Horses are fascinating. They are prey animals and rely on the cooperation of their herd for safety. Horses live in the moment. They don’t care what you do for a living or what kind of car you drive. Horses elicit clarity of thought and honesty of intention. They teach us to be in our bodies and use our senses to listen to our inner wisdom.
I have loved horses since I was a child. In fact, I used to pretend I was one! I’ve ridden horses all my life, but didn’t own my own horse until I was an adult. I rescued a traumatized horse named Olivia and it gave me the opportunity to learn much about healing from trauma. In many ways, she rescued me.
I began my relationship with Olivia the only way I knew how–through riding. Sadly, Livvy was never going to be a riding horse, so I had to learn a new way to interact with her. The insights this new way of “being” brought me were life changing. We developed an intense bond that inspired me to learn more about equines in therapy so I could share my insights with my clients. Livvy and the subsequent horses in my life have taught me much about fear, courage, self-confidence, and leadership. You don’t have to be a “horse person” to gain from their wisdom in EAP. Most sessions are on the ground. Riding is not necessary.
After I learned from Livvy how a horse can help a human heal, I decided to invest in a new form of counseling. Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. I became a Certified Equine Interaction Mental Health Professional and a member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International in 2009.
I have witnessed profound changes in clients with depression, anxiety, and traumatic brain injury as a result of EAP. The focus of the therapy is on building a relationship and using those observations to look inward. We learn a lesson about resiliency from horse behavior.
For clients who are interested in exploring EAP, I offer counseling sessions at a local barn. There is an additional “cost” to rent your therapy horse. Contact me for more information.
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”
Sir Winston Churchill
Resources
From the National Equine Resource Network Facebook page
“Recent studies conducted by the Institute of HeartMath provide a clue to explain the bidirectional “healing” that happens when we are near horses. According to researchers, the heart has a larger electromagnetic field and higher level of intelligence than the brain: A magnetometer can measure the heart’s energy field radiating up to 8 to 10 feet around the human body. While this is certainly significant it is perhaps more impressive that the electromagnetic field projected by the horse’s heart is five times larger than the human one (imagine a sphere-shaped field that completely surrounds you). The horse’s electromagnetic field is also stronger than ours and can actually directly influence our own heart rhythm!
Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a “coherent” heart rhythm (heart rate pattern) which explains why we may “feel better” when we are around them. . . .studies have found that a coherent heart pattern or HRV is a robust measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy–that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adjust to stressful situations very efficiently. Often times, we only need to be in a horses presence to feel a sense of wellness and peace. In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased levels of beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters that serve as pain surppressors), decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, improved social functioning; and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience and self-efficacy.”
Why We Measure Horses in Hands
Here’s an interesting article about the origin of using “hands” to measure the height of horses.