Our Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy program utilizes the excellent model set forth by EAGALA (Equine-Assisted Growth and Learning Association), an internationally-renowned organization dedicated to improving the mental health of individuals, families, and groups around the world through the use of programs which incorporate horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. These ground activities with the horses require participants to apply certain skills in non-verbal communication, creative thinking, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, confidence, and relationship building.
EAP activities are done from the ground with no horse experience necessary and are designed to be fun and interactive while providing important learning opportunities. Horses are sensitive to non-verbal communication and help stimulate greater awareness of emotions through the non-verbal cues that they provide. Their feedback is honest and straightforward, providing valuable insight to help overcome fears and negative life patterns while enhancing problem-solving skills and communication. In EAP horses act like mirrors, reflecting attitudes and issues metaphorically to help increase a person’s awareness and help with addiction.
Learning to trust an animal such as a horse assists in the development of a person’s ability to trust others, especially when trust has been violated in the past. The unique ability of the horse to exhibit unconditional acceptance can be a reassuring invitation back into a more pro-social mindset and lifestyle. A positive experience with a horse is often a safe, first step toward initiating closer relationships with people while also instructing participants on the importance of developing and respecting boundaries. Studies show that animal-assisted therapy reduces a person’s levels of anxiety and aggressiveness while increasing cooperativeness and self-acceptance.
Conscious observation of horses in their natural environment reveals that these beautiful and powerful animals are very much like humans in that they are social animals with defined roles within their herds. Their distinct personalities, attitudes, and moods may at times appear familiar to the observer’s own life in that they are sometimes recognized or labeled as stubborn, lazy, passive or defiant. Many people will notice similarities between themselves and the horses’ behaviors and will often relate the dynamics they experience in the session to their relationships and behavioral patterns at home.
Questions the facilitators will often ask are: “how’s that like your life?” and “who does the horse remind you of”? Powerful parallels are always discovered while engaging in EAP, but for some the most interesting and revealing truth in EAP is- “it’s not about the horse”!
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