Why Horses?

There are many benefits to providing mental health treatment through interaction with horses including: increasing client motivation and attendance; facilitating trust and rapport between client and counselor; improving interpersonal skills and relationships; developing increased feelings of self-efficacy, empowerment, and resilience; and experiencing physiological benefits through contact with horses that enable clients to be more open and relaxed during treatment.
 
The presence of the horse(s) helps to increase the client’s sense of emotional safety by decreasing anxiety, increasing openness, and helping the client to express feelings. Interestingly, clients who have a difficult time relating to and forming close relationships with another human being often readily do so with a horse - perhaps because the horse is genuine and non-judgmental. By understanding how their behavior affects the horse, a client can begin to see how their behavior affects others, and ultimately, how it affects others’ response to them. Most importantly, clients look forward to and enjoy coming to their sessions.

Therapeutic Benefits

• Horses are sensitive to nonverbal communication and able to provide immediate feedback​.
• Takes place in a low-stigma setting - the calm, peaceful natural environment.
• The presence of the horse can:
  • Increase client’s motivation
  • Facilitate trust with counselor
  • Increased openness in session
  • Enable client to receive nurturing and acceptance.
• Being with a horse can promote physiological benefits including decrease in stress hormones and increase in social connection hormones.
• Large size provides opportunity to overcome fear and develop confidence.​

• Involves all aspects of person for change.

Photo Credit: PATH Intl.

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Therapeutic Outcomes

• Creates opportunities to practice new skills and transfer to real life.
• Helps clients learn decision-making and personal responsibility.
• Development of empathy and patience.
• Learn to develop healthy relationships and communication skills.
• Decreases feelings of hopelessness.
• Improves self-concept.
• Provides safe relationship to practice trust.
• Gain coping skills through interaction and activities with the horses.​