Being herd animals, horses are well suited for relationships and they have an inherent understanding of the importance of maintaining the safety of the herd.

Horses are flight animals and have an acute ability to sense potential safety or threat. They are incredibly attuned to human emotions and body language, which gives therapists and clients immediate, nonjudgmental feedback. Horses are not going to judge you on what you wear, where you live, or what happened to you in your life. They will respond to the energy you bring and provide people opportunity to gain insight into their nonverbal behaviors

Horses are also social animals, and so are we. Observing and interacting with them can offer insights into our own relationships, boundaries, trust, communication, and connection. Because horses are attuned to people’s emotions and energy, we have to learn to regulate and soothe ourselves so we can interact safely and effectively with the horse. These repeated experiences with the horses help us to build skills we can take into other human relationships and develop more security in those. Horses can help us tune into and listen to our inner voice and help us learn to trust ourselves, gain impulse control, manage stress, be patient, regulate our emotions, stay in the moment and a host of other interpersonal and well-being skills.

People often allow horses to interact with them in ways they won’t let other people or in a way that might not be appropriate for another person. A horse can walk up to someone and rest their head on the client’s chest or shoulder. The therapist cannot do that. When the horse does it, it can be a meaningful moment to the person that begins to help or heal something for that person and the trained clinician can help guide that in a therapeutic way.

After spending time with a clinician and their equine partner in a session, we would love to hear how you answer, “Why horses?”