We started this session off with offering Astuce Neroli* essential oil which she inhaled for a long time – about 15 minutes. (I haven’t included this on the video as it was mostly just inhaling and licking and processing for Astuce).
Then a little bit of work on touch to make sure Astuce was okay with that, and from there to working with Esther and Astuce together which is what is included in the video clip.
At first we just practised regarding Astuce, watching her movements and behaviours.
Questions to ask when regarding can be:
How do I feel? How does Astuce feel? Is she tense anywhere in her body? Am I tense anywhere in my body? When I watch her what feeling do I get? What is her thinking level? Is she ready to leave? Is she listening to me? What is she showing me?
When we ask and answer those questions we are regarding Astuce, and therefore listening to her. We are having a conversation.
Then we work with finding the right energy level ‘to do’ with Astuce.
With Astuce we don’t want to be too soft because that is confusing for her. She doesn’t know what we want and that makes her nervous. Don’t creep about.
Also not too fast. She needs to know we are giving her space to leave if she needs to. Space to say No, or ask a question.
Astuce needs to believe that we are doing this thing (haltering, or anything else), with her, not to her. Put a little bit of fun into it, but not as much as we may do with Anah. Anah has a higher curiosity level than Astuce, and has more confidence in her ability to leave and say No. Astuce is not as confident. She needs to feel confident that the halter is okay, so we need to feel confident that the halter is okay. Don’t feel sorry about putting it on. Feel okay about it.
*Neroli essential oil
Depressive Behaviours
Digestive Disorders – emotional
Loss, separation and deep sadness
Neroli has a powerful psychological effect, offering feelings of emotional security. Most captive bred animals are separated from their mother, much earlier than they would be in the wild. Such experiences lie dormant in the memory and can very often be the root cause of separation anxiety or illness later on in life. Neroli oil helps to release these memories, which then provides innter peace and security to the animal.
Neroli is an oil that almost every animal will select at some stage.
Caroline Ingraham – How Animals Heal Themselves
It is my belief that Astuce has been feeling insecure since the arrival of the new donkeys, and I believe that particularly the mother and daughter relationship of two of the donkeys may have bought up some old memories and anxieties. We don’t know her history so the memories could be her own separation from her mother, or maybe she had a foal that was taken away early. It could be a level of grief for her old herd. We won’t ever know definitely.