Equine Therapy

What is equine therapy?

Simply put, equine therapy gets horses to help in the treatment process. Horses, after all, are highly effective at mirroring attitudes and behaviours of humans. Like many other therapy animals, they provide a non-judgmental and unbiased environment. This is what makes them ideal therapy partners. A person needing therapy is guided through grooming, feeding, and even leading a horse. As they do this, therapists closely observe the interaction. Then they identify emotional and behavioural challenges. Similar to animal therapy, working with a horse has a basic goal of fostering emotional regulation. Aside from this, the therapy also allows the development of life skills, such as confidence, trust, and communication. Also, impulse control, accountability, responsibility, and problem-solving skills are enhanced. Equine therapy is empathetic by nature. Because of this, it is often used to complement treatment programs for adults and teens who have certain conditions. These include addiction, behaviour disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders and learning difficulties. 

How does it work?

Since it's done in the outdoors, this therapy is a much different experience than talk therapy. Being around horses helps people open up about their issues. For one thing, interacting with horses involves all the senses. People have no choice but to put their all into what they need to do. Consequently, this brings people right to the present. It forces them to focus on the tasks at hand. Because of its merits, equine therapy effectively complements more traditional treatments. 

What can you expect from a session?

A counsellor will bring you to meet the horse, or horses, you will be working with. Take the time to get to know your equine friends. You completely control the pace of the therapy. Once you are comfortable, the counsellor will guide you through some activities. You may groom the horses or lead them out to the pasture. There could be play, too. Or, if you prefer, you could just hang out together. Each session is safe. The counsellor never leaves your side. And the horses are specially trained to be calm and gentle. 

Which conditions can equine therapy help ease?

• Anger

• Abuse

• ADD

• Addiction

• ADHD

• Anxiety

• Autism

• Dementia

• Depression

• Eating disorder

• Grief

• Panic attack

• PTSD

• Sleep disorder

• Stress

• Trauma

Equine therapy can also help improve health and wellness as well as mindset, and increase self confidence.

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