This weekend contains many holidays from Halloween to the Day of the Dead to All Soul’s Day. October 27 was one of many Days of the Dead in which departed pets return home to be with their people, and as I walked among the horses this morning and noticed that Firefly was acting a bit more subdued than normal, I wondered if she had sensed the thinning veil and the spirit of her mother, the senior mare we had to lay to rest a little over a month ago, visiting.
We don’t know the spiritual lives of animals, but I did write about the display of grief the herd showed when we euthanized my senior mare, and how poignant it was to witness and be a part of this moment with them. All I could do was stand and hold space for them, to be there, offering reassurance when they came up to receive it, and hopefully share in the emotional resonance that I was grieving with them, too.
Even those who don’t look at the spiritual lives of horses, they admit that horses are sensitive creatures. They sense your moods, your tension, and can react accordingly and with much excitement. And this, along with all of the discussion around horses’ heart fields and how sensitive and empathic they are, makes me believe that perhaps, there’s a chance that they sense the veil is thin and can connect with herd members who have passed.
I don’t think we have to know the answers to this for certain to have compassion for animals who have lost a close companion. Many books have been written about the grief animals feel and how they express it. Horses are no different. I do think it’s a question to ponder, and am interested in your thoughts.
