“ Why Horses and how in the world can horses help me ?? “

Excellent question!

 

For those of us who have spent any time around horses, we have come to recognize and respect the power of horses and their ability to influence people in powerful ways.  The process of developing relationships, training, caring for and working beside horses naturally affects people in positive ways.

 

The benefits of this work are endless and are able to impact the physical, psychological, social, educational and spiritual parts of the participants.  In the Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) & Equine-Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) programs development of character skills are the key focus, and include work ethic, responsibility, assertiveness, communication, healthy relationship, respect, team work and so much more (remember, we said endless!).  In the Therapeutic Riding the benefits expand into the strengthening of the physical body.  These benefits occur naturally when working with the horses and have long been recognized.  Different aspects of our programs highlight different focus areas, however, the wonders of the horse, all areas are impacted due to the experiential nature of all of the services.  What other type of therapy can positively impact all of these different aspects of who you are in a single session?

 

 “So Why Not Other Animals? “

 

In EAL & EAMH programs, the size and power of a horse creates a natural opportunity to overcome fear and develop confidence.  Working with such a large animal and accomplishing a task provides the opportunity to look at how to deal with intimidating and challenging situations once they leave the farm.  To draw the two situations together, metaphors are used to show similarities and differences between the session and real life situations.

 

Another reason horses are used is because of they are social animals with defined roles within their herd.  Each horse has a distinct personality, attitude, and mood, as well as likes and dislikes.  At different times they may be stubborn, defiant, comical, loving, or playful.  An approach that may work with one horse, may not necessarily work with another.  Using these different aspects of horses, they provide vast opportunities for metaphorical learning and is an effective technique even with the most challenging individuals or groups.

 

In today’s society we are use to immediate gratification.  This creates an environment where unhealthy behaviors and actions become appealing.  The “if it feels good, do it” philosophy takes over with little thought to the consequences of the behaviors.  Horses require work and this requires participants to be engaged in physical and mental work to be successful.  In doing so, participants learn that delayed gratification and putting effort into building relationships have positive and lasting results.  A valuable characteristic that will serve one well is all aspects of life.

 

One of the most amazing aspects of using horses in this field of work is their ability to mirror exactly what human body language is telling them.  Horses are always honest and will challenge participants to change themselves so that the horse will respond in the desired manner. Many people will complain, “The horse is stubborn.  The horse doesn’t like me,” etc.  But the lesson to be learned is that if they change themselves, the horses respond differently.

paraphrased from EAGALA

 

Horses bring these and other great benefit to our Therapeutic Riding programs as well.  The horse’s gait is very similar to that of a human, which allows the body to be moved, exercised and strengthened while riding.