Equine Assisted Therapy

If the thought of exposing yourself in therapy is scary, what about equine assisted therapy, where the therapist is a horse? There is a growing field in the psychological and equine community that brings patients face to face, so to speak, with a 1500 pound four-legged friend…the horse.

You may be thinking right now how could a horse help me? Well, I am here to say to all the naysayers that therapy through equine assisted personal development is a powerful tool in the right hands of the experienced therapist. How can I make such a bold statement? I have first-hand experience, having witnessed this form of therapy in action, not as a patient, rather as an observer and an unknowingly participant.

A little background on equine assisted therapy

In 1996 the Equine-Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) was formed by a group of therapists after recognizing the benefits for patients suffering from a variety of psychological difficulties. The EFMHA actively provides standards of professionalism and safety through two branches of this type of therapy; people working in equine facilitated learning (EFL) and people working in equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP).

• EQUINE FACILITATED LEARNING – EFL is an educational approach promoting self discovery of one’s behavior, feelings, and thinking patterns through the controlled interaction between horse and patient.
• EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY – EFP promotes psychotherapy through experiential activities between patient and horse. These can include handling, grooming, riding, as well as other equine specific activities.

Facilitated by a licensed mental health professional teamed with a credentialed equine professional, Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy proves an effective alternative to traditional therapy techniques by bringing to the forefront the real issues the client is dealing with through immediate and honest feedback usually not present through traditional techniques.

Equine assisted therapy in action

Like I said previously, I had the eye-opening opportunity to experience this form of therapy in action for myself. Bringing lunch to a therapist friend and her group during a session of equine therapy, I had no idea of what was about to take place. As the group sat down to enjoy their lunch, the therapist and the horse specialist took this as an opportunity to give feedback to each individual in the group, and to listen to each patient’s own recollections of what took place. It was amazing at how open and honest each person was with their own perceptions and conclusions of the morning’s session.

Little did I know

I was about to become an active participant in the afternoons session of equine assisted therapy! As the group began getting ready for the next round of activities with the horses, my therapist friend asked if I would like to participate as well. Never being one to turn down anything, especially a new experience, I excitedly agreed. Something I have to point out here, the group was all female, and most of the issues they were dealing with were men related!

In the round pen we go

As I entered the round pen to join our equine friends with the other women, the stage was set. The exercise we were to perform with the horses was explained. We were to each attempt to convince a horse to follow us over and through various obstacles without the use of our hands guiding or our voices to entice. Not a very difficult feat, as I had no problem with my first attempt. BUT, it was pointed out that I may have cheated. So I performed the feat again to the amazement of the group. Everything seemed to be going well, as the group and myself continued with the planned activities with the horses. I even enjoyed the perceived camaraderie I was feeling with the group.

Analysis of my experience with equine assisted therapy

As we exited the confines of the round pen and our new found equine friends, the group and I took a brief break before the final analysis was to be discussed. Because this was a group session, the discussion was in an open forum. Little did I know what was about to be unleashed. Before I knew it, there was discussion as to how it was perceived that I had cheated. Some patients, though feeling this, had held back their opinions while in the pen while others had various other reactions. It seemed that through my presence and participation, a bottle of uncorked emotions and feelings began to spill out.

The truly amazing thing is that during the brief period of time during this group session, the individual participants were able to identify, analyze, and become aware of the negative feelings and behaviors that were troubling them! This all occurring in one afternoon! Later, I was told that some of the patients had made more progress through that day of equine assisted therapy than had during weeks of traditional therapy. And the best part of it all was that the patients were able to recognize and process this for themselves. When a person is able to come face to face with their own issues and be able to admit them to themselves is much more effective than having someone try to point them out.

My conclusion of equine assisted therapy

Having had the pleasure of participating in equine assisted therapy has made a real believer in me, even though my participation was spur of the moment and limited, it allowed me the opportunity to experience just how effective of a tool this form of therapy is. Witnessing firsthand the impact and insights that were gained from each of the participants involved was truly an amazing experience.

If you are thinking about equine assisted therapy, either as a patient or therapist, you can access a variety of publications from EFMHA (1-800-369-7433), or through their website at EFMHA.

If you are located in Central Texas and looking for an experienced and qualified psychotherapist in equine assisted therapy, you need to check out Stable Life Solutions at www.stablelifesolutions.com.

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