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NEWS & ARTICLES : HORSES AS THERAPY

Horses will always be good therapy for teenagers. Below Raquel and Micco share a special moment.
Photo courtesy of Christine Minky.

Horses should be recognized for their therapeutic abilities in our society. Horses have an amazing ability to heal us, and even to guide us to new and better behaviors in our bodies and in our minds.

While “therapy dogs” abound and are noted for their contribution to our lives, I’m sure horse lovers would agree, there are “therapy horses” also. Usually, though, their contributions go unnoted.

All over the country humans with disabilities are being managed and improved by the use of “hippo therapy”. Horses provide us with a remarkably similar movement pattern to our own, and when one’s body cannot produce that movement, a horse can carry a disabled rider and provide the many benefits of subtle, rhythmic movement.

The increased use of horses in psychotherapy, family therapy, wellness therapy, even corporate therapy is paving the way for more and more humans to experience the incredible power of the horse to enlighten us as to our unconscious behaviors, and bring about positive changes in our daily lives, for ourselves, our families, or within a business team atmosphere.

There has been a surge in popularity of “Pink” in the fight to cure breast cancer, and many national equestrian events have held their own “pink” nights, raising money for the cause. Even greater is the benefit that horses have provided so many women stricken with this disease. Without their horses in their lives, many women suffering through breast cancer would not have the incentive to carry on, rejuvenated by time at the barn and in the saddle.

As a teenager, I can’t count the number of times I relied solely on my equine friends for comfort and support for the usual trying times, and I know that still goes on today with every single teenager who has a horse (good grief, with every horse lover regardless of age!).

My personal story of healing came after a severe back injury left me disabled for many, many months, with doctors telling me I’d never ride again (amongst quite a few other things I’d never do again). I proceeded to go out and find an older, safe (but still spunky) horse, and ride anyway. Now, that isn’t for everyone who is injured – I’m not recommending that you go against your doctor’s orders. But for me, it was the best therapy. No therapist could do for me what that horse did for me, and I hold him dear to my heart even now. “Torp” was not a fancy horse, but he did his job – he rehabbed my body, and my “self”, and brought me back to a place where I believed I could live again, the way I wanted to. At first, I would take my pain pills before I rode, but I’d ride anyway. It took about a year to accomplish, but after a while I didn’t even think about taking the pain pills before riding. I found myself starting to believe that I could do other things I didn’t think I’d do again, too. And you know what? I am doing those things. I fully believe and know that if it were not for that horse, I would not be where I am today, doing what I do. I’ll be forever grateful to “Torp”, and a platform jump in our backyard holds his memory plaque. I can visit him whenever I want.

So next time you see a horse, just know that to someone, somewhere, that horse has probably been a “therapy horse” – there is a wealth of contribution yet to come from these wonderful, spiritual, healing animals!