Working with my horses improves my own personal wellness.  I have known for a while that horses have something very magical to offer. I often feel so much better after spending time with my horses.  It is hard to articulate the magic.  I can be tired, sick or just blah, and after spending time with my horses I have more energy and I am so much happier.  Even my patient and adoring husband will send me down to ride if I am getting a little grumpy. When I was recently reading an article talking about the power and efficacy of equine assisted therapy.  I realised there is a growing body of evidence and science behind it. It’s not just me! Horses have unique traits that mean that they are perfect choice for animal assisted therapies.

Wellness

• Working on trust, learning to trust a horse might be the first step in healing trauma. It is powerful and restorative especially for those who trusting others is an issue.
• Mindfulness is probably the biggest shift because horses are very sensitive they will easily reflect feelings and people often experience is as a biofeedback loop. Making it easier to understand their own emotional state.
• When in a non-competitive, non-judgemental environment learning new skills and new challenges horses will assist with improving self-esteem and Leadership.
• Behavioural modification or self-regulation because in order to communicate with a horse you need to find your calm nonreactive state.
• Experiencing challenges with horses empowers individuals and creates self-motivation and positive experiences.
• Relationship Management where the experience of developing acceptance and communication with a horse where you need to actively listen to them. Once they feel seen and heard they will respond. The basis of healthy relationships. Learning how to influence others.
• Learning to communicate across language (and species) barriers especially with something as large as a horse, promotes intuition. Improves all your nonverbal communication and understanding of how much you can communicate with intent and body language.
• Team work and social skills in a group dynamic leadership and team work are critical pieces.
• Intention and personal assertiveness alongside our own boundaries.
• I have seen firsthand anxiety reduction, and decrease in depression and isolation, horses don’t judge and unconditional acceptance.

These are all incredible life skills and skills that are being well researched in the equine assisted learning fields. I have known that these animals were amazing and magical but I continue to learn.

Therapeutic Value

Their therapeutic value is so undervalued. Trauma therapists are starting to realise their value too. As talking therapy in trauma related counselling can get someone to experience their trauma. This can slow down healing process. Some are turning to animal assisted therapies to use nonverbal experiences to process and externalise. This then allows individuals to move through to healing. Horses have been used to help anxiety, depression, ADHD, conduct disorders, addiction, dementia, returning veterans, PTSD, and other mental health difficulties. Even used for physical therapies.

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

I obviously realise my horses are magical, but it is more than magic there is science. The real magic happens when you understand how to read a horse and what they are trying to communicate with you, your world shifts. You feel more connected and get a greater insight into yourself. Having managed people for over 20 years I really appreciate how important these life skills are. Horses can transfer these skills to people and we are now just starting to figure this out. All of these life skills are part of my emotional intelligence and leadership sessions (not just therapy) so it makes sense that we should learn to be a better person from a horse.