EQUINE PSYCHOTHERAPY:
No, this is not therapy for horses. They don’t need therapy, we do! But why horses?
Companion animal therapy has been around for quite a while and we are all familiar with the benefits of visits from cuddly, cute pups to shut-ins, service dogs’ loyalty and healing with returning vets, and therapy dogs that allow their owners to enter the mainstream of life with the help and security of a trusted furry friend.
So why bother with horses as therapeutic aids? They’re big, not cuddle-in-your arms* companions and some are not even that friendly. Even so, evidence is mounting that for many clients, working with horses enables them to reach inside themselves to find strength, resiliency, and healing and to tap into inner-resources that enable them to continue to enhance their lives and achieve goals long ago abandoned by chronic failure.
[*I have had some of the best cuddle sessions with horses as they lay their somewhat huge heads in my lap or rest them on my shoulder.]
Horses have something the other “therapy animals” don’t. They are “prey” animals; which means that as big and powerful as they appear, they are at the mercy of their environment to survive. They’re not “fighters” they’re runners! That makes them highly dependent on their herd and their inner resources to ensure survival. In other words, horses are really just big wimps. They startle easily and will run away from a flapping paper bag. My favorite horse was scared to death of puddles.
This hyperawareness makes them highly sensitive and in tuned with the energy coming from the being around them…are you friend or foe? Do you want to play with me or eat me? They are often way more aware of what you’re feeling than you are…and they will reflect your feelings back to you. Scared? They get scared. Anxious? They get anxious. Curious and warm? They come over for a pat or cuddle.
