An Experience with Psychotherapy With Horses

As a dance therapist that practices somatic therapy in San Francisco, I am always on the look out for different therapeutic modalities that may be of interest to my clients. Recently I took an introduction to psychotherapy with horses workshop and experienced the healing nature of horses. Below is my account of that workshop that took place with Change Your Lead. Check out the above link to learn more.

Prior to this workshop, I had a pretty extensive early background with horses. I grew up riding and doing some jumping from the time I was eleven until I was seventeen or eighteen years old. I was not new to the horse world but had not ever done therapy with horses. As someone who thought of herself as an equestrian in childhood, everything I previously did with horses centered around riding. Even the work of caring for the horse meant that I could participate in the sport that I really loved. I found myself curious to see how horses could contribute to therapeutic work.

The Saturday that I went out to check out the Change Your Lead program, a lot of familiar scents flooded me. When I opened the door of the car, I could instantly smell hay, alfalfa, leather. . .basically a combination that told me that I was near horses and bringing me back to my tween self. Scent is one of the senses that can trigger memories almost instantaneously and for me the memories I hold of riding and horses are positive ones. I could feel my body relax as I let my eyes wander over a country landscape. My eyes were greeted with clear blue skies and brown and green colors as far as the eye could see. The sun also beamed especially hot that day but for the moment I let myself enjoy the feeling of warmth on my skin.

After introductions and getting to know the other participants we learned a bit about the actual program. We then moved to the experiential part of the workshop where we met with the horses. Change Your Lead picked horses that enjoy human interaction and from what I saw, seemed to actually relish it. Horses, as prey animals, are extremely aware of their surroundings and thus sensitive to what energy and emotions any human brings to them. Although the horses can’t necessarily be thought of as a mirror for human emotions (as our two instructors made sure to tell us), the horses can give us information about ourselves to examine in therapy. There is the possibility to co-regulate. . .I could see how my nervous system affects the horse’s nervous system and vice versa. Horses may also feel less intimidating (or more!) than humans and may elicit a different set of reactions and behaviors from clients.

As we approached the horses, I found myself particularly eager to interact with them. The set-up was vastly different from any time I had been in barns before: there was no goal for how to be with the horses. No reason from the outset to be there, whether it was to catch a horse, groom a horse, feed a horse, get it ready to ride, etc. The absence of a purpose left space and what each individual did or felt in that space was their own. For me, my mind started to examine my expectations. “I hope the horses come to me.” I wondered why I hoped that. Was it a need to be chosen, to feel special or acknowledged by these animals? Or was it simply a yearning to be close to animals that in my childhood I loved abundantly?

The instructors had us come into the field to be with the horses while they wandered on their own, choosing if they wished to make contact with us. In each therapeutic interaction with the horses, there is an equine specialist to pay attend to them and a therapist to pay attention to the participants. This ensures that the focus of the professionals is not split and also takes the safety of both all human and non-human participants into account. The instructors led us through a meditation before having us connect with the horses.

For me, I felt soothed just being near the horses. They obviously enjoy our company and came trotting towards us in some instances. I forgot how curious horses can be. . .gently sniffing or butting their heads against people. I walked with a bit of caution but noted my body language. The dance therapist in me made sure to monitor my movement—was I moving quickly? How did the horses respond to a slow, thoughtful approach? I noticed how quickly my mind went toward goal directed behavior e.g. I must brush the horse in this way, and do this thing in order to. . .I paused my train of directed thoughts and shifted to just being. What if I watched my experience? Could I just notice how it felt to touch this animal’s fur with this brush, to feel muscles rippling underneath? What if I didn’t have to curry the horse and pick his hooves so I could go ride? Could I just be in this experience?

For me, the experience of doing an introduction to psychotherapy with horses opened up endless possibilities. It showed me how my brain often jumps to the next thing I “need” to do instead of being present and focusing on the very real here and now. It also helped me understand that partnering with horses can provide clients with different feedback and a deeper self-knowledge.

I also think there is a wealth of information in observing how our movement affects horses and each other. I am excited to see the possible contributions of dance therapy to working with animals, via movement analysis and observation. If you have questions about somatic therapy San Francisco, dance therapy in San Francisco, or psychotherapy with horses, feel free to email me at lisa@lisamanca.com