voices, and activism through various events.

The GLAAD website offers a variety of resources categorized to help you find the information needed to be a well-informed ally: https://loom.ly/ez39wq8.