Equine Therapy

Horses are often a common thread in many people's childhood experiences at camp, 4-H, a local riding facility or because one's parents finally agreed to buy a pony. In addition to providing many utilitarian services, equines bring the added bonuses of companionship, recreation and independence through riding.

Moreover, there are deep emotional aspects and lore attributed to horses - mighty, free, graceful, soulful, commanding and majestic - that rouse humans to reflect on these same qualities within themselves. It is for this reason that I partner with horses in providing wellness, education and therapy services at MN LINC - Minnesota Linking Individuals, Nature, and Critters. (www.mnlinc.org)

Equine-facilitated psychotherapy

MN LINC is a unique wellness facility where individuals and groups experience personal healing, insight, guidance and connection through specially selected equine (and other animal) activities. This work is termed animal-assisted activities and therapy (AAA/AAT) and equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP). In partnership with trained professionals, horses provide opportunities for people to reflect, attune, regulate and refresh.

The serenity of the natural setting of MN LINC allows people to ease into a place of peace, maybe not all at once, but slowly and without constraints. Participants often share that working with horses and being at the farm is the one place they can be themselves, where they can relax enough to think coherent thoughts and process their day.

Viola the wise mare-mother

For a set of young girls who attend an ongoing support group, having horses involved in their healing has been critical. Sometimes the girls will ride bareback, quietly groom or use TTouch activities (Tellington-Touch) with the horses.

During one support group session, several members were quite tearful, unable to speak and overcome with the trauma and circumstances of their past. Quietly, a horse named Viola approached the group and added her presence and body to the circle. As the level of emotion rose, Viola walked over to a girl who was crying and slowly wrapped herself around this emotionally distraught child. The girl buried her face into Viola's fluffy coat and continued to cry. Viola, as a wise "mare mother," listens quietly, provides compassion and does not introduce human judgment.

Sparky evokes understanding

A participant recently shared that MN LINC's way of providing equine interactions was more thought-provoking, intimate and effective than he assumed. As comfortable as he was around horses, he was surprised at the welling of emotion he felt when a Belgian draft horse named Sparky came and rested his sizeable head on his shoulder.

The man shared that he felt uninspired in his corporate job and believed he was just another pencil pusher at the office. Sparky's gesture physically got him in touch with the heaviness in his body and the figurative "weight of the world" on his shoulders. He noticed how shallow his breath was when he talked about his job and realized his apathy was also starting to affect his relationships with family and friends.

Societal demands often cause people to function on autopilot. Behaviors become habits, thoughts become prejudices and complacency becomes dis-ease. Learning, insight and change can happen more efficiently when we are taken out of our daily routines and removed from what is familiar. Because a horse can provide a unique relational vantage point, interactions with them are often novel, exciting and in-the-moment. When we notice and listen with our whole being - mind, heart, body and soul - we can balance our lives and ourselves to walk through life with purpose, joy and integrity.

Tanya Welsch is a licensed social worker and co-founder of the nonprofit MN LINC. MN LINC provides animal-assisted interactions for people by having them work with dogs, horses, sheep and chickens, and operates from a horse boarding facility, a private practice office or on site with small groups at other locations.