In recent years, the idea of using animals to aid human’s recovery is unprecedented. These animals aid in therapy, and there are actually many benefits to it. For example, some dogs are being used as emotional support animals, and the tremendous amount of support that the dog can provide to the human can be much more than what regular therapist can provide. However, the notion of using horses as a therapeutic solution is not exactly that new. If you have the time, you can read up a brief history of it here.
But dogs are not the only animals that can provide support to humans. It is actually increasingly common for people to employ horses for the sake of providing support to humans. This practice is being termed as Equine Therapy.
What Is Equine Therapy
Equine Therapy can be regarded as a practice at which horses and humans interact with the goal of rehabilitating the human. This communication between the horses and the patient help the latter develop therapeutic reactions that only serve to improve the patient’s condition. The programs develop Equine Therapy solutions is extremely beneficial to patients seeking emotional and physiological support that is wanting in society these days. Some of the programs are specifically catered to children too. Indeed, there are separate programs that are being catered especially for children with autism, and it has proven to help these children cope better with their condition and have shown tremendous improvement in their social skills too.
Indeed, there have been organizations that are being set up just to bring the notion of Equine Therapy to the masses. For example, Project Horse, an Equine Therapy organization that is known to assist humans in their rehabilitation process, has been founded in 2008. Their mission is to bring hope into those that might have lost their way. The program did acknowledge that there is a calming effect that the horses have on humans, and it has helped humans in more ways than one, especially so if the human is recovering from issues that require rehabilitation.
How Does Equine Therapy Help
Equine Therapy does work very similarly to how the Emotional Support Animal does. You see, in our current society, it is very normal for humans to be judgemental with one another. Sometimes, we humans listen to react, rather than listen to emphasize. This is detrimental, especially when it comes to patients that are in desperate need of emotional support. As such, some rehabilitation process can take much longer than supposed.
However, with the introduction of the horses in the form of Equine Therapy, these patients can recover at a much faster pace. The horses are non-judgemental and they can have a high level of empathy, which is something sorely lacking in humans.
Take for example Virginia’s Park View High School, which has employed the usage of horses as a form of Equine Therapy to their autism support class. Teachers have commented that the introduction of the miniature horses brought about much life and support to the autistic children. Indeed, the horses were able to elicit empathy in the children itself. This is only possible due to the children’s natural intuition to show care and love for animals.
Project Horse also brought their horses all around Virginia to schools that have a need. In another example, the horses were being introduced to children with known behavioral issues. The result of this Equine Therapy is that the children have shown tremendous progress in terms of their ability to
Equine Therapy For Veterans
For the case of veterans, the many years in the field can be a strenuous one, especially for their mental health. These veterans are too used to the rigors of the field, and the constant need to be on high alert has been a strain on their mental health.
Why Equine Therapy Works
So we have seen the many benefits of Equine Therapy. However, what is the underlying reasons behind the success of this form of therapy?
- It is non-judgemental: You are not being judged in any way ever since the horses literally cannot speak
- Non-threatening environment: During Equine Therapy, the patients are enveloped in an invisible barrier that protects them from the environment. It is non-threatening, and hence patients are more than able to develop empathy and develop a connection with the horses.
- Identification of feelings: The horses have the uncanny ability to help individuals connect with their inner feelings. For example, if the individual walks angrily towards the horse and yanks at the lead, the horse will react immediately. This will then signal to the individual that they are being angry, and the horse’s reaction is a reflection of the individual’s mood. This will eventually allow the individual to self-reflect, leading to them having a higher sense of self-actualization.
