I attended equine assisted therapy yesterday for the first time and it was brilliant!! 

We arrive at the venue to find two horses in an arena with no bridles or saddles just happily wondering around freely eating the grass on the outer edge of the arena without a care in the world.

I enter the arena with the senior counsellor leading the EAP session to prepare for our patients arrival.  The horses take a little look at what we’re doing then carryon eating as if we’re not there.

Our patients arrive, one lady who attended the week previously said she hadn’t really enjoyed last week’s experience as the horses hadn’t been interested in her and just wanted to go off and eat the grass around the arena.  This week however the little horse came straight up to the patient to say hello before the session began.

As part of the therapy the patients are handed a halter and asked to approach either of the two horses and put the halter on. The scene of the patient catching the horse reveals insights into their inner struggles. The horse will not cooperate if the person is afraid, nervous or aggressive.  When the person calms down and becomes sensitive to the horse, the horse will oblige.

The exercise is designed to drive the individual to engage with the horse on an emotional level, the fulfilment of accomplishing the exercise encourages a sense of fellowship, between man/woman and horse

Our patient who had problems last week, approached the little horse that was busy eating as much foliage as it could, and without any trouble put the halter on the horse.  In that moment I saw the horses’ demeanour change straight away they became completely focused on the patient, standing in a relaxed position awaiting further instruction.

The patient was utterly amazed and left feeling she had really accomplished something this week and the horse and her were one.