Discover why more and more people turn to equine therapy to aid recovery from substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Equine Therapy, Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), or Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy involves therapeutic interactions between individuals and horses. It’s growing in popularity worldwide, and individuals with a wide range of mental health, developmental, and substance abuse disorders claim that it helps them reduce stress and anxiety, build self-awareness, and improve their ability to regulate their moods.
In this article, Gladstones Clinic will take a closer look at how horses are helping people suffering from serious conditions and challenges transform their lives, explaining how equine therapy works, its many benefits within the context of substance abuse and mental health disorder recovery, and how Gladstones patients can benefit from this breakthrough therapy.
Equine therapy is a hands-on or experiential type of therapy where individuals interact with and build bonds with horses. Equine therapy is used both in one-on-one therapy and in groups. Unlike most other types of therapy where a facilitator or therapist takes the lead, equine therapy patients are often left to their own devices to a much greater degree, allowing them to explore and discover different ways of interacting with and building relationships with their horses.
There is still oversight in terms of safety and ethical treatment of the horses; however, individuals may choose to feed, brush, run, or ride their horses at will based on their developing skills and confidence. They are not told what to do with their time. It’s important to note that some equine therapy specialists do not allow riding but focus on the caring aspect instead.
Gladstones Clinic’s residential rehab programmes include equine therapy as part of our holistic and integrated approach to rehab.
While this might feel like an oversimplification, nearly everyone, even people without any diagnosed disorders or conditions affecting their quality of life, can benefit from equine therapy. Its mood-lifting and other benefits have been proven again and again. Equine therapy is suitable for all agen—Gladstones Clinic uses equine therapy in our teenage rehab programmes—and accommodations can even be made for individuals with mobility challenges.
Specifically as a treatment for a mental health or substance use disorder, equine therapy should be used in conjunction with other modern clinical therapies. It’s important to see EAT as a supplementary treatment that facilitates recovery, not as a cure for any specific disorder.
The only people who are truly not suited for equine therapy are those with unmanageable allergies.
Equine therapy is used in the treatment of a wide range of emotional, psychological, developmental, behavioural, and addiction disorders, making it highly beneficial in a rehab setting. Broadly speaking, EAT’s benefits can be split into three categories:
Equine therapy is an active process. Rehab patients participating in equine therapy are required to move around, walk, and interact physically with their horses, thereby engaging in light physical exercise. Research has proven that this activity further stabilises the mood and promotes recovery.
Horses and humans have coexisted as partners for several thousand years. Horses have certain unique character and behavioural traits that, when leveraged and understood, can help people reflect on their thoughts, behaviours, and motivations. The mechanisms that make equine therapy so effective include:
Other mechanisms or explanations for the broadly accepted positive effects of equine therapy include the benefits of structured therapeutic activities, having to solve practical problems, and the effects of being out in nature for therapy as opposed to a more stressful environment.
At Gladstones, we pride ourselves on providing personalised, targeted, and integrated therapy. We complement proven and industry-standard psychotherapeutic counselling with a broad range of alternative therapies that facilitate recovery, including equine therapy.
Working collaboratively with Red Horse Foundation, our patients enjoy weekly 1.5-hour sessions with horses as part of our substance abuse and mental health disorder rehab programmes. No experience with horses is necessary.
There are several Equine Assisted Therapy service providers around the southern UK, making it easier for people to continue to interact with horses on a regular basis post-residential treatment. For many, horses become a regular feature in their lives as they continue to benefit from EAT.
Other holistic therapies at Gladstones Clinic that complement our whole-person view on health and well-being include:
Contact us for an obligation-free discussion on how we leverage equine and other holistic therapies for lasting and effective recovery, transforming lives for the better.
