What does an equine-assisted therapist do?

Equine Assisted Therapy psychotherapy incorporates horses into the therapeutic process. People engage in activities such as grooming, feeding, and leading a horse while being supervised by a mental health professional. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities with horses and other things equines to promote human physical and mental health. The use of EAT has roots in antiquity, and EAT applies to physical health issues in modern form Equine Therapy Sunshine Coast in the 1960s. Modern use of horses for mental health treatment dates to the 1990s. A standardised review of studies of Equine Assisted Learning as applied to physical health dates only to about 2007, and a lack of common terminology and standardisation has caused problems with meta-analysis. Due to a lack of high-quality studies assessing the efficacy of equine-assisted therapies for mental health treatment, concerns have been raised that these therapies should not replace or divert resources from other evidence-based mental health therapies. 

Equine therapy, also known as Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), is a treatment that includes equine activities and/or an equine environment to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in persons suffering from ADD, Anxiety, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, Depression, Developmental Delay, Genetic Syndromes (such as Down Syndrome), traumatic brain injuries, behavioural issues, abuse issues, and many other mental health problems. Equine Therapy can enable the individual to build confidence, self-efficiency, communication, trust, perspective, social skills, impulse control, and learn boundaries. Since the horses have similar behaviours with humans, such as social and responsive behaviours, it is easy for the patients to create a connection with the horse. Riders with disabilities demonstrate their remarkable accomplishments in national and international sport riding competitions. Equine-Assisted Therapies have been recognised in the medical and mental health field by most major countries.

Animals such as elephants, dolphins, dogs, and cats have also been used for therapeutic purposes. Horses become the most popular animal to use in Equine Therapy Near Me because they give immediate feedback to the handler or rider’s actions. Horses also can mirror the feelings of the handler or rider. Horses’ large and intimidating appearance forces and individuals to gain trust around them.

Equine Therapies Near Me can involve more than just riding the horse. In some sessions, a client might not even touch the horse at all. Often the therapist leading the session will set goals for the client to complete, such as leading the horse to a designated area or putting a halter on the horse. The Equine Therapy Australia will complete the task to the best of their ability and then discuss the thought process, ideas, and problem-solving used to complete the task. Discussing what the client is doing at a given time allows them to improve language skills. Listening to the instructor helps improve the individual's ability to listen and follow directions, ask questions, etc. Not only is there communication between the handler and the instructor, but also between the handler and the horse. This skill becomes especially helpful for those who are struggling with anxiety as oftentimes they are stuck in worry about the past, or catastrophic thinking about the future. This activity encourages a person to be present and focused on the task at hand.