The Touch of a Mustang | Wellness and Healing Through Wild Horses and the Natural World

Shalyce Cluff
  • 5.0 (6)
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  • Updated Weekly

Horses are powerful guides leading us to healing. Ancient wisdom has been lost in the modern world, but we’re rediscovering healing through the natural world. One of the easiest places to find this wisdom is beside a horse. While every horse has the power to help humans heal, it is often the wild, discarded, and "dangerous" horses that teach us the most—if we can put ego aside and open our minds.

  1. 3d ago

    Horses Can't Heal You, But They Can Show You The Way with Michelle Peterson | Episode 87

    Horses cannot heal us—and expecting them to may place a burden on them that was never theirs to carry. They can reflect how we are showing up, reveal what we have been unwilling to see, and guide us toward the truth we are seeking. But the work remains ours. In this episode, Michelle Peterson of Medicine Horse Healing challenges the romanticized idea that horses are here to save us. We examine what healing with horses actually means when we stop casting the horse as the healer and begin taking responsibility for our own transformation. Michelle explains how releasing ego can strengthen our relationships with horses, why genuine connection requires time and attention, and how horses can act as mirrors without doing the work for us. We also confront the responsibility humans have toward horses when involving them in our healing and personal growth. The truth is less magical—and more demanding—than “horses heal.” They may help us uncover the path, but they cannot walk it for us. CONNECT WITH MICHELLE PETERSON Website: https://www.michelle-peterson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medicinehorsehealing/Rescued Hearts: https://www.rescuedheartsfilm.com/Dance of the Wild: https://www.danceofthewild.com/ CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang SUPPORT THE PODCAST https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang Follow The Touch of a Mustang so you don’t miss more conversations about how horses can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.

    Horses Can't Heal You, But They Can Show You The Way with Michelle Peterson | Episode 87

  2. Aug 27

    Healing Burnout and Overwhelm Through Sound with Craig Goldberg | Episode 86

    What if the reason you cannot relax is that you are trying to think your way out of a state your body is still holding? Modern life can leave the nervous system stuck on alert—even when no immediate danger exists. Craig Goldberg, co-founder of inHarmony, believes sound and physical vibration may help the body find its way back to calm. After one sound session gave Craig a level of relaxation he had never experienced, he began exploring vibroacoustic therapy—an approach that combines audible frequencies with vibration you can physically feel. That experience eventually led him to help build inHarmony and introduce thousands of people to the practice. In this episode, we examine what sound healing actually is, how vibroacoustic therapy interacts with the body, and what emerging research suggests about its potential role in relaxation, sleep, mindfulness, and stress regulation. Craig also explains how sound can be incorporated into meditation and breathwork—and why deep rest may require more than simply telling yourself to relax. This is not a promise that one frequency will fix your life. It is an honest look at whether sound and vibration can help an overstimulated body finally let go. ABOUT CRAIG GOLDBERG Craig Goldberg is a certified Vibroacoustic Therapy Practitioner and co-founder of inHarmony. His work focuses on the intersection of sound, physical vibration, relaxation, and human well-being. CONNECT WITH CRAIG Website: https://iaminharmony.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inharmonyinteractive/ CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang SUPPORT THE PODCAST https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang Follow The Touch of a Mustang so you don’t miss more conversations about how horses, nature, and science can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.

    Healing Burnout and Overwhelm Through Sound with Craig Goldberg | Episode 86

  3. Aug 20

    What We've Lost by Disconnecting From Nature with Kurt Belding | Episode 85

    A wild horse advocate and a hunter are supposed to be on opposite sides. But public lands will not be protected by people who refuse to speak across the divide. In this episode, Kurt Belding of Western Obsessions TV joins me for an unapologetic conversation about ethical hunting, conservation, and what modern life is costing us as we become increasingly disconnected from nature. For Kurt, harvesting an animal is not about domination or trophies. It is a sacred responsibility rooted in fair chase, discipline, gratitude, and respect for the life being taken. His perspective challenges the assumptions many people hold about hunters—and reveals unexpected common ground with those fighting to protect wild horses. We explore why the most difficult paths often create the deepest meaning, how time in nature can restore something modern life strips away, and why protecting wildlife and public lands will require cooperation between people who do not agree on everything. This episode does not ask you to agree with hunting. It asks a harder question: Can those who care about Mustangs, wildlife, open spaces, and the human need for wildness protect any of them if we remain divided? At its heart, this is a conversation about one of the central ideas behind The Touch of a Mustang: wild places do more than give animals somewhere to live. They can guide people toward greater purpose, responsibility, humility, and freedom of mind. ABOUT KURT BELDING Kurt Belding is the driving force behind Western Obsessions TV and Hunt Adventures. His work promotes fair-chase hunting, ethical conservation, and a lifetime of meaningful outdoor adventure. CONNECT WITH KURT Website: https://westernobsessionstv.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WesternObsessionsTVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/western_obsessions_tv/ CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang SUPPORT THE PODCAST https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang Follow The Touch of a Mustang for more conversations about the places and principles that can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.

    What We've Lost by Disconnecting From Nature with Kurt Belding | Episode 85

  4. Aug 11

    Why Horses Might Hold the Healing You've Been Searching For with Vanessa Petronelli | Episode 84

    When the life you built no longer feels like yours, losing your old identity can feel like failure. But what if the unraveling is not the end of who you are—what if it is how you find your way back? Vanessa Petronelli of Equine Soul Journeys joins me to explore how horses can guide us through life transitions, identity shifts, and the uncomfortable space between who we have been and who we are becoming. Horses cannot give us the answers or decide what comes next. But they meet us without being impressed by our roles, accomplishments, or explanations. In their presence, we may begin to see where our lives no longer reflect what we know to be true. We discuss why transition can leave us feeling lost, how expectations and old identities separate us from ourselves, and what it means to stop performing a life that no longer fits. Vanessa also explains how the horse-human connection can create space for greater honesty, clarity, and meaningful change. At the heart of this conversation is a difficult question: How much of the life you call your own was built around who other people expected you to be? ABOUT VANESSA PETRONELLI Vanessa is an equine-guided transformational facilitator, speaker, and founder of Equine Soul Journeys near Nashville, Tennessee. With 17 years of international experience, she works alongside her herd through private sessions, retreats, and Women’s Circles with Horses to help people reconnect with their authentic selves. CONNECT WITH VANESSA Website: https://equinesouljourney.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/vanessapetronelliFacebook: https://facebook.com/vanessa.petronelliTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@iamvanessapetronelli CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang SUPPORT THE PODCAST https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang Follow The Touch of a Mustang for more conversations about the places and principles that can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.

    Why Horses Might Hold the Healing You've Been Searching For with Vanessa Petronelli | Episode 84

  5. Aug 4

    Healing What Modern Life Has Broken with Chance Foreman and Grant Rose | Episode 83

    America’s wild Mustangs are usually discussed as a problem to manage, a population to control, or horses that need to be trained. Dance of the Wild tells the story almost no one is telling—what happens when formerly wild horses are valued not for what humans can make them do, but for what becomes possible in their presence. Filmmakers Chance Foreman and Grant Rose set out to document wild Mustangs. Along the way, they discovered women working beside horses once considered unwanted or discarded—and an overlooked path to hope, connection, and healing. This is not a horse-training film. Through striking cinematography and intimate stories, Dance of the Wild explores the horse-human connection and the role Mustangs can play in helping people find a way forward. It also raises a larger question: Could recognizing what wild horses offer humanity change whether we choose to protect them? Chance and Grant reveal how the documentary evolved, what the women and Mustangs at its center taught them, and why this story matters far beyond the traditional horse world. Chance Foreman is an award-winning filmmaker, poet, and global storyteller whose credits include Kiss the Ground and Common Ground, along with projects for Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime. His short documentary set in Brazil received the Grand Jury Award for Activism. Grant Eric Rose is an entrepreneur, storyteller, and producer whose work explores nature, purpose, and human connection. Dance of the Wild, his debut feature documentary, reflects his commitment to healing, conservation, and belonging. CONNECT WITH DANCE OF THE WILD Website: https://www.danceofthewild.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceofthewildfilm/ CONNECT WITH CHANCE FOREMAN Website: https://www.chanceforeman.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chance_foreman/ CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang SUPPORT THE PODCAST https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang Follow The Touch of a Mustang so you don’t miss more conversations about how horses can guide us toward healing, wellness, and greater freedom of mind.

    Healing What Modern Life Has Broken with Chance Foreman and Grant Rose | Episode 83

  6. Jun 25

    Becoming Blind as a Teen with Laura Bratton | Episode 82

    How do you deal with with the loss of your sight during one of the most significant periods of your life? At the age of nine, Laura was diagnosed with an eye disease and faced the difficult reality that she would become blind. Over the next ten years she experienced the traumatic transition of adjusting to life without sight. She is the author of the book, Harnessing Courage. Laura founded Ubi Global, which is an organization that provides speaking and coaching to empower all people to overcome challenges and obstacles with grit and gratitude. Laura and I talk about how she learned to thrive despite the blindness and overcome the difficult emotions that accompany losing your sight as a teenager. In this episode you will: Learn strategies for maneuvering challenging and life-altering periodsUnderstand that grieving doesn't have to eliminate a good lifeGain ideas for how to increase resilience and manage anxiety and depressionLearn the one thing that helped Laura decrease her panic attacksLearn how Laura's guide dog did so much more than help her physically navigate the worldThis episode is for anyone that is struggling, or has hit hard times and is looking for tools to move forward, and those who are ready to succeed despite obstacles in their way. CONNECT WITH LAURA https://www.laurabratton.com/ CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thetouchofamustang.org/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

    Becoming Blind as a Teen with Laura Bratton | Episode 82

  7. Jun 18

    How to Find Your Way with Horses with Chiara Maria | Episode 81

    Chiara Maria's instagram account "grow_with_horses" embodies all she is and the conversation we have. Chiara learned from a young age that she would not be content following the traditional path society laid out for her. She chose to walk off the path and build a life with horses. Spending time in traditional horsemanship, before realizing her horse Descot needed something different, she walked away from it all. That's when she leaned increasingly more into her intuition as she developed her own unique and aligned way to live a life with horses. In this episode you will learn: Why acceptance is one of the greatest gifts for both you and your horseHow we bring our fears into our relationship with horses and how you can let go of themSteps you can take to find your purpose in this lifeWhy your unique skills, talents, and contributions are neededIf you are searching for peace and healing, or a better relationship with your horse that is peaceful and aligned, this episode is for you. Connect with Chiara: Website: https://chiara-maria.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grow_with_horses/ Support the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang ⁠⁠⁠⁠Help more people discover the healing power of horses: Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with a friend. Connect with The Touch of a Mustang: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thetouchofamustang.org/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

    How to Find Your Way with Horses with Chiara Maria | Episode 81

  8. Jun 11

    Protecting Wild Horses from Wild Horse Annie to Now with George Brauneis | Episode 80

    What does it take to dedicate your entire life to wild horses? George Brauneis has been fighting for mustangs since before he could walk. As one of "Wild Horse Annie's Kids" who wrote letters to Congress in 1971 to pass the Wild Horse and Burro Act, George now cares for 26 mustangs using a philosophy he calls "Becoming Catchable To Your Horse." At six years old, George was one of tens of thousands of children inspired by Wild Horse Annie to write letters to Congress, helping pass the landmark Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971. After a career in aerospace engineering working on projects including the International Space Station, B2 Bomber, and Global Hawk drone, George returned to rural Colorado post-9/11 to come full circle to his roots: horses. Today, he operates Eagles and Wild Horses Ranch, where he cares for 26 mustangs using QiGong energy work and a purely positive training approach to help traumatized mustangs feel safe and trust humans again. In this episode, you'll discover: Wild Horse Annie's Legacy: How a 1971 childhood letter-writing campaign helped save America's wild horsesWhat it takes to feed, train, and provide sanctuary for 26 horsesWhy George doesn't pity horses and focuses on empowering instead of feeling sorry for themPractical ways to support wild horse advocacy, even if you don't own land or horsesThis episode is for you if: You care about wild horse protection, want to understand what it takes to provide sanctuary for mustangs, or are looking for ways to get involved in advocacy—no matter where you live. Connect with George: Website: https://www.wildhorserefuge.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george.brauneis Support his work:https://ko-fi.com/lovemustangs Friends of the Mustangs: https://www.friendsofthemustangs.org/ Support the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/thetouchofamustang⁠⁠ Help more people discover the healing power of horses: Leave a 5-star review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Connect with The Touch of a Mustang: Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://thetouchofamustang.org/⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

    Protecting Wild Horses from Wild Horse Annie to Now with George Brauneis | Episode 80
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Horses are powerful guides leading us to healing. Ancient wisdom has been lost in the modern world, but we’re rediscovering healing through the natural world. One of the easiest places to find this wisdom is beside a horse. While every horse has the power to help humans heal, it is often the wild, discarded, and "dangerous" horses that teach us the most—if we can put ego aside and open our minds.

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