Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

In recent months there has been much publicity given to the return of JC Duggard from her years of captivity and concern and curiosity regarding her process of healing from her trauma. ABC news has interviewed Ms. Duggard and through this media we have learned much about her ordeal as well as her current life. Many people have marveled at the degree of maturity, calmness and centeredness of this young woman as she reclaims her life and undergoes healing of the heart, mind, and spirit. She shared with the ABC viewers that she is participating in "horse therapy," a modality of psychological treatment that allows her to learn about herself in the context of a relationship with a horse.

At the age of nine years old I witnessed a big black stallion reared up on its haunches and glorying in it's essence in the bright sun light. There was something about him that drew me in and created a desire for relationship. Having been involved with them in the form of riding, daily care, showing, breeding, and amateur training for 35 years, I can attest to the healing impact of horses on humans- particularly my horses with myself. Likewise, we as humans have the ability to be a healing force on horses - if we are authentic. Horses provide a "real time" opportunity for interaction and awareness. Feelings and sensations come up in the moment and one has a chance to observe responses and the outcome to our choice of response. This is what is known as "experiential", meaning that one has the opportunity to learn about oneself through taking part in various activities - in this case, with the horses. Other programs have been structured with the same idea in mind, such as rope and wilderness courses. Through the experience one comes to understand their patterns of feelings and behaviors and outcome of choices.

While traditional psychotherapy provides a wonderful opportunity for interaction it is limited in its provision of a parallel relationship as the therapist is seen as the healer and the client as one who is seeking healing. This is therapeutic in many ways but does not offer a situation in which the client can relate and "exchange" with reciprocal feedback on equal footing. The relationship between a client and a horse provides this type of experience. The horse acts as a mirror of how we respond to others and how our behaviors impact them. With this awareness the client can become aware of residual, covert feelings that play out in day to day interactions, body sensations that signal discomfort and tension and the opportunity to learn calming, grounding techniques that can be applied in the moment with observable immediate outcomes. The horse's response to the client provides valuable insight into the client's agenda - specifically their emotions, presentation and approach, and behaviors: in essence, the principles of cause and effect.

Through these interactions the client can come to understand the dynamics of shared emotion. He/she can:

1) See that emotions are contagious; what we send out comes back to us.

2) Explore emotional resonance; here we can think of tuning forks tuned to the same frequency. Similar impactful experiences draw people together and escalate the emotional tone of the experience. We share an emotion.  

3) Understand and create emotional regulation; Awwwwwww. Here is the key to healing. We can change our brains by choosing something that feels more healthy and peaceful to us and share that emotion! Each time we do so we create a new "neural pathway" in the brain. The good feeling is in itself rewarding and creates the likelihood that we will choose this new pathway again and again.

The interaction between the client and the horse creates a place of self awareness by experiencing how the horse responds and relates to them in the context of the surroundings. Horses are by nature prey animals. This means that, like us, they are animals of defense. Typically a horse will not attack unless it feels threatened then it will defend itself, the herd or claim its territory. Of course, we are also predators. Horses can sense if a person is filled with negative energy and will respond to that energy in a defensive way - sometimes remaining hypervigilant, running away, pulling away, even biting or kicking. Horses do not relate to us on an intellectual level. It is all from the level of feeling. Horses don't care how we look, how much money we make, our standing in the community etc. The horse relates authentically and responds authentically to us. If we want to have their attention and they are hungry, typically they will get on with grazing. For an individual who struggles with issues of feeling unimportant this can bring up feelings of inferiority or low self esteem. For an individual who struggles with issues of needing to be the center of attention this can feel dismissive. We tend to interpret the behaviors of horses much in the same manner that we tend to interpret the behaviors of people. In other words we project onto them our beliefs and transfer onto them our own issues. In the context of horse therapy an individual can have clarity regarding those issues and in a safe, accepting environment can make changes. It is amazing to see the difference in the response of the horse when a person becomes more authentic and whole. Becoming more authentic can, "Unlock your capacity for connecting deeply and effectively with others."

In the course of my training I witnessed a young woman feeding treats to a horse. The animal by nature was not aggressive or a "bully" by any means. As she fed him from her hands the animal began to get closer and closer becoming more and more enthusiastic about getting treats. She had been instructed in regards to setting boundaries with the horse should he become too close, but she was not following them. The horse got so close to her that she found herself bending backwards and pleading with the horse in a child's voice to not get so close. She later reported feeling "bullied" by the horse and confided that this was a familiar feeling with human interactions as well. She was able to see how reluctant she was to set a boundary with the horse as she feared he would not like her anymore or want to be around her. Once she was able to say, "Back up," lifting her hands to give the signal for space, the horse complied and waited for his treats from 3 feet away. He did not abandon her but gave her the space she had asked for with her voice and body. The young woman felt empowered in realizing she could ask a thousand pound animal for what she needed and get results. She also realized that she sacrificed asking for what she needed in order to please others and avoid possible abandonment. It was indeed a trade off that she no longer needed.

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) can be a very effective, brief modality of treatment with the potential for life changing rewards. It is typically interspersed with traditional outpatient treatment in an office setting. 

My miniature horses, Peanut and Little Juan, have been living in Black Forest, a lovely, peaceful area just north of Colorado Springs, since October 2010. They are boarding with a caring woman named Ginny Mills. (Ginny's web site is called Mello Memories.) Ginny has six miniature horses and one standard sized horse. Her herd accepted me, Peanut, and Little Juan right away. Ginny takes her horses to visit residents and hospice patients in assisted living facilities. My horses and I have joined her on many visits. Now, some of the facilities are bringing residents  to the barn to be with the horses. Ginny and I are never certain what direction the horses will take us but the results are always profound. Our visitors are filled with joy, a new awareness of their own capabilities, and delight in the healing ways of horses. I am grateful to have been led to Ginny and to be given more opportunities to share our horses with others.

April Photo taken by Mello Memories

A Lesson from April

I had an amazing experience today. Two care takers brought three of their residents to the barn to be with the horses. All of the horses were wonderful with the exception of April, whose full name is "April Flower." She was fine with the guests but she was very witchy with the herd. She was acting out, pinning back her ears and pushing the other horses out of the way.