Horses Helping People, People Helping Horses

By Meghan Vivo

We can learn a lot from a horse. Horses are exceptionally bright, with good judgment, the ability to learn complex behaviors in a short period of time, and a remarkable ability to gauge their rider's ability. An inherently social animal, horses have distinct personalities and temperaments and respond quickly to human signals.

Horses are also great healers. The therapeutic benefits of horseback riding were first recognized in ancient Greece as early as 600 BC. Since that time, studies have shown that animal-assisted therapy (and most commonly equine therapy) is effective in treating anxiety, autism, dementia, depression, attention deficit disorder, eating disorders, and other emotional issues.

The Benefits of Equine Therapy

Equine therapy is practiced in most countries in the world. Research shows that people experience many physiological and psychological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased beta-endorphin levels, decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, improved social functioning, and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience, and self-efficacy.

Equine therapy has proven especially beneficial to at-risk adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues such as defiance, anger, low self-esteem, and mood disorders. Teens who struggle in their interactions with other people will often accept closeness, feedback and acceptance from a horse. Developing a relationship with a horse, like any relationship, requires a foundation of respect, trust, and patience, which equips students with the skills needed to form and maintain healthy relationships with people.

"Working with horses encourages young people to develop compassion, empathy, a sense of responsibility and a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the care and well-being of others," says Melodie Rose, executive director of Aspen Ranch, a co-ed, licensed residential treatment center for troubled teens in Utah. "These skills translate later in life to help the students become caring and nurturing parents, and to better appreciate the commitment and sacrifices their parents have made for them."

More than just riding a horse, equine therapy is about building a relationship with the horse, understanding its methods of communication, earning trust and respect, and meeting its needs so that it can meet yours.

Horses have a way of breaking down a student's barriers and getting past his defense mechanisms to the core of who he is. Their size alone requires teens to confront feelings of fear and confidence, and their responsiveness to human behavior requires teens to reassess their communication methods and body language.

When working with horses, the results of the students' efforts are immediate. The basic rules of cause and effect come into play, with students learning that their behaviors and actions trigger particular responses. If they change their behavior, the horse will respond differently, just as is true with human interactions.

Success can be seen and felt immediately when the horse begins to respond to the individual's cues and commands, which builds self-esteem, teamwork, leadership, and a sense of personal control. Over time, teens sit tall on their horse, trusting the bond they've created, knowing their horse's likes and dislikes, and feeling proud of their ability to work as a unit.

One of the most promising aspects of equine therapy is that teens are motivated to participate. Most adolescent residential treatment centers report that working with the horses is one of the most well-liked and highly anticipated aspects of treatment. Why? Because it doesn't feel like therapy.

"It's easy for young people to fall in love with equine therapy and, when given the opportunity, most do," says Rose. "Horses are such large, majestic animals that it is easy to captivate and hold a student's attention."

Giving Back: Equine Hospice

Although humans have learned a lot from horses, horses can also learn a lot from us. Since their domestication, horses have been trained to complete a wide range of tasks and interact with people in a number of different settings.

At Aspen Ranch, the teens aren't the only ones who benefit from the human-horse interaction. Early in 2008, the ranch introduced an equine hospice program that allows students to work with a small herd of horses with terminal illnesses and other health conditions that require specialized attention and care. The horses benefit from the extra care, while the students, particularly those struggling with grief and loss issues, attachment problems, empathy deficits, or other emotional disturbances, work through some of life's toughest lessons.

"Our equine hospice program is really changing the lives of these teens," says Equine Director Chad Lyman. "Students struggling with low self-esteem, academic underachievement, substance abuse, mood disorders, anger, and family conflict are learning how it feels to sacrifice for others and make a difference. They are building relationships with these animals and in the process, rediscovering a sense of pride and self-worth."

Students participate in every aspect of caring for the hospice horses, from feeding, exercise, and grooming to riding and end-of-life decisions, if applicable. Through their interaction with the horses, teens develop coping skills and a healthy understanding of the sometimes harsh realities of health, sickness, grief, loss, and death. Students learn that those feelings are part of life and grow in their ability to manage their feelings in a healthy manner rather than becoming debilitated by them.

Since Aspen Ranch introduced equine hospice to the students, the program has proven to be "much more successful than we'd ever dreamed possible and in ways we didn't anticipate," according to Brandon Burr, the clinical director at Aspen Ranch. A program that started with five hospice horses quickly grew to 12, allowing each teen in the hospice group to have her own horse.

"We've seen a tremendous change with the students, particularly around attachment issues and grief and loss issues," says Burr. "One of our horses recently died of natural causes, and we're going to have to euthanize one soon. These difficult experiences have sparked long conversations about pain and suffering with the students that have resulted in a great deal of personal growth. With this kind of impact, I think the hospice program will be around for a very long time."

Together, humans and horses have accomplished great things. We have offered companionship, medical care, and safety to our equine companions, and horses have reciprocated with both enjoyable pastimes like horseback riding and a unique brand of healing that can only come from a horse.