People have sought out relationships with horses since we first laid eyes on each other. Riding horses can be exhilarating, but there’s something even more profound. That’s why many mental health professionals recommend the benefits of equine therapy.
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The Horse/Human Relationship Explained
“There are striking similarities between horses and people,” says Dede Beasley, M.Ed., LPC, an equine therapist at The Ranch, who grew up riding horses. She has also maintained a private practice counseling individuals, couples and families for 30 years. “Like people, horses are social beings whose herd dynamics are remarkably similar to the family system.” At The Ranch’s rehabilitation center in Tennessee, equine therapy is a way to experience change in a hands-on way. It challenges people to look at themselves and the world in a new way.
People who have struggled to make progress or achieve their treatment goals have made significant breakthroughs with the aid of equine therapy. Research has confirmed many equine therapy benefits. It lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, alleviates stress and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. Equine therapy also helps people struggling with addictions or mental illness. There are several life skills that horse teaches better than a person. This is the primary benefit of using equine therapy with individuals facing mental illness or addiction.
Equine Therapy Lesson #1: Identifying and Coping with Feelings
Many people struggling with addictions, trauma and other mental health issues don’t know how to cope with their feelings. They may use drugs in an attempt to numb sadness, anger, fear or even joy. For therapy to be successful, one of the first steps is learning to identify, experience and cope with their emotions. Equine therapy is a powerful way to get in touch with thoughts and feelings. During equine therapy, you do not use your mind to address problems.
For the addicted individual, relying on your mind, often leads to denial, blaming others or intellectualizing your way around the problem. Instead, you must use your body and heart to feel and react in the moment. Horses have a unique ability to sense emotions and react accordingly. If your are angry or aggressive, the horse may become obstinate. If you are anxious, the horse may get skittish. But when approached by someone who is open and calm, the horse is more likely to respond in kind. Witnessing the horse’s response promotes self-awareness and can help people see themselves in a more realistic way.
Equine Therapy Lesson #2: Communication & Interpersonal Skills
Many people with addictions and mental health issues are emotionally underdeveloped. They may have difficulty relating or getting close to other people. Yet they manage to establish close bonds with horses. Through working with horses, people recognize their patterns of interacting with others. Horses do not speak, but they are excellent communicators. Learning to understand horse behavior can help people learn the way their behavior impacts others.
While riding can be part of equine therapy, the most important work happens during the interactions between client and horse, she says. Exercises as simple as haltering, leading and grooming teach people how to approach others with respect and awareness. In equine therapy, people talk about what they see and feel. The therapist guides the person to see the horse’s responses with an objective lens. Thus, they begin to recognize the ways in which their perceptions are accurate or misguided. They also discover the ways they may be projecting their own issues onto others.
Equine Therapy Lesson #3: Setting Boundaries
Working with a horse can expose a person’s maladaptive thought and behavior patterns. In an equine therapy session, Beasley draws metaphors between the client’s interaction with the horse and the patterns in their own lives. She finds opportunity to address issues like enmeshment and detachment in their family.
Lessons may be as simple as how much physical space the horse needs to feel comfortable. Without any words at all, horses make clear when someone has crossed their boundaries. Trying to control or dominate will not work with a horse. Likewise, a detached or passive approach can make it difficult to lead a horse.
Equine Therapy Lesson #4: Overcoming Fears
Horses are large animals. Their strength and size can bring up unmet needs, fears, past trauma and feelings of inadequacy or lack of control. Beasley says many people fear that the horse won’t like them. They also fear the horse could hurt them or emotionally. Rather than giving in to their usual reaction — to escape or get defensive — people learn to tolerate and process the emotion.
In a safe environment, clients learn to face their fears. They build confidence in their ability to overcome challenges. Many people feel intimidated and nervous at first. Later, they discover how quickly they process those feelings and find comfort in their relationship with the horse. Empowered by the experience, people may develop the confidence to address other fears. They then transfer these lessons to day-to-day life.
Equine Therapy Lesson #5: Trust
Horses are soothing, gentle animals. They are straightforward in their interactions without lying or manipulating. They do not judge or blame. Their presence alone can be healing. Beasley recalls one client who suffered brutal childhood abuse in her family. Rather than designing a directed equine therapy session, she allowed the client to sit in the pasture with the horse. After an hour or so, the client, visibly moved, said, “I’ve never had anybody so big be nice to me before.” This experience, Beasley says, created an “alternative memory” for the client.
Past memories taught her that anyone bigger or more powerful than her would mistreat her. Now she had a firsthand experience that showed her she could trust again. When people open themselves up, they grow in their ability to build relationships and to ask for help. After counseling clients for 30 years, 15 of which have included equine therapy, Beasley says she still learns something new every day. “I get back tenfold what I put in just by watching someone have a softening of the heart or a moment that creates a new kind of wonderful body memory.”
Other Benefits of Equine Therapy
These five lessons are just a few examples of the growth that happens through equine therapy. Other benefits of equine therapy include:
- Learning to accept responsibility
- Taking care of oneself and others
- Patience
- Humility
- A sense of pride
- An appreciation for the simple joys in life.
Even more central to equine therapy is the raw-yet-difficult-to-quantify “magic” of the horse. Few settings are more suited to equine therapy than The Ranch in Tennessee. Clients at The Ranch participate in an equine-assisted psychotherapy group at least once a week. They also have opportunities to take a one-on-one therapeutic horseback riding lesson and to ride horses recreationally on the open pastures of the 2,000-acre working ranch. “At The Ranch, the land and the horses are integral members of the treatment team,” says Beasley. “If you love animals and nature, you’re going to be in good company here.”