Summit Acres Wellness by Ginny LaPrairie

11/01/2025

🐴 There are moments with horses that feel almost too intimate for words.

Paul’s recent text read: “I know you don’t watch the news when I’m gone — please don’t worry about the attacks. We are safe.”

He was referring to a special warfare spouse’s life hack — since they were never on the news in real time if everything went according to plan,
and everything else was sensationalized.

I had learned to stay away from that constant stream of fear —
a subtle but sneaky form of self-abuse that kept the nervous system on high alert.

The text still landed in an old, familiar place inside me. That loyal part of my system — the protector — stirred.

Before I could name it, Iris appeared. She didn’t need to know what happened; she simply sensed the shift. Horses don’t listen to our stories — they listen to our nervous systems.

She leaned in calm, patient, unwavering until she felt me regulate, my breath deepen, my body soften back into safety.

Horses don’t need the context. They don’t need the backstory. They simply feel what’s true without judgment.

Wellness begins with a regulated nervous system. The point isn’t that we never feel. The strength is in feeling and regulating. In how quickly we realign when something stirs.

Iris reminded me that regulation isn’t about control — it’s about connection. It’s leadership that’s felt, not forced. It’s safety that extends beyond self, into the herd.

Because when we’re among the herd, we are part of the herd.
Our calm becomes their calm.
Our coherence, their safety.

🌿 When the Nervous System Feels Safe, the Body Heals

A calm nervous system isn’t just emotional — it’s biochemical.
When safety is restored, the gut–brain axis (the constant communication between your digestive system and your brain) begins to function the way it was designed to: as a two-way partnership that regulates mood, metabolism, and vitality.

When we shift from “fight, flight, fawn, or freeze” into safety, here’s what unfolds:

🧠 Sharper mental clarity and focus.
Blood flow returns to the prefrontal cortex — decision-making, memory, and creativity thrive.

🍽️ Improved digestion and nutrient absorption.
The vagus nerve signals the gut that it’s safe to digest, assimilate, and repair rather than simply survive.

🌺 Balanced hormones and reduced inflammation.
Cortisol and adrenaline settle, allowing thyroid, insulin, and reproductive hormones to communicate properly.

😌 Elevated mood and emotional stability.
Over 90% of serotonin is made in the gut; when digestion flows, so does joy.

⚡ Sustainable energy.
The body stops burning fuel for survival and starts generating it for living.

💗 Enhanced immunity.
A regulated nervous system and thriving gut microbiome strengthen the body’s natural defenses.

Horses model this harmony every day; they return to balance quickly. When we learn to regulate like the herd, our gut and brain reconnect, and the entire system — physical, emotional, and spiritual — moves from defense to restoration.

09/28/2025

This captures perfectly why Iris and Jack initiate contact (consent) in my women's wellness program. Here's the thing, they do, but they're allowed the time and space. There is a lot to learn and reflect on either way.🩷

DO HORSES REALLY ENJOY BEING TOUCHED, OR JUST TOLERATE IT?

Touch is part of almost every interaction we have with horses – grooming, routine handling, tacking-up, vet visits, even a pat after a ride. Touch is also a routine feature of equine-assisted services, yet surprisingly little is known about how horses themselves experience it. Do they actually enjoy it, or does their experience depend on having the choice to engage – the freedom to say yes, or no?

A recent study compared two situations using therapy horses who were regularly involved in equine-assisted services. In the ‘forced touch’ condition, horses were tied up and touched continuously on different body areas (neck/shoulder, body, hindquarters) using patting, stroking, or scratching. In the ‘free-choice’ condition, horses were loose in a round pen and could only be touched if they chose to come close enough.

The results showed clear differences. Horses showed more stress-linked behaviours – oral movements, restlessness, and tail swishing – when touched without the option to move away. When free to choose, they often carried their heads lower (a sign of relaxation) and spent over half of the session out of arm’s reach. Stroking was more often linked with relaxed, low head carriage than scratching or patting, and touches on the hindquarters produced fewer stress responses than touches on the neck or body.

The researchers also looked at how the horses responded to different kinds of people. Around experienced handlers, horses were more likely to hold their heads high and showed lower heart-rate variability – signs of vigilance or anticipation, perhaps expecting work. In contrast, their responses with less experienced people were generally more relaxed.

Touches on the hindquarters were linked with fewer stress behaviours, while touches on the neck and body produced more tail swishing and less relaxed postures. Horses were also more likely to lower their heads – a calmer signal – when touched on the body or hindquarters than on the neck.

Why does this matter? Horses in all kinds of contexts – riding schools, competition yards, therapy programmes, or leisure homes – are routinely touched and handled. These findings show that the manner of touch, the part of the body involved, and above all the horse’s ability to choose whether to participate all shape how she/he/they experience the interaction.

The welfare implications are clear: allowing horses more agency in how and when we touch them may reduce stress, strengthen trust, and make interactions safer and more positive for everyone.

For me, the sad part of these findings is that horses are rarely given a choice about when or how they are touched. And many people don’t recognise when touch is causing the horse stress.

Study: Sarrafchi, A., Lassallette, E., & Merkies, K. (2025). The effect of choice on horse behaviour, heart rate and heart rate variability during human–horse touch interactions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science

09/01/2025

08/30/2025

The horse's first language is energy. It was magic to watch this conversation unfold. Iris gives as much as is needed - nothing more, nothing less. 💫

07/25/2025

Now this is trust. She follows me around as much as I swear, the manager is inspecting my work.🙌 Not pictured are the chickens she chased away in case they didn't think for themselves like Lily the barn cat.

The long-game is the short direct game in my philosophy. The horse is never wrong to act like a horse. I have a responsibility to allow space for her to "speak," to grow my understanding of her language, and to collaborate. I make room to patiently ask for what I need, too, like a soft "back up" so I'm not mugged for food. The key is that we give each other space to process and progress. There is a ton of feedback and respect, until expectation is quickly added.

The wisdom of the mare is to take care of her herd and sometimes she won't stop to ask when she feels the consequences are dire. Ask everyone in her pasture. It's not mean.

To the naked eye, she's twice been accused of being bossy or bullying. Until the epiphany. It's care. As gentle as she is, "Get out of the way for safety!" It's never abused. It's the only time she doesn't coexist peacefully, never any harm, and it's what made me curious. It's her version of "shoo".

Her sensitivity is her superpower and around here she gets a voice; the very voice she uses to help you process your uniqueness.

Same goes for you as you learn when to speak up and when to hold tight. Quiet can be an equally powerful answer, and your discernment takes your regulated nervous system. Sacred silence has its place.

Either way, the answer lies in your ability to regulate when you're receiving or giving feedback. Firm. Fair. Consistent.


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07/14/2025

Want more but not currently in monthly coaching? Schedule a 45-minute "Be HERd" individual wellness experience: 757.679.3009

A gentle reminder: your worth isn't measured by your struggles.

What to expect: Jack and Iris give you exactly what you need so every experience is unique to you. This is an invitation to be heard without censorship through coaching and horse medicine.

This is not psychotherapy and utilizes coaching, horses and nature as a unique wellness modality. With my light guidance and the space to be you, the measurable evidence includes:

》Oxytocin stimulation: the "cuddle" or "love" hormone

》Lower stress, anxiety and depression

》Rest and return to the vital energy required for your wellbeing and those you care for

07/09/2025

Women need healthy female connections. They decrease our blood pressure and increase our dopamine. We're designed for it.

When we use the same rigid strategies in healthy relationships as we do in toxic ones, we erode trust, create unnecessary distance, make change impossible, and make repair impermissible.

If we do the opposite and treat toxic relationships as if they're healthy, we abandon ourselves and participate in our own resentment.

In a healthy relationship, explanation (not justification) has its place. The goal is to protect and care for your relationship, not end it.

In the end, people who are not looking to cross your boundaries or seek gaining from a lack of them, will not mind.

07/09/2025

Goodnight from Summit!