​EQUINE THERAPY

WHY HORSES?

 

• Horses are herd animals and like humans, are social beings. Within herd life there are rules, roles and a hierarchy. There are leaders, followers and clear social structures. These relationships have defined boundaries and established limits. Within the herd, each horse is an individual and has its own distinct personalities, attitudes and moods. All of these characteristics lead to a rich environment for metaphorical learning.

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• Horses live in the moment. They don’t spend time thinking about what happened yesterday, nor do they spend time worrying about what may happen next month.

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• Horses have no expectations, no hidden agendas and are non-judgemental.

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• Clear communication is the basis of survival of the horse.  They are experts at nonverbal language.

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• Horses mirror human body language. This feedback is both immediate and honest, which makes them especially powerful messengers. This helps promote awareness and allows clients to access what is going on in their mind, body and spirit. This awareness often leads to increased connection with self, with others and to the present moment.

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• Horses have a natural ability to evoke emotion within humans. Everyone has a reaction to them and often it involves either love or fear. These are two strong emotions, which many of life’s issues revolve around. In working with the horses, in spite of these strong emotions, participants often build confidence and gain insight that can be useful when met with challenging situations within life.

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• Horses are large and powerful animals and yet are a prey species with inherent vulnerabilities.  Embracing both strength and vulnerability together can be a powerful life lesson.

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• The horse opens the door to a myriad of activities and tasks that are not possible with conventional approaches to therapy. The type of activities that can be used within the sessions is diverse and distinctive.

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