Equine Assisted Therapy
Equine Assisted Therapy
Among the many healing therapies that are available in addiction treatment, equine assisted psychotherapy has shown to be beneficial for more than two decades.
Overcoming addiction and co-occurring disorders is more than just purging the body and mind of negative influences, learning new behaviours and coping skills.
It’s also about having fun, developing self- confidence, self – respect, learning to enjoy life without addiction and fostering a new-found sense of responsibility.
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Working with horses gives individuals a unique opportunity to learn about themselves. Unlike humans, horses don’t judge. They are very intuitive and will reflect the attitude and suppressed emotions of the people working with them. This allows our guests to receive excellent and honest feedback during therapy.
Working with horses requires presence, leadership, self- awareness, assertiveness, teamwork, self- confidence, trust, creative problem solving and responsibility. Through non-verbal communication a horse helps people better understand themselves and how they relate with others in the world.
Horses are adept at reading non- verbal cues and reflect it back instantly to the individuals.
Activities involved during equine-assisted-therapy typically include feeding, grooming, haltering, leading a horse, creative problem solving and the art of simply being.
To find out more about equine therapy, check out these links:
American Hippotherapy Association
National Association of Certified Professionals of Equine Therapy