03/15/2026
Am I safe?
Sounds like a strange question to go with this picture, but let me explain…
Meet Sally, an absolutely beautiful mini that came here as a rescue almost 3 years ago. Because she is a rescue, I have no clue what her history is. What I do know is that this picture is the first time in 3 years Sally has voluntarily came to me to engage. You see, Sally’s typical personal bubble is about a 20 foot radius! In other words, she was scared. Very scared.
In the 3 years she has been here, there have been zero expectations put on Sally. This is her home and it was always meant to be a place that Sally, could just be Sally… whatever that meant! She was left to be with her herd, and observe as the humans came and went. And observe she did! Often I would just go and sit in the pen with the new rescues to allow them to ‘inspect me’ and to let them know that they are allowed to approach on their terms. Eventually 8 of the 9 rescue ponies did. But not Sally! She would just watch me, and if I moved; p**f! She was gone!
I believe that Sally’s trust of humans had been shattered somewhere along her journey. But I also saw in her curious, watchful gaze, she was assessing and deciding if this was a safe place for her to learn to trust again. Not only is she learning to trust me, and other humans, but she is also learning to trust herself and her own instincts again. This takes time… It is a process that cannot be rushed and requires consistency of that safety. We learn best when we have a stable, safe environment to do so. This does not mean zero stressors! That simply is not possible. But it means that even with the occasional stressor, having that safe environment to come back to, and allow our nervous system to soothe and our brains and our bodies to learn ‘we are ok, we are safe’.
3 years. This may seem like a very long time, but for me, I am simply so awed and inspired by Sally’s perseverance and courage to be curious that time was not a factor. I am so proud of her. And, I am so honoured to be able to walk alongside her and provide that safe space for her to explore safety and trust again.
Healing from broken trust takes time, sometimes years. But if we can find that one safe space or person to walk with us, we can get there, one tiny hoof print at a time.
🧡🐴🧡
