From the horses' mouths: Equine-inspired tarot-style oracle cards share wisdom from the herd

Hillary Schneider has learned a lot from her horses over the years — like how to handle leadership with grace, how to take breaks and how to be in the moment.

Now she has a new project aimed at sharing that knowledge with others: equine-themed tarot-style oracle cards to help pass on the wisdom she's gained from the herd.

Tarot cards are decks of cards with images that people draw meaning from, sometimes using them to answer a question or address a situation in a person's life. They typically come with a guide to help people decode the significance of the cards. 

"It's just a way, I think, for people to get access to ... maybe a message or wisdom ... coming forward for them. It's just a different medium for that," said Schneider.

Schneider owns an a retreat centre in Whitecroft, a community northeast of Kamloops in the Interior of B.C., that features learning programs and activities where guests can interact with the horses.

Schneider says she pays close attention to her horses and the interactions they have with people.

"Horses are my medium of helping people," she told Daybreak Kamloops host, Shelley Joyce.

As she helps guests at her retreat centre, Schneider says she learns from the horses, too — like lessons on leadership from Aponi, her lead mare.

Aponi came to Schneider after being rescued from the 2017 wildfires in Williams Lake and quickly became the dominant horse in the herd.

"She claims her space ... It's that encouragement that you can own that and occupy that space for yourself, too."

Another one of the horses, Darma, who was rescued from a slaughter truck, taught her about choosing joy, Schneider says.

When clients asked if there were ways they could bring home some of the lessons they learned on her retreats, Schneider started thinking about a project that could capture the spirit of her horses.

Eventually she came up with the idea of a custom-made deck of tarot cards.

Connecting to the wisdom of the herd

Schneider approached another Whitecroft resident, Zuzy Rocka, to create the cards.

Rocka had been photographing the herd for a number of years.

"I've been able to spend some time with the herd and actually really also feel the kind of energy that they put out as well," said Rocka, who took inspiration from her own photos and experiences to design the cards. 

The deck features 35 cards, one for each of the horses in the herd and for each horse Schneider has owned over the years.

Schneider says she included the horses that have died as a way to honour their teachings.

"It's a way of people being able to connect to the wisdom and energy of my herd."