Mares and Mirrors
Shining Light on How Horses Can Lead Us to Ourselves
Mares and Mirrors is about the parallels between women and horses. It's part memoir, part think-piece.
I battled an eating disorder when I was in my teens and 20s. I never felt I was good enough and was trying to be seen.
Then through my 20s and into my early 30s, I battled hormonal issues that were dismissed for years. I had so many symptoms and was trying to be heard.
As I reflect on the journey of my mare, Sota; her behaviour that everyone said was wrong, her pain that everyone dismissed, etc. I often wondered why I was so drawn to her... and I realized that it was because we needed each other.
She needed me to give her a voice, and I needed her to help me find mine.
My mare Sota taught me not only to become more aware of my thoughts, feelings, and actions (if I were anxious she'd mirror me and become anxious too) and therefore take action to heal, but she also taught me how to like the woman I saw looking back at me in the mirror. She led me to evolve into the woman I hoped would appear in the mirror. That woman was always in me, but Sota helped me find her.
By helping horses have a voice, empowering them, and allowing them to take up space, we help ourselves do the same.
Mares and Mirrors: Shining Light on How Horses Can Lead Us to Ourselves will be available in late 2024/early 2025.