At EAL sessions, clients identify personal goals and engage in horse-assisted activities designed to help them realize them. Our certified* Equine Specialists collaborate with credentialed educators/leaders or (when requested/appropriate) licensed clinical behavioral health professionals in guiding EAL sessions.
Horses can be an incredible tool for building self-awareness, encouraging individuals to reflect upon their behaviors and patterns of interaction in order to develop critical life skills while cultivating a deep sense of compassion.
Boosts Self-Esteem and Confidence
Horses can serve as powerful teachers and guides on a therapeutic journey, helping participants develop new skills and build trust within themselves in a new way.
Interacting with horses gives people a sense of achievement and increased self-esteem by meeting challenges presented during Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) sessions, such as grooming the horse or participating in obstacle course rides. This feeling of accomplishment translates to other aspects of their lives such as managing mental health challenges or finding stable housing situations.
Physical activity within EAT sessions not only promotes fitness and coordination, but can help reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans while improving emotional regulation, social skills and self-esteem – an approach made all the more powerful by its holistic nature and constant presence of horses that foster an atmosphere of calm in clients – essential for those coping with trauma or addiction.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Equinine therapy helps clients recognize and understand their emotions in an open, nonjudgmental environment. Interacting with horses requires presence and focus in the present moment, encouraging mindfulness. Their intuitive responses bring insight into emotional and thought patterns which helps manage anxiety levels among participants.
Focusing on the present, individuals learn to build trust and form healthy connections within a secure environment, which are critical skills in maintaining healthy relationships during recovery.
Horses don’t judge; they simply respond to past mistakes without holding onto past hurts against people. Furthermore, horses don’t respond negatively or anxiously when negative or anxious thoughts surface, making equine-assisted therapy an excellent stress and anxiety reducer for many individuals – it may help practice coping strategies which might otherwise be hard to discuss in traditional therapy settings – and create feelings of calmness and reduced stress levels among both horse and human participants alike. According to one recent study conducted with participants spending time with horses leading to both humans and horses heart rates synching up – thus creating feelings of calmness and reduced stress among both parties involved!
Increases Focus and Concentration
Participants in these tranquil settings surrounded by nature are encouraged to create a relationship with an equine teacher. Through quiet communion between horse and human, participants can explore vulnerability, cultivate resilience and rediscover their innate sense of wholeness.
Relationships with horses can be transformative for individuals suffering from substance misuse, emotional trauma and other forms of mental illness. Individuals in recovery frequently struggle with regulating emotions and controlling themselves – working with horses can help build these skills while increasing focus and concentration.
By paying attention to nonverbal cues from horses, it is possible to cultivate patience, trust, compassion, courage and healthy forms of communication – invaluable skills in managing recovery challenges. Furthermore, working with horses provides physical activity which is proven to reduce stress levels and boost mood – particularly beneficial if struggling with depression or anxiety.
Improves Communication Skills
Equine therapy sessions allow participants to develop communication and social skills by engaging with horses non-verbally, helping them practice reading body language and tone to effectively communicate. Horses also possess unique emotional sensitivity which enables students to learn how their actions impact others.
Horses are prey animals that respond to our body language, energy levels and emotions. Horses have incredible instincts for sensing when their owners become stressed or anxious and often show it by walking away or showing discomfort by walking off, bucking up or biting back – providing participants with an ideal opportunity to practice relaxing during potentially uncomfortable encounters. This provides participants with a safe space where they can learn ways to manage difficult situations themselves more effectively.
Linda Fargnoli of Apalachin, New York owns Kali’s Klubhouse Therapeutic Riding Program for children with developmental disabilities. Linda and her staff treat horses as partners in this work; together they focus on building self-esteem, social, emotional skills through hippotherapy, horsemanship, and experiential activities such as horsemanship lessons.
