Some impressions from the Being with Horses intro clinic Carla and Emily hosted in Montana in 2023. For this clinic we focused on recognizing and healing trauma in horses. Most horses have not had positive experiences in their interactions with humans, and this was reflected in most of the horses presenting very disconnected and shut down at the start of the clinic. However, over the course of the 3 days they began to open up as participants learned to recognize what their horses were "saying" with their body language and expressions, and how they might respond in a way that recognizes the horse as an equal in the relationship. Emphasis was placed on agency, consent, and connection, and survival strategies and patterns were gently interrupted in order to encourage connection over functioning or performance. Only when we slow down enough to reconnect with our awareness can we begin to see and feel what our horses are saying and how they are feeling, and in reconnecting with our own embodied presence we can learn how to respond in a manner that supports the development of a true relationship based on mutual communication, trust, and love.