What is equine-facilitated psychotherapy?

Horses are sentient mammals, this means they have consciousness, emotions, memory, agency, and autonomy. In nature, horses are prey animals, much like deer or zebras, who live and thrive in relationships and social communities called herds. These natural factors contribute to why horses have a highly sensitive, innate ability to perceive, process, and respond to the emotions, body language, and subtle non-verbal cues of humans and other animals around them. 

Working with horses in therapy gives children and teens a unique opportunity to receive immediate, non-judgmental, and straightforward feedback; it can feel like working with a living, breathing, warm and furry, biofeedback “machine.” For many children and teens, it is easier and less complicated to receive and accept this type of feedback. In equine therapy, children and teens are given a different vantage point to see how their emotions, behaviors, and perceptions impact themselves, as well as their relationships with their horse and others. Horses help children and teens learn about their strengths, their resiliency, and their growing edges. 

Like humans, horses are social creatures who grow and thrive best when in relationships that are regulated, attuned, have a felt sense of safety, respect, boundaries, and authenticity. When children and teens partner with horses they learn to build a horse-human relationship that is built upon these critical and foundational skills. Children and teens learn and practice social skills, emotional regulation, sensory integration, self-advocacy, and adaptive coping skills. The relational skills children and teens develop through the connection and interactions with horses and other ranch animals extend beyond the barn, empowering them to build meaningful and successful relationships and experience a greater sense of well-being in their everyday lives.