Indy and Shayla
/Hey, everyone. My name's Indiana Jones, but some call me Indy for short. I'm one of the therapy horses, here at Reins of Life and have called this happy place my home for almost a year now. Everyone here, both horses and staff are thankful that the winter is coming to a close. While I was grateful for the break, I missed warm weather, dry ground, clear skies, and, most of all, my little riders. The winter break was rather difficult, with the weather being so unpredictable and gloomy. However, it was made even more difficult by the event of my friend Maverick's sudden death. No one knew what was wrong with him, not even the vet. He went quickly and peacefully, but everyone misses him. Especially me. However, I am doing a bit better now that the sessions have started again. Keeping occupied and working helps us horses relax. A few weeks ago, we started working with some new clients. I remember the day that the bus pulled up. I was expecting a group of children to spill out of it, but instead came a group of women. They all looked exhausted, and some were nervous. It was apparent that none have them had ever been around horses before. It also made me a little shy at first. They were not what I was expecting, and I could sense something off about some of them. However, after spending a bit of time together, I got to know one of the young women named Shayla. Shayla was small and very shy. She had a lot on her mind, and looked like she was in a lot of pain, not physically, but emotionally. You see, I overheard some of the staff talking, and it became clear to me that these women had been rescued out of slavery. They called this kind of slavery, "Human Trafficking."
My sessions with Shayla were different than the other sessions I've done before, and I wasn't quite used to it. There was little to no riding. It was mostly her being taught how to interact with me while she talked to a counselor. Later, she began being shown how to communicate with both the counselors and me. Once this process started, I began seeing a gradual change in Shayla's demeanor. She spoke and even moved more boldly and with greater confidence. She was, as they say, coming out of her shell. She and I had whole conversations, and I learned so much more about her. It turns out, even after she was rescued, she felt like what she had to say about her past would either bring back awful memories or bring others down. She thought that it was too much for people to handle. But, her isolation wasn't wholly due to her lack of communication. She missed her family. She hadn't seen or talked to them since before she was kidnapped. Even once she was rescued, she knew returning to them would put them and possibly herself in danger since there was no knowing whether or not her captors knew where she lived. But, after a few weeks, she told me that she considered me and everyone else at the farm family.
While I am so glad to be a part of Shayla's life, I look forward to the day when she can be reunited with her family and walk by herself without fear.
