Incorporating horses into my clients’ therapy treatment allows us to do the therapy work in new ways, which can allow for breakthroughs and transformative work that may not be realized in a traditional office or online therapy setting.

Specifically, incorporating horses can allow us to go beyond just talking about therapy topics, but actually allow for learning by doing. We can use interactions with horses and the equine environment to make intangible concepts that we normally talk about in therapy (motivation, guilt, boundaries ect.) tangible and practice working with these in a different and impactful way.

Many of my clients find that having that additional relationship with the therapy horse goes a long way in building trust and taking meaningful steps out of their comfort zone, both key to effective therapy.

Finally, doing therapy sessions in an outdoor environment and interacting with horses allows for therapy work to take place in the calming natural environment and allows for opportunities to connect with one’s body and incorporate movement, which research has shown to be positively impactful in learning new skills and processing painful emotional experiences.

Yes! The majority of people that I have worked with have no horse experience and find that this therapy treatment technique is transformational for them. My training has taught me methods in prioritizing both client and therapy horse comfort and safety whether my clients have no horse experience, are expert horse persons or somewhere in the middle. Therapy horses are trained and have experience to comfortably complete the tasks asked of them in the therapy sessions.

While there are times when therapy sessions may include being on the horse’s back, these sessions are not horseback riding lessons. These sessions can use the movement and state change of being on the horse’s back to enhance therapeutic work such as practicing mindfulness skills or processing traumatic memories. If we decide during the course of your therapy that it fits in line with your therapeutic goals to do some therapy work on the horse’s back, I do have training in riding instruction and will share that knowledge in service of your safety and comfort and the therapy horse’s safety and comfort, but the focus remains on it being a therapy session, not a riding lesson.

However, for those who cannot or do not feel comfortable getting on the horse’s back, there is an abundance of interactions with horses that is done off of the horse’s back, and I have clients experience transformative healing having never spent a session on the horse’s back.

No, all specialized equipment is provided for you. For your comfort it is required that you wear closed toed shoes and dress in a way where you would be comfortable spending an hour outside. It is also recommended that you bring a water bottle sunscreen and snack for your own comfort in being outdoors and engaging in some movement during your therapy session.

It depends on your comfort level. There are sheltered therapy spaces in the equine environment that we can spend a rainy session in, but know that there is always some exposure to the rain and outdoor temperature in these sessions (i.e. walking from your car to sheltered therapy space). Some people find that they are still comfortable enough if they dress for the weather, while others prefer to switch to an in office or online session as an alternative. If there are stormy or otherwise unhealthy conditions due to air quality, an in office or online session will be provided in lieu of the outdoor session.

What I have found to work best is a combination of sessions both in the equine environment and in the office or online. My therapy services are incredibly individualized, so I will work with you to find the best fit combination of outdoor and indoor sessions for you. I will always have the first session either in office or online because I believe that it is important to establish expectations around safety, comfort, and therapeutic goals before interacting with horses. Another situation that would require an in office or online session would be in the case of inclement weather that would pose a safety hazard to clients and horses.