Donkeys, horses and the gift of Animal Communication

When it comes to spirituality, my husband and I stand on opposite sides of the fence. In short, he just doesn’t get my fascination with the spiritual path.

A few years ago, for Christmas, as one of my presents, he bought me a book. When he handed it to me, he declared that it would be good for me to read something normal.

If not spiritual, then at least he recognised that it would have to be animal-related for me to even pick it up. And yes—it did look interesting. The book is called Running with Sherman, and it immediately piqued my interest, as I’d never heard of donkey racing before—where people run alongside their donkeys.

Written by former war correspondent Christopher McDougall, who has “seen it all,” my husband assumed it would be a safe bet to keep me away from spiritual thinking for a while.

I decided it would make a great holiday read, and immediately the story of a rescued donkey had me hooked. But by page 59, we were already in the realms of animal communication! The author recounted a fascinating story—which I gleefully relayed to my not-so-amused husband.

The story involved the great Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart, known for starring in Westerns. He developed a reputation for being able to communicate with animals, and with one rogue horse in particular. Pie was considered dangerous and had nearly injured several actors. But with Jimmy, he was like a pussycat.

There was one scene the crew had to shoot where Pie needed to walk through a town unaided. The team braced themselves for a long night—but, surprisingly, it was achieved on the very first attempt. How? Jimmy simply talked to the horse, calmly telling him what he needed to do. And the horse just did it.

Christopher McDougall wrote:

“Isn’t it just as likely, as I tend to believe, that the same empathy and imagination that made him a great actor also allowed him to connect with other creatures? To communicate with them as equals?”

I don’t doubt the story at all—because something similar happened to me and my horse over 35 years ago, long before I had even heard of Animal Communication.

Tiffany had been with me for about three to four years. She lived in a large field opposite the stable yard, along with a few other horses. Although Tiffany was always happy to be caught—she’d neigh and gallop over at the sound of my call—getting her out of the field was a problem. Being at the bottom of the pecking order, she was reluctant to walk past the dominant horses near the gate.

Although I was completely unaware of telepathic communication at the time, I decided to try something crazy. I calmly explained to her that I would distract the horses at the gate with treats, and she should take herself to a second gate about 50 feet away. I would then run down, open the gate, and let her walk into the yard and into her stable.

Looking back, I can hardly believe I thought it would work—but it did. And not just once. From that day on, this became our regular routine. It worked like a dream every single time.

After that, I always talked to Tiffany, trusting that she understood. And in the 22 years that followed, I never had a single reason to doubt it.

We are all intuitive, but animals more so—because it’s a skill they’ve never stopped using. Just like people, some animals are more naturally gifted than others, but it’s a sense we all possess. Like an untrained muscle, intuition can be reawakened and brought back into working order.

I’ve spent the last thirteen years developing my intuition and animal communication skills. It’s proven invaluable—especially when my horse says “no” to something or shows strange behaviour. Every time, I’ve been able to tune in, receive the message, and make the changes she needed. It’s deepened our relationship in profound ways, because she knows she has a mum who will listen.

So next time your horse is acting strangely or out of character, try simply asking what’s wrong. You might be surprised by the answer.

If you’d like to learn Animal Communication and want a guide who will support you on a one-to-one basis, please check out my courses on Courses | Uniting Souls It has changed my life in so many ways. It truly is a gift—not only to our animals, but to ourselves too.