Willfully Guided: An Interview with Jenna McGrath

Animal Communicator Translates Horses’ Emotions

Interview by Allison Trimble

As a middle-aged woman with a lifetime in horses, I’ve accumulated a barnful of geriatric performance horses, most of whom I spent years training and showing. My favorite horse, Playboy (Smokums Playlena), has been struggling this year and we’ve nearly lost him multiple times. In my desperation to find a way to help him, I connected with an animal communicator thousands of miles away who helped me make some treatment changes that have no doubt extended his life. 

Jenna McGrath is an animal medium who also helped me get Chief, our NRCHA Futurity Horse, healthy again after strangles and soundness issues. She’s my first call now when I have issues with my horses I can’t work out on my own. I think all horse owners wish they could communicate better with their horse, so I asked Jenna to tell us a little about her gift.

How would you describe what you do with horses?

I like to think that I give horses, and all animals that come to me, a voice. Though they aren’t human, they do experience life on a more evolved level than we are taught. They show me experiences, observations, and physical feelings—all very powerful. They’re very inquisitive. They want to be a conscious part of things, and decision making. They experience joy and pain. They differ from us in the way they fully occupy their bodies, so emotional experiences play out in a very physical manner, making pain a little more aggressive and emotions a little more heightened.

Because they no longer live in their natural environments, I facilitate a healing space that is like that of the herd or a pack. They can come to me, drop off their feelings, and be on their way. Sometimes they stay and we really unpack the work together.

What is your favorite thing about your work?

I really enjoy being a medical medium. This is where the animal can describe their physical ailments and I can translate them for the traditional healer (farrier, veterinarian, etc.). 

Horses are super sensitive, and as prey animals they must tune into every little discomfort. Each feeling allows them to save themselves in the face of a predator. They feel injuries way before they happen. They tell me about inflammation that you would never see visually or with a machine, often through thermal imaging as heat. Typically, they want out of their discomfort before it happens. 

I always recommend horsemen take their horses’ body boundaries very seriously. It should always be a negotiation. It might save you a big vet bill one day, or help you accomplish your dreams!

How did you get started as an animal communicator?

In 2018 I began to realize that not everyone was wired this way. It was always something I took for granted because I thought it was something we all did, but no one really talked about it. My spiritual guidance always indicated it was something we have been doing since the beginning of time, so there was no reason to make a big deal about it. While I realize we all can do it, I now know a lot of people are out of practice and uncertain. 

So, in 2020 I came out. I slowly built the business in a way my body can handle. There are a lot of physical experiences to be had in one day. Some days I tell my partner, “It’s like I lived 12 lives today,” but that’s exactly what it is. I get to experience their whole lives in a matter of moments. I’m grateful for the intimate details they share. It’s humbling they feel safe enough with me to do that.

What is a common misconception about animal communication?

I tell people I’m in this business because I’m really practiced. The most common misconception is that people do not believe they can do the same things themselves. There are certain attributes that make one good at it. I’m calm, physiologically and emotionally. I’m clear. I can hold the space of no thoughts for long periods of time, or as I call it “spacing out.” People call that a meditative practice.

I’m a big dreamer. I don’t hold limits on what is possible based on any belief system, other than that we all come from a space of love. That’s what the animals have taught me. We’re all here to experience what we choose. I love to listen to each individual’s version of that. I honor and hold space for love and the entire emotional spectrum. I’m grateful to be their translator. I try to make them feel safe so they can communicate in any way they’d like. Whether it’s funny, deep, sad, or light.

When you’re tired, listen closely; then your animal’s thoughts can come. They come in the form of pictures, movies, thoughts you’ve had but forgotten. Each piece is a puzzle that fills many purposes and experiences. If you come at it honestly, humbly, and with your feet on the floor, they’ll start to tell you what they think and feel, a little every day.

Learn more about Animal Communication and Jenna McGrath at www.theequimist.com

See this article in the May/June 2023 online edition:

May/June 2023