Spirit Horse Herbs
Donna Weatherly from Botha, Alberta grew up in the rodeo business. Her father was a steer wrestler and roped before he became a stock contractor and pick up man. When Weatherly was 12 she was in charge of the 5 pick up horses and 9 grand entry horses. When she was in her teens, she became interested in energy work. ” I discovered that if I stood and connected with a bucking bull or horse that was having trouble in the chute, it would calm them down.”
Later on, she wanted to learn more so she began taking courses. ” I began 20 years ago with a modality called Touch for Health taught by Brian Haraga, we did 4 levels of human work and then moved on to the horses. This created an extremely solid foundation for everything I do and have done since then. I also learned Body Management, color therapy, tong ren, accupressure point therapy, body alignment and herbal consulting using a method that combines Chinese Medicine and Contact Reflex Analysis to allows the body to tell its story and helps us determine what systems needs support and in what order. Chinese Medicine always looks at the body as a whole unit and recognized the interactions amd relations of all the body systems. My mentor used to say that getting back to health is like pealing and onion, with health being at the centre and the layers of ill health needing to be pealed off to get to it.”
Weatherly, and the few who took the courses back then, are the pioneers of today’s industry.
Donna owns Spirit Horse Herbs. Along with practicing energy work, she creates supplements for horses that have helped various issues. I personally have purchased a mix from Donna called Twisted Sister. It’s a moody mare mix which has helped my mare from being quite grumpy, to a moderate amount of grump but seems more comfortable and happy than before. I have even considered making tea with it because to be honest, it smells delicious!!
Many others have had great experiences with Donnas mixtures, including Cariann Breton. “In May of 2015 Rowdy was diagnosed with moon blindness in his right eye, meaning that in the dark, or going from light changes he couldn’t see. I started treatment ASAP which was putting steroid drops in his eye twice a day. This was not an easy task and not fun for either of us. He was extremely spooky before and ran like he was restricted. I decided to pick Donna’s brain and she said she would get some herbs together for him and we would give it a try. It didn’t take long until he was running like his old self again, placing and winning rodeos and jackpots.”
Savanna Tye has also had great success pairing up with Weatherly. “I have used Spirit Horse Herbs in the past and will absolutely use them again in the future. My horse was having troubles with his kidneys and Donna made a custom blend flush for him! Within two weeks I noticed a huge difference in his health and activity levels. I was completely in awe of how she so closely matched what he needed with what I received. The service was quick and cost effective! I strongly recommend Spirit Horse Herbs!”
Donna has quite the education to back her. “I learned my consultation methods from Anne Wakelin, a very accomplished holistic healer from Two Hills and then progressed with my knowledge of herbs. I have also taken herbology courses from the Wild Rose College. I have learned Anatomy and Physiology, Applied Exercise Physiology, as well as their equine nutrition course from the University of Guelph. This combined with the hands on knowledge and skills taught by the ole timers in my life have created a well rounded knowledge base. I also took Ag Business at Olds with all my electives in the Equine Studies. I have always loved the herbs and how they help the body. My Grampa used home made salves and oils and old time methods to help heal horses and I followed suit. Even before I learned my craft from my mentor Anne Wakelin, my favorite reading was a book called North American Herbology. I even had to buy a new book as I wore the old one out.”
When someone loves their job, it shows up in their work. “I love how, when I do a custom blend, the changes often are profound and quick. I love the compexity of the horses and what they “show” me. I love when they lick the bottom of the pail to get the last little bit and when they light up when they see the package. I love the feedback from the owners and when they tell me how their horses have changed and improved. I love helping people help their horses. I love the relationships I’ve cultivated with the other professions and how we can mesh our expertise together for the ultimate goal. I love that it never ever gets old and that I never quit learning or seeing miracles.”
If you are looking to have Donna work on you, your horse, or mix you up a blend, check out her Facebook Page, Spirit Horse Herbs. Or you can visit her website, www.spirithorseherbs.com and check out the Horse Health Profile under “How Can I Help You”. This will help Donna assess your horse and build custom blends. She stocks almost 90 different herbs and from these there will be 4 that match your horses system the best. This is a fairly unique and specialized modality and it allows her to create blends unique to your horses needs!
