HorsetoHuman- HtoH, Sharnga guest house, Auroville, Pondicherry (2026)

15/08/2026

Week two has been all about adapting to the changing weather.

After an infernal summer, the rains have finally arrived. While we're all grateful for the relief from the heat, they've also brought an explosion of life.

Unfortunately, that includes flies, midges, mosquitoes, and ticks.

The horses are currently dealing with swarms of houseflies, pesky midges, and ticks galore. The constant biting makes them extra twitchy, itchy, distracted, and generally uncomfortable.

Some members of the herd are coping better than others. Kleo and Monsoon seem to react most strongly to the midge and fly bites, so we've been trying a few different approaches to make them more comfortable.

The ponies that needed them (or clearly appreciated them!) have been fitted with fly masks, especially those with short manes and less natural protection.

I've also been experimenting with a soothing skin paste made from rosewater, aloe vera, and bentonite clay to calm irritated skin while creating a protective barrier against flies and midges.

We've also:

🪰 Added six new fly traps.

🪰 Started spraying the horses with fly repellent before and after feeding.

🪰 Focused on protecting them during mealtimes and during peak mosquito hours.

And yes...

The mosquitoes are back with a vengeance.

We've also seen a dramatic increase in ticks this year, most likely due to the increased movement of roaming cattle and wild pigs through the area.

Which means many, many hours of itch assistance, skin checks, and tick hunting.

But despite the seasonal challenges, there has been plenty of progress.

🦄 The garden has exploded into blooms of every colour, so a long-overdue repotting and composting mission was both necessary and accomplished.

🦄 Three ponies had their hooves trimmed.

🦄 Every horse and pony has been brushed, had their hooves cleaned, and received a thorough once-over for cuts, scrapes, and dry skin.

🦄 I created and tested the very first batch of my homemade beeswax hoof putty (more on that very soon).

🦄 And perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the week: welcoming our very first clients since coming home.

🦄💥 But the very best part?

08/08/2026

ONE WEEK HOME 🐴

On 1 August, at 3:00 am, we landed.
By 6:00 am, we were home.
And by 7:30 am, I was back at HorsetoHuman.

Back home. Back with the horses. Back full-time.

And August 2026 marks something really important for me personally — for the first time in my life, my maintenance is being covered by HorsetoHuman.

That means I no longer have to work two full-time jobs while keeping HorsetoHuman running.

And that changes a lot.

It means I can give more of my time, energy and attention to the work that happens here every single day. It means I can be more consistent, more present and, most importantly, do my due diligence to all of you who support this project.

So from now on, I'm making a commitment to show you more of what happens behind the scenes:

🌱 Every day: stories
🐴 Every week: updates and posts
📩 Every month: a newsletter

Not just the pretty moments with the horses, but the cleaning, the maintenance, the training, the problems, the progress, the decisions and the work that goes into keeping HtoH running.

And what a first week back it has been.

This week we:

✨ Welcomed 2 schools and over 50 students
🦶 got back into hoof trimming & daily hoof care
🧹 cleaned and reorganised the feed room
📦 tackled the stock room and got a stock list
🌿 cleared and cleaned the entrance walkway/ welcome area
🐴 cleaned ears and addressed skin issues
🎓 started working on some long-standing habits

One of those habits is what happens at feeding time.

While I was absent some of the horses have learned that when it's time to go into their stables, the humans will simply make it happen — even if that means almost dragging them in.

We're starting to change that.

The goal isn't simply to get a horse from A to B.

The goal is for them to understand their part, to respond, to build on gentle communication, and ultimately walk into their stable willingly because they know. Because it is where their food needs are met.

It's a small thing, perhaps.

But these small things are where real progress happens.

They set the tone.

And this is only week one.

There is a lot to do, a lot to improve and to share.

27/06/2026

One of our favourite parts of the week is taking the horses out for a long walk with our team and volunteers.

Leaving the familiarity of HorsetoHuman means meeting unfamiliar barking dogs, curious children, noisy vehicles, speedy honking motorbikes and all the little surprises that come with walking through the roads. Then as the roads become paths and the open skies and horizons fill with the green of the forest, the red dirt of our little winding forest path, with flitting birds and creaking trees, and then home again. It's enriching for the horses, but it's also where we witness some of the most genuine moments between horse and human.

This week, one of our volunteers described how they spent the walk with Kleo.

Afterwards, they wrote:

"Walking with Kleo felt incredible.

She's a very sensitive horse, so I had to become very aware of my own body and keep my physical cues to a minimum. For almost the entire hour, I communicated with her mostly through my breath.

When I slowed my breathing, she slowed down and matched me. When I prepared my body to trot, she joined me almost instantly.

One moment that really stayed with me was when dogs started barking at us. She became anxious and wanted to run, but instead of also getting anxious with her, I intentionally slowed my breath and stayed calm. As I kept calm, she slowly calmed down too, until she was walking beside me again as if nothing had happened."

Every walk has the potential to become its own conversation.

These walks aren't just for our volunteers. Lore also offers guided walks with our horses as part of individual HorsetoHuman sessions. If you've ever wondered what it's like to experience this kind of connection for yourself, we'd love to welcome you.

03/06/2026

Hello Team need Input to the introduction of Jazzy:

✨ A long overdue introduction... ✨

Meet Jasmine.

Or, as she's more commonly known around HorsetoHuman... Sassmine. 😏

If you've been following our Stories, you've probably seen glimpses of this little pony over the past few months. Yet somehow, we never properly introduced her.

Jasmine came home to HorsetoHuman in January 2026, but her story with us began long before that.

Years ago, I first met her when she was still called Shadow. Rumours had been circulating about a pony living on a cow farm, so I decided to go and see for myself. There she was, tied up, in need of a hoof trim and some basic care. The farmer, someone I've known since childhood, welcomed us to help. We trimmed her hooves, dewormed her, and spent some time getting to know her.

As we left, I remember telling Lore, "If she was mine, I would rename her Jasmine."

Neither of us knew then that those words would become the beginning of a journey.

For nearly two years, Jasmine lived tied in a cow shed, receiving only periodic access to forage and water. Yet despite her circumstances, her owner wanted what was best for her. Over the following months, we kept showing up to trim her hooves, check on her wellbeing, and continue the conversation. After around six months of discussions, he agreed to let her go.

At the time, I was out of the country. Lore had recently taken on the day-to-day leadership of HorsetoHuman and stepped in without hesitation. Jasmine was first brought to Lore's home, where she could safely quarantine and receive the one-on-one TLC she desperately needed before joining the HorsetoHuman herd.

When she arrived, she was covered in thick mats of fur, had a disproportionately distended abdomen, underdeveloped muscles and skeletal structure, and seemed to have very little interest in the world around her. Years of restricted movement, an inappropriate diet for a growing foal, and a heavy worm burden had taken their toll. We estimate her to be around three years old now.

As you can imagine, she was not exactly thrilled about humans.

At first, what we saw was learned apathy. [Continued in comments]

19/12/2025

✨ Until Dec 31, every donation is doubled by AVI USA.
Give once. Support twice.

🤍 Link in bio

Address

Sharnga Guest House, Auroville
Pondicherry
605101

Telephone

+919081010418

Website

http://www.auroville-jiva.com/

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