Horses have recently gained a well-deserved reputation as therapy animals. Experience and research indicate that in every case equine therapists are worthy of consideration. They can help you lower your stress levels, connect with a child with Asperger’s Syndrome, draw out a troubled teenager who is defiant and reclusive, or set a hardened criminal on a new path.
For most of us, horses are the best medicine because they require us to focus enough to forget the worries and cares that fill our day to day lives. We can slip into another world where we forget everything but the connection we are making with our equine partner. It’s a great way to feel strengthened and energized and also find a measure of inner peace everyone needs in this fast paced world.
Horses can serve as a mental vacation. Sure, you still have to focus and think and be aware of what’s going on. But they are such engaging animals and dealing with them is such an all-encompassing activity, that it sets us outside of ourselves. It gives us new perspective, it feels good. It feels, well… it feels like therapy.
Lately even non-horse people are starting to realize what we have known all along – how beneficial it can be to work with horses. For children with autism and its related challenges, the benefits are multi-faceted and include emotional, mental and physical rewards. Forming an emotional bond with a horse is always rewarding, but the benefits go far beyond just that. Senses are stimulated, minds are challenged and confidence is built as children learn a skill. It’s an incredible feeling to be in harmony with such a large animal. That just plain feels good, no matter your age or emotional challenge.
Studies show that kids taking part in equine assisted therapy show not only a considerable improvement in measurable motor skills and communication, but also a noticeable expansion in their overall mood. Simply put, horses made them happy. We all knew that… but now the scientists are beginning to catch on. (Can’t blame them- they’ve been too busy in the lab to have much saddle time.)
Working with horses can benefit you physically, mentally, emotionally. It can raise your self-esteem and lift your spirits and soothe your soul. It can challenge you and strengthen you and test your limits. It can give you something to focus on—distract you from other worries or struggles. Horses can make you happy inside and out.
As Winston Churchill was fond of saying “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” (or woman) and he was right in so many ways.
Michelle Kuester has a bachelors degree in equine science and over twenty years of experience working with horses. She is passionate about natural horsemanship and helping people gain the best possible relationship with their equine companions. 
