Equine Therapy

[Nighthawk]

At therapy this week I was introduced to a huge horse. He was in a separate area because of an injury. The therapist an I went in and closed the gate. I said hi when he the horse started rubbing on me.It only took a minuet or two and he quite forcibly pushed me against the gate. I thought nothing of it. He continued to push on me at one point shoving me rather hard against the gate. When we left the area the therapist asked me how long does it take me to speak up for myself or tell others to not push me round. All I can say is this was quite a eye opener.

 

[Nighthawk]

I am :cry: I had to go say goodbye to the horse that has been extremly helpful to me.

Too my dear 007 I will miss you terribly. Thank you for all your help,

 

[mamachick]

I hear this is so therapeutic. I have never been around horses. I hope to have that opportunity someday. I wish that our healthcare system acknoledged therapy that is more helpful. I still pray that I will eventually have available a 30 day residential treatment program for ptsd. Once a person becomes so isolated and distrustful and are changed, daily routines are hard to regain. I just dont see how we are expected to improve with 50 minutes of therapy every couple of weeks.
On a more positive not, I am so glad that you had this opportunity and it sounds like you and many others have found great help though equine therapy. I thank you for sharing and happy to know it is an option. Saying good bye must be very difficult. Hugs. I would love to hear how it has helped you. (I may need to read previous posts shared) but have to run right now. Am going to come back to this thread.

 

[Friday]

I started looking into this a few months back, and completely forgot about it. Thankyou for the reminder :)

 

[Sighs]

Highly recommend it. It has very much helped my vet. Just wish I could convince him to wear a helmet... :rolleyes:

 

[Justmehere]

I have done equine assisted psychotherapy. I did it before I could engage any other trauma treatment or even sit alone in a room with a therapist, like at all...

I used to joke that I was being "bribed" to go to therapy by being able to be around horses while there. It's hard to describe the power of the experiences with the horses. They mirror and reflect so much going on in humans, without any judgement. It's hard to explain. It changed me on a fundamental level.

My experience with equine therapy probably saved my life. I can't really even write about it. It's an experience I hold so near and dear to my heart. I was devastated when the therapist moved away and the farm shifted to a different purpose, but it was so worth it. I still get to visit the horses from time to time, but when I don't visit them, the changes and the experiences are in me. In a way that no other therapy has affected me. It is so hard to describe. I feel like I am sounding crazy and I will stop rambling now...

I'm so glad you have this opportunity to do equine therapy!

 

[Nighthawk]

@Justmehere Not crazy just impossible to explain. I so understand what you are saying. I owe my life to the horses.

 

[joeylittle]

I was able to retire my horse to an equine therapy facility. He was such a gentle giant, and had such a rough start in life. It was so meaningful to me that there was this great place he could live out his years connecting with people.

 

[mamachick]

justmehere-you dont sound crazy. It sounds amazing. I feel like I am getting further from being able to be still, be in the present, and not disconnect. Its really weird right now. I dont think I feel sad and tears roll down my face about everything. Other times, I just dont feel. I am very empathetic, my greatest asset and worst enemy. For the past years, my empathy has caused me to be targetted. I just cant imagine equine therapy, its my shortcoming. I just can see be connecting but TOTALLY believe that it works from others I have heard.

 

[ninja]

Thank you, this discussion is incredible.

@Nighthawk and any others. Would you be willing to share more about the role the human therapist took in your interaction with your horse? Did you feel she was a crucial component? If you needed more physical space to be alone and silent with the horses in order to feel safe, do you think she would have been amenable? How important do you feel it was to interact with horses (and in a facility) with prior experience in trauma processing/mental health care in general? I.e. Do you feel the deeply therapeutic aspect could be achieved in an environment that is not necessarily set up for equine based psychotherapy? I apologize for the many questions; please only answer as many or as few as you can and would like.