5 STEPS TO HEALING THROUGH HORSES
Identifying and Coping with Feelings
Few people will deny that “magic quality” that horses possess. Being around a horse brings peace and tranquility. It is a difficult feeling to describe, but almost everyone agrees that horses are “magical creatures”. These magical creatures are great teachers for those who have experienced physical or emotional traumas.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills
Many people with addictions and mental health issues are emotionally underdeveloped. Most have difficulty relating or getting close to other people. Horses help them become more in touch with their emotions and in more control of their emotions, which leads to better relationships with people. It is easier to first 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.
Setting Boundaries
Working with a horse often allows a person to examine their thought and behavior patterns. In an equine therapy session, the instructor can help the patient see the connection with their interaction with the horse and the patterns in their own lives. Horses present the opportunity to address issues like enmeshment and detachment in their family and to develop healthy connections and boundaries. 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.
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. Most people who have not grown up around horses fear the horse could hurt them or fear that the horse won’t like them. Rather than giving in to their usual reaction – to escape or get defensive – people learn to tolerate and process the emotion. Horses are very accepting and forgiving when approached with an open attitude.
Trust
Horses are soothing, gentle animals. Horses are straightforward in their interactions without lying or manipulating. They do not judge or blame. Their presence alone can be healing. Some people feel healed just by being around a horse with little or no physical interaction. The magnetic field created by the horse’s heartbeat alone is healing. No one who is around horses for long leaves untouched because the heart of the horse is a powerful connection that creates a new kind of wonderful body memory.”
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.
