Equine Therapy

Childhood trauma, such as sexual, domestic abuse and neglect, impacts how we feel and perceive the world around us . Children can grow up adapting and surviving in an unpredictable world they perceive as threatening. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a complex life experience, not a mental health disorder, hence talk therapy as the default counselling interaction will not be appropriate on its own. Feelings of betrayal associated with CSA, differences in ethnicity and gender tend to hinder the therapist-client relationship. It was because of such problems with connecting with and engaging traumatised children in traditional talk therapy, which led to the use of animals as a therapeutic tool. It is important that children feel safe and accepted. Equine Therapy is an emotional mirror for clients. Horses respond to feelings we show. If a person shows anger the horse will respond by shying away or becoming stubborn.Horses never hide their emotions. Clients who have experienced traumatic events in their lives tend to be primed for danger rather than safety. Their reactions or perceptions to common social queues can lead to extreme anxiety, fright and flight. Equine therapy provides a non verbal and supportive space for clients to identify their emotions, in order to work through them. Equine Therapy is provided by Vanora