Horses Don't Lie

So many people who come for therapy ask “Why horses?”

“What about horses makes them so therapeutic?”

Usually these questions come before someone has contact with a horse and fully understands the meaning of their behaviors as they are mirrored back to the individual. Horses are prey animals; because they are prey, they have to be able to read body language, emotions, and intentions in order to stay alive. Body language that is very forward and directive (like many humans) is indicative of a predator. Body language that presents in this way, triggers a horse’s innate sense to run. Fight or Flight kicks in and they are out. On the other side of this spectrum, behavior that is passive, non-confrontational, aiming at the side of the horse with real and true intentions, tends to reflect back as a unique and rewarding interaction between human and animal. In addition the extraordinary ability to communicate through nonverbal interactions, horses also have the ability to reflect and ‘mirror’ back the emotions or intentions displayed onto them. When a horse will not stand still or appears nervous in the presence of a human, we look to the rider or handler to see is their mind cluttered?

Is the individual nervous?

Did the individual have a bad day?

What is going on?

They reflect what they receive. No matter how one tries to hide behind words of “I am ok’ or ‘I am calm,’ true emotions and intentions will still be reflected back in the horse, providing a raw and often eye-opening image of the internal state of one’s being. Because of their innate nature to not only read intention and emotion but also reflect it back, they provide a unique experience and window to our inner self that provides a foundation for self-reflection, learning and growth. One may not always like what he sees in the reflection, but the reflection will never lie. As transformation and change takes place on the inside, the growth and change are reflected back in one’s equine companion. There are few things as rewarding and intuitive as seeing one’s growth and inner being reflected back to him while moving through the therapy process and growing in self -awareness and self-actualization.