Healing through connection with animals, specifically equines.

The following is a summary of part of the article “Healing with Horses: Equine-Assisted Trauma Recovery” (Sarah Schlote, published in Equine Leadership Magazine, 3rd ed. March 20, 2018)

Equines are the group of animals that include horses, ponies, donkeys, mules and zebra.  There is substantial research showing the benefits of working with equines to achieve a variety of therapeutic outcomes from physical therapy, to healing on an emotional and psychological level.

All mammals are attachment based beings with a drive to seek connection through social and emotional relationships.  Mammals also have a nervous system that responds to environmental stress in order to preserve life.  These responses are commonly referred to as the Fight, Flight, or Fright response, although there are several more states as well.  For wild animals, this state of self-preservation is a direct result of an immediate threat.  At the time there is no need for normal function of social relationships, digestion, or respiration.  The body directs all energy and strength to the immediate need to survive.  Once the threat is gone, the animal can return to a state of rest and regular functions resume.  Humans exist in a far more complex environment where perceived threat is neither immediate nor short lived and we often spend prolonged periods of time in a state of self-preservation.  Our nervous system firing constantly prevents normal healthy bodily functions or healthy social connections.

When recovering from trauma, we work through several stages.  In stage one, connection with equines can enhance recovery, even if practitioners are not therapists.  Horses model the importance of empathy, and non-judgement.  They assist in the development of an internal focus of control through regulation skills such as sensory grounding, self-soothing, mindfulness and self-compassion, amongst others.  Activities that foster a mutual awareness of the client’s and horse’s needs create a mutually beneficial opportunity where both feel recognized and understood – the kind of relationship that can often be completely missing as a survival state does not support the building of connected relationships in a safe and trustworthy manner. Or the lack of reliable, safe and non-toxic relationships can be a triggering event. 

The relationship between the facilitator and horses is also beneficial.  By observing the way in which the facilitator attends to the needs of the horses, clients are able to develop a sense that people can be trustworthy, and recalibrate their gauge for safety and danger in relationships.