‘Everyone should experience the magic’: The healing power of equine therapy

Sensitive and highly empathetic, horses are increasingly helping those suffering from trauma. An Equine Facilitated Learning practitioner explains the benefits.

Ican pinpoint the precise moment I realised that horses, given the chance, want to connect with us beyond our normal, everyday riding and horse-care lives. Living in regional NSW, I’ve hosted numerous volunteer helpers over the years, most of them drawn to my place because of their love of horses. This particular young woman, Michelle, asked if she could have a riding lesson on my big, old, grey horse, Beau. She was a bit stiff in the saddle, and I was explaining to her how to relax her pelvis, to shift her weight and turn her body, when I got the feeling that she needed to be on the ground with Beau, not on top of him.

As she got off, I could almost see the relief emanating not just from her, but from Beau as well.

“Come on,” I told her. “We’ll have a bit of a play date.”

Please click here to read the rest of the article as it appears on The Sydney Morning Herald website.

Article written by: By Candida Baker