In the Year of the Fire Horse, traditional Diné healers bring sacred ceremony, song, and horse healing to Mill Spring, NC, October 24–26, 2026 honoring first responders, veterans, Hurricane Helene heroes and all who seek healing.

MILL SPRING, NC — Traditional Navajo (Diné) medicine men from the American Southwest will return to Whispering Feather Farm in Mill Spring, North Carolina, October24–26, 2026, for the second annual Navajo Horse Blessing Ceremony. Hosted by the nonprofit The Way of the Equine Warrior, the three-day gathering brings sacred ceremony, song, storytelling and horse healing to western North Carolina. It is open to everyone, on a donation basis.

The ceremony honors the region's first responders, veterans and Hurricane Helene heroes, the people who carried their communities through their darkest hours and are still helping neighbors rebuild. It welcomes anyone seeking healing, with or without horse experience.

A ceremony born from a family's story
The gathering has deeply personal roots. Anna Twinney, founder of Reach Out to Horses® and The Way of the Equine Warrior,and her husband, Vin Mancarella, first met the healers through their son, Joseph. Born seven weeks early, Joseph depended on supplemental oxygen for 18 months, despite modern medicine, complementary therapies and a move to lower altitude.

"We were guided to traditional Navajo healers," said Twinney. "They held a deeply private ceremony for Joseph on the Navajo reservation, and within 24 hours he was breathing freely, off oxygen completely. That was our initiation into a kind of healing that lives beyond our modern understanding."

The first ceremony at Whispering Feather Farm was held in 2025. "So many people told us they wished they could have been there," said Twinney. "Now they can."

Horses, land and self
Horses have long been woven into Navajo tradition and life. Over three days, the ceremonies center on hózhǫ́ ǫ́ , the Navajo concept of walking in beauty, harmony and balance, and extend that balance to horses, the land, and every person present.

The ceremonies are shared through storytelling, song, chant, and prayer, working with the energy of the land and all the elements. Organizers describe the tradition as one quickly being lost to history, and the ceremony as a rare chance to witness it.

"The horses know the land well and are such an integral link," shared one of the Navajo elders. "It is also our belief that the beauty we all instinctively possess will grow in everyone in attendance."

Wisdom that goes home with you
"The wisdom shared here holds true long after the weekend," said Twinney. "It walks home with you, into your relationships, your animals, your land, and your life. Being a hero starts with being one to yourself. Come and receive a blessing of your own."

The event is donation-based on a sliding scale, so cost is never a barrier to attending. Proceeds support The Way of the Equine Warrior's free healing programs for humans and horses, and the Navajo elders.

About the organizers
The Way of the Equine Warrior is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at Whispering Feather Farm in Mill Spring, NC. Its mission is to teach the true language of the horse in order to foster healing and partnership for both horse and human heroes worldwide. Its programs include Heroes Healing Heroes, which offers equine coaching free of charge to first responders, veterans and those they serve;
No Horse Left Behind, which provides sanctuary and a second chance at life for horses whose lives have been altered through no fault of their own; and Trainers without Borders, which teaches the language of the horse around the world. Learn more at
equinewarrior.org

Anna Twinney is the founder of Reach Out to Horses® and an internationally recognized equine linguist, natural horsemanship clinician, animal communicator, and Holy Fire®Karuna Reiki Master. Over three decades she has gentled more than 2,000 wild and untouched horses, taught more than 1,500 clinics, classes, and events worldwide, and was the first female clinician to bring natural horsemanship to China and Mongolia. Learn more at reachouttohorses.com