Shiloh: A Tale of Love, Healing, and Connection
Shiloh means “Gift from God” and the “Peaceful One”
He was truly a gift from God to all of us, he filled our hearts with peace.
Since his passing, we've received many messages, emails, and texts on how he healed broken hearts, instilled self-belief, promoted safety, accepted love, and added meaning to lives. He filled each soul with a light and peace that my daughters, our guests, students, and interns, and I will carry forever.
He brought safety and peace to the herd. He was firm, but he was trusted, respected, and loved. The epitome of perfect herd communication and behavior, he knew how to rule with wisdom, kindness, and yet with strength and power.
I would like to tell you the story of Shiloh’s life in this body.
Yes he had other lives in other bodies, more on that later :)
Early Years and Arrival
He was born into a family of Peruvian Paso breeders, located in the mountains of Cartago, just east of San Jose, in Costa Rica. His grandfather was the first person to introduce and breed Peruvian Pasos in Costa Rica. Born and raised in the lush fields under the Irazú volcano, Shiloh was given as a foal, a gift to the grandson. The grandson loved him dearly and so did his little daughter and son, who would crawl all over him and stick flowers in his mane and tail.
In 2008, I was in search of a horse to add to our small herd of two, which consisted of Geisha and her son Shadowfax. I discovered a stunning white Iberian gelding, but when I went to see him, he had already been sold. I was very disappointed as I had been really taken by his round body, big eyes and square conformation. His owner was very sorry, but told me he had a friend who owned a similar looking horse, a Peruvian Paso, the horse wasn’t for sale, but he said we could always ask. I called, he agreed for me to visit, he wanted to meet me and know who I was. So I drove up on an early morning, the fog was heavy, the air was chilly and it was oh so cold!
There on the edge of a slope mountain, in a field with 2 cows, some goats and chickens, stood a dapple grey horse, pushing around the cows, goats and chickens, like they were his herd. I could see this guy was super smart and had a lot of character. Two things that very important for me.
He came up to us very friendly.The kids snuggled up to him as his owner saddled him up. Then, I rode him along some very rocky paths. There was no way to feel what kind of gait he had, but it didn't matter. I was already in love!
The owner had not planned on selling him. Shiloh was the last horse left after Grandpa had passed away. The owner was very busy finishing university - and with another family, they were turning the horse farm into a mushroom farm. After meeting me, he felt that Shiloh would have a good home, so the deal was made.
Before I could bring Shiloh home, I had to fly to Austria with my two daughters, Lexi and Eve, as my father was very ill, and was refusing any treatment for cancer. He had decided he would not take any chemicals, that he was ready to leave this body and meet my mother and his friend Jean Paul (my mother’s second husband and greatest love). We left and spent two very warm loving weeks, and some pretty dramatic hysterical moments too, but that’s another story. It was our final good bye and I left with in some ways a sad and heavy heart, but also knowing my father was at peace. He, who had been an atheist all his life, had become spiritual and felt very connected, he was quiet and at peace.
When we got back home to Costa Rica, Shiloh soon joined us, and our journey together began.
Shiloh’s first day with us in Cahuita, 2008.
Shiloh & I at the school Complementaria Cahuita, 2009.
He was 6 years old and was a fast moving horse, very forward and ready to go, something I love. Yet he was gentle and listened, he was not fearful nor spooky, nor did he buck or run away with you. He just moved fast. He could walk as fast as a horses trot, trot as fast as another horses gallop, he was my first experience of a gaited horse, and wow was that something!
Our adventure began by going deep into the jungle, galloping along the beach, and swimming in the sea. We really just had fun together, with no expectations. Our relationship grew; there was trust, respect, connection, and love. My daughter, Eve, and her friend would take Shiloh and my daughter's horse, Anya, out on beach rides. As kids of 12, I'm sure they had many incredible adventures together.
Nathalie on Shiloh, followed by the dogs Felix and Great Dane Jasper.
Evie’s first time on Shiloh.
We got a black Great Dane puppy, a long legged, all over the place, Scooby doo, Great Dane , we named Jasper . He’d been born in the city, father from the States, mother from Germany, and now here he was in the jungle. One day he got lost in the jungle after being chased by neighbour dogs. For 5 days we could not find him. Everyday I rode out bareback onShiloh with only a halter and lead, going deep into the jungle, on tiny paths. The path became narrower and smaller, until there was no room left for turning. We came to a marsh land with a wonky old wooden bridge, in the water were caymans lurking. I didn’t know what to do. I let the lead loose, held on to Shiloh’s mane and said to him, you decide what we must do, I trust in you. From a stand still he lept into a gallop and we raced across that small broken wooden bridge, the boards flying out beneath and behind us. Really it was like a movie, except I wasn’t a stunt person! We arrived at the other side, he came to a halt, shook himself, and went to grazing grass, as I sat wide eyed and breathless at to what had just happened!
That afternoon Jasper found his way home, skinny and underweight, but all was good.
Our bond grew day by day. I had been practicing yoga for many many years by then, and had begun to feel this connection between yoga and being with horses. How the slowing of my breath and the calming of my mind brought me closer to Shiloh, how my body felt stronger and more flexible as I rode him bareback everywhere. I would sit in meditation with Shiloh and I could feel his energy permeating me.
2009, Playa Grande, Cahuita.
One day, I received the sad news that my cousin, with whom I had grown up and galloped the hills in Canada on our little ponies together, laughing and falling and just being kids, had unexpectedly passed away in the night. I was shaken, heartbroken, and very confused. She was only 48. How? I raced into the pasture where Shiloh was and threw my self on the ground with all my pain and confusion. He walked up to me, stood behind and over me. He placed his warm soft muzzle above my right shoulder, I could feel his breath, maybe for 15 minutes or more, then he raised his head to just above my head, his muzzle and breath lingering over my crown chakra, again 15 minutes or so, he stayed there in stillness, breathing. Then he moved to my left shoulder and remained there. I felt his presence, his energy, his warmth and his love. The pain began to slip away and was replaced with a feeling of love and peace, and then I saw her, my cousin Cindy, laughing and looking at me, telling me it’s all alright, as it should be, images of her and I as kids, laughing, riding, playing came to me. My tears became tears of laughter, I felt whole, and then Shiloh slowly walked away, his job done. That was the first time I experienced Shiloh’s healing. It was incredible and no words can explain really what happened. A sense of peace, oneness and connection that all is well.
That is when Shiloh and I started to practice Yoga together and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. It was peaceful, it filled us with harmony and calmn, we just flowed with this energy of connection and well being. And then I had an idea, or did Shiloh plant the idea within me? Good question. I have a feeling, knowing Shiloh, that he planted the idea within me, that is was never mine :) We were going to help others feel this deep sense of connection and well being together. And so we began our first Yoga in Harmony with Horses retreats.
It was at that time that I met a beautiful woman called Corinne, living up in the mountains around San Jose, she too was practicing Yoga with horses, and so we did these retreats together and went on to create our EYTP certification program, so that others around the world, could share that there were other ways and things to do with a horse , that could be beneficial to both human and horse. I have yet to meet a horse that doesn’t enjoy doing yoga with us. Thats because they are so happy that humans start to chill, relax, let go, breathe, connect to their authentic selves, heal and just be in union with life, something that horses are so naturally gifted.
So Shiloh was the first horse for our Yoga in Harmony with horses. Anya, Greyjoy and Asha soon joined.
It was around that time, that I discovered Carolyn Resnick. I was looking for a Liberty horse trainer and natural horsemanship trainer that could possibly help me with a broken abused, aggressive and dangerous big stallion that I had rescued, Brego.
Shiloh scratches his butt as I meditate, 2012.
Born to swim, 2009
Playa Grande, Cahuita
What I read about her and what she offered, I was smitten and in love with her whole process of the Waterhole Rituals, to build a true relationship where both human and horse are free, no ropes, no halters, no make the horse do anything, by building mutual respect and trust all is possible.
And so with Shiloh we began our first online Waterhole Rituals with Carolyn Resnick.
I told my friend and soul sister Nancy Zinstmaster, about Carolyn Resnick and the incredible experiences I was having playing with my horses at liberty and them freely just following us and wanting to be with us all the time. Nancy had some rescue horses of her own, and they all had deep trust issues. So Nancy joined the next online class and began her journey with Carolyn. She went on to become close friends with Carolyn and is now Carolyn’s partner in the Resnick Method. I continued my training with Carolyn and deepened my relationship with Shiloh and all our other horses.
Shiloh was our first yoga and liberty horse, accompanying me, as a founding pillar of Kindred Spirits.
He trained the other horses to behave, educated the young ones on manners, and cared for those who were weak and in need, like my Andalusian mare Geisha.
The day Geisha passed away, after a two-year battle with equine diabetes, was heartbreaking. As I cradled her head in my arms, with Lexi's arms wrapped around mine, Geisha drew her last breath. Nearby, Shiloh began to gallop, rear, and buck non-stop for 20 minutes as if honoring Geisha's passing. I was worried for him, but he eventually stopped and returned to grazing peacefully.
Equine Healing for Healers, 2023.
Shiloh the Healer
Shiloh was not just a horse; he was a healer. His presence brought peace to those around him, and he had an uncanny ability to sense when someone was in pain or distress.
In 2016, my daughter returned home. After a career in advertising, she was worn out from stress and anxiety. It was so severe that she ended up in the hospital, nearly losing her life, which led to her coming home.
Lexi had grown up with horses and rode double bareback with me as a little girl. But after two bad experiences, where the horse rolled on her and another one would not stop (not our horses, they were trek horses) she would no longer ride, she was afraid. She would admire their beauty from afar, take photos but not get close. When she came home, slowly but surely Shiloh began to work his magic on her. It took time, as Lexi wasn’t always ready or available, she would hide in her room, hurt and afraid. But the dogs demanded they be taken on walks, and slowly she started to mingle with the horses energies. One day, sad and lonely she went to the pasture and sat there. Shiloh came to her, and as she told me herself, Mum, he cleared my chakras, I felt it, I feel better! At that time she was still skeptical about energy healing, but Shiloh convinced her, it was real.
Covid came, guests no longer came, and our last volunteers left. We were alone on the farm, with Ramon to help us. We had 8 horses, and no money, it was a struggle, but somehow we survived, with the help of family. But we had no one to help with the care of the horses, I couldn’t do it alone and so Lexi began to help and she fell in love, she fell in love with all the horses and from then on never gave up her job of caring for them, she still does to this day. They love her, they follow her, they protect her.
Slowly Shiloh began to do his magic on her once again. She had not ridden since she was 11 or 12. Now she was 30. One day we decided we wanted to ride to the beach, and Lexi said she would come with Shiloh, and so it began, Shiloh took care of her, she felt safe with him, he took her and she just needed to be with him, he was there for her, he filled her with a sense of safety and connection and healed her then, as he healed her before and in so many other ways.
As Kindred Spirits grew in business from our early beginnings in 2012, many people came to stay with us. As guests for our Retreats, and students for our Yoga Teacher Trainings and our Equine Yoga Teacher trainings, Interns and volunteers, came and went, I witnessed how our horses but most especially Shiloh touched them deeply, healing them, guiding them back to themselves. But I had not fully realized how many people he had touched and made such a change in peoples lives, until today, until Shiloh left his body yesterday, the emails, the messages, the texts and photos have come pouring in, in gratitude, in homage to this wonderful being who filled their lives with light, peace, love and hope.
The Lives & Legacy of Shiloh
Each one has incredible stories they have shared with us, and they all stand out as special, unique and wonderful. But I would like to share one, that is unique and goes into past lives.
A lovely French woman, wanted to join one of our YTT’s. I wasn’t sure she would come, as she was very hesitant about the jungle and insects, but she was in need of healing and finding herself. So she came. During her stay, Shiloh would approach her during classes and stay with her, at one point he drew her away from the group and they had a very deeply connected moment together. I could feel what was happening and left them to themselves. When the Yoga Teacher Training was over, she left, but we stayed in contact. Her later travels led her to a place in Tibet, where she came across a seer.
Out of the blue, the woman asked, "Why did you go to Costa Rica?" She replied, "For a YTT." The woman insisted there was another reason. She admitted, "I chose this place because of a woman. I saw her photo and knew I had to meet her, but I didn't know why” (that would be me!). The woman exclaimed, "Yes! That is why!" She then asked, "And there was a white horse?" The answer, of course, was yes, Shiloh. The woman explained that it had been crucial for her to return to Costa Rica, to this area (where she had never been before), as part of her healing. She needed to reunite with Shiloh and me. We had had a previous life together as part of an Indigenous community. She had been my daughter and a healer. I was the leader or guide of the village, and Shiloh was part of us, with us.
There is more depth to this story, but I wont go into all that now. For many you might find this story too out there, and I understand. For me, I had always felt Shiloh and I were very connected and had had many lives together. This only confirmed it for me. A Tibetan seer in the Himalayan mountains relating this to this woman, and we had never talked about anything like this when she was here with us. When she told me the story of this encounter, the hair on my arms stood up and I knew with all my heart it was true. Unexplainable but true nonetheless.
And now as Shiloh has left his physical body, and I meditate that “I am not this body, I am not even the mind” from the teachings of Sadhguru, I know with all my heart, soul, being and spirit, that Shiloh is here. He left his body, but his energy, his spirit, is here, all around us, within our hearts, our souls, within each horse, as I walk the farm, he is with us, filling us with peace, standing guard and healing us still.
So I thank you Shiloh with all my heart and light, my soul bows to you in gratitude for all the beings you have helped, healed, transformed and guided, I thank you for healing my daughter and healing my wounded broken heart when we first met, I was torn apart from the passing of my mother, a divorce and then the passing of my father, alone with my two daughters, barely able to breathe, and he healed me, I found my self, and we continued a glorious journey together with him as Kindred Spirits.
These are two poems I wrote in Shiloh’s presence, inspired by him. One the day before, and one in the morning of the day he left his body, which was yesterday.
A Song to Shiloh, a Legend
Shiloh, wizard & healer,
Magical spirit,
Shaman & a leader,
A legend to be.
From the very first moment,
We met in the fog,
On a sparkling mountain top,
Under the rainbow.
Your round dapple grey body,
Your soft gentle eyes,
You pranced with the joy of life,
Owning my true heart.
We galloped through the splashing waves,
Followed jungle paths.
Meditated in the sun,
And found peace & joy.
Lying on your round soft back,
You taught me to be.
That we had all that we need,
To love and be free.
We connected soul to soul,
And we spoke with our hearts.
You took me on a journey,
Healed my wounded heart.
You were leader of the herd,
Watcher of the land.
Master & teacher,
To all those in need.
Healing broken bodies & hearts,
Uplifting spirits,
Guiding them on their journeys,
You showed them the way.
You were healer & master,
To those that met you.
Showing them the connection,
The way to freedom.
Now we stand by you in grace,
Love deep in our hearts,
In gratitude to your life,
We honor your Soul.
Let your light shine in the sky,
And guide me to you,
When I am lonely and sad,
My soul will see you.
And once again we’ll gallop,
Along the sea shore,
Dancing, prancing in the waves,
Our hearts content.
Terry Newton 12/03/24
Shiloh, my friend
The time has come,
You are ready,
I am not.
Just one more ride,
One more gallop,
Along the sea’s shore.
Just one more dance,
Another swim,
In the sea.
Then we will part,
Til the next time,
Just you & me.
Au revoir my friend,
Au revoir.
Terry Newton 13/03/24
Words from Shiloh
As I lay in bed last night, in the dark, the memories flooding my mind, the grief still deep in my heart, I felt his presence and I heard these words whispered to me. I share this humbly, with no ego or self pretense, just as it is.
“All the people I met, touched, helped, healed and guided, I couldn’t have done it without you. You held the space that permitted me to do what I was able to do.You are the keeper of the space, the safe haven, where all is possible. Never forget that.” - Shiloh 13/03/24
I would like to end this very short story of Shiloh’s life, as there are so many more stories to tell. I’m writing a book, and his stories will riddle the pages, with love and peace, with this song written and sung by Jeanette Rios:
Remember why you came here,
Remember your life is sacred.
Remember why you came here,
Remember your life is Sacred.
This is Shiloh’s message to all of us. Remember who you are, you are so much more! You are divine, you are sacred.
Namaste my dear friend, my love, my heart Shiloh 14/03/24