Why Therapeutic Horsemanship?

Written by Mia O'Brien

Today we’re going to dive into our Therapeutic Horsemanship Program here at Misty Acres Farm and explain how and why it came to be, what it is, and how it impacts people. Basically, I am going to fill you guys in on everything I have learned thus far about this program and how Julie started it here in 2015.

The story of Julie’s entrance to the therapeutic horsemanship field is a heartwarming one. Before the existence of Misty Acres Farm, Julie met a horse named Sundae at a local horse rescue Save the Horses as she devoted her time volunteering. Sundae was at the rescue after being left behind and struggled with frequent anxiety attacks and outbursts. Julie found a friend in this loving creature and decided that he was worth fighting for. They worked to build a trusting relationship in which Sundae could feel safe from harm and Julie could work alongside him to ensure it. Julie found the experience to be a therapeutic one that helped her cope with trauma and the negative events of her own life.

Julie became very aware of how in-tune horses are with emotions and wanted to share this therapeutic finding with others. Together, Julie and Sundae volunteered for a program that used horses to help kids in the foster and adoption system. Julie deeply appreciated the relationships that were built between abandoned horses and adopted and fostered children who suffered trauma in their early life. It seemed that the equines and these kids shared similar circumstances, which allowed the kids to come to terms with their past and present, and begin to cope.

In 2015, Julie moved to Misty Acres with the intent of building a program and sharing the love, presence, peacefulness, and therapeutic nature of horses with the people who need it most. Julie was inspired by the volunteer work she completed and the impact that working alongside Sundae had on her own life. One thing that is very important to Julie is serving others and sharing the peace and presence of horses with others. Whether they are friends, volunteers, team members, or clients, she wants to keep the gate open as a sanctuary for everyone going through difficult times. She got her certification as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning through PATH, as detailed on the website, to do just that.

The Therapeutic Horsemanship program at Misty Acres uses Equine Facilitated Learning, which the Therapeutic Activities tab of the website details as “...a therapeutic experience built on the success of partnership and building life skills through activities primarily on the ground”. Julie has taught me the importance of groundwork since my start here as an intern. Groundwork involving leading horses can make an unsure individual feel confident and self-assured in their abilities- around the horses, sure, but also in daily life.

Horses are prey animals that rely on their intuitive

nature to survive in the wild. Domesticated

horses still rely on their intuition, and when working with humans, horses reflect our emotions back to us, making them a great partner in exploring trauma and healing. The goal of Misty Acres’ program is to help kids ages 5-17 cope with trauma and build skills like confidence, problem solving, and critical thinking to apply to their everyday lives. This program typically lasts 10 weeks but can be tailored to an individual if they prefer 6 weeks of services instead. I began shadowing Julie’s leadership style in August and have noticed how accommodating she is while ensuring that the needs of her clients are met. Julie looks at clients on a case-to-case basis to inform herself on the best exercises to use and the most fitting horse partners for that individual. Working with a horse is a team effort and a very therapeutic one at that.

To give readers a clearer understanding of the kinds of tasks that are completed during this program, I wanted to construct a fake client and an intervention plan that Julie might assign to this particular person. Let’s say that a client is enrolled in the therapeutic horsemanship program for acting out at school and not knowing how to properly express their emotions. Julie would potentially focus on teaching this child self-introspection, mindfulness, and being present. She would also model the correct way to process and express emotions by interacting with the horse and explaining its reflective nonverbal communication to the client.

Julie advocates that horses allow us to see our emotions in real-time because they are intuitive, reactive, and expressive. Working with a client in an Equine Facilitated Learning space allows the client to see and understand the emotions they are feeling as they are reflected back to them by their equine partner. For example, If this fake client had an outburst around the horse, the horse would reflect this behavior back to the client due to its prey instincts to stay alert in its environment. This teaches the client that their behavior will not be well-received from others and has a negative effect on them.

In Julie’s words, “This program is not a substitution for therapy, but a wonderful addition to it”. Julie stresses this point to every legal guardian that enrolls a loved one for services. Kids are encouraged to seek professional therapy for their trauma and struggles. The

therapeutic horsemanship program is for practicing and refining areas of improvement and giving the client a safe place to heal with a horse. It is great for allowing a client to learn healthy ways of coping and expressing themselves comfortably, but is not intended to be the only source of help that an individual receives.

As Winston Churchill once said, "There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." This rings true for us at Misty Acres, and is one of the many reasons this program was started and the reason why the gates remain open for people searching for growth, peace and presence with horses.