While many different disorders have become better understood and studied, I think we can all agree that anxiety is one the few that has become the most prevalent. Similarly, horses have recently become one of the most popular animals used for therapeutic purposes. For those with anxiety, this therapy can be completed in many forms such as riding, stable management or using the horse as a visual tool. Sometimes, the ‘rider’ may not even touch the horse at all.
Why Horses For Anxiety?
There are three main reasons why horses have been used as a main therapeutic animal for those suffering from severe anxiety:
Feedback and mirroring: Their nature as a prey and herd animal makes them hyper sensitive, keen observers. This means that their feedback is provided earlier and more consistently than with a human therapist. There is an innate tendency to mirror the patient’s behaviour, physical movements and emotions. This can be seen both as a rider or as a handler on the ground and enable the participant to be more aware of themselves.
Non-judgmental and unbiased: Horses react only to the patient’s behavior and emotions and are not biased by the patient’s physical appearance or past mistakes. Patients describe this as being crucial to the therapy and aids in increase of self-esteem and self-confidence.
Metaphor for real life: The ability of a therapist to use the horse as a metaphor for other issues helps make the equine treatment applicable to real life problems. An example of how a therapist can help the patient work out issues in their own lives through the use of the horse as a metaphor: “One child was having great difficulty discussing how they were feeling about an upcoming move to another state. She was, however, able to offer many suggestions for how to help a horse that was being sold feel more comfortable in his new environment”. Using the horse as a metaphor, the child better understood and could cope with their own move.
