Horses help us heal. How do they do this or can they even do this?
This always sounded weird to me. Brush a horse, stroke her mane, spend time out in the pasture … how does this bring healing and break the patterns of toxic stress and trauma?
The reason why the horse can be helpful partner in the healing process goes back to the human(s) facilitating the interaction. Whether true Psychotherapy with Horses or a Skill Building experience. As an Equine Assisted Services (EAS) provider how I handle my personal and professional life reflects in my EAS. To put it in other words how I do one thing reflects how I do all things.
What about how I handle conflict in my personal and professional relationships? Do I embody the principles taught in session?
How are the horses treated when no clients are around? Is there any difference? Sure, training a young horse under saddle will look different than an Equine Assisted Learning session.
Does the horse have the autonomy to say “no”? Do I stop and take the time to be curious about the feedback or push through the “no” to get the objective completed.
I missed the mark on this when I first started working with horses and I have since learned a better way. Instead of using a horse’s nervous system against them to get what we want with pressure, what if we stepped back and asked why is the horse responding this way? Would helping the horse regulate and return to the thinking side of her brain help things? On the outside its just “horsemanship” but did I override this horse’s nervous system (fight) to accomplish my objective today?
Do I know my horses well enough to know their tolerance and have proper expectations of where they are at emotinally ? This means working through stress, friction, in the relationship in a healthy attuned way. Same way we work through people relationships.
When I do miss the mark, I get to repair the relationship. It takes the fear our of “messing up” away or “ruining the horse”. Mistakes or misunderstanding the horses’ feedback are all part of the learning process.
To bring it back together, the horse on her own is only part of the equation to what makes EAS a powerful force in healing process. The principles demonstrated and explored in a healthy attuned relationship with the horse are the power in this work.
How I show up to session is tiny fraction of what I am bringing into session (how I handle family, friend, work, animal, community relationships etc.). Also, the relationship principles with the horse transfers to real world.
Horses help us heal, could be better stated building a connected attuned healthy relationship with a horse is the vehicle for breaking the cycle of toxic stress and trauma.
Agree? Disagree?
Let me know your thoughts and continue the discussion.
These thoughts above are based off my experience finishing the Natural Lifemanship Practicum as our team works through certification process.
-Lindsay McDade, Equine Program Manager, Hoof Beat Ranch
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