What Actually Happens in an Equine-Assisted Therapy Sessions

You won't ride a horse. You'll be with one (maybe more). It's not about reins and saddle, but about being on the ground, in relationship with the horse. What actually happens is quiet, and it starts before you even touch the horse.

How Does Therapy With Horses Begin

Sessions begin with an invitation to tune into your body's needs- is there something that would make you more comfortable prior to our work together. We then move to a check-in, in the shade and somewhere on the property where the horses are in sight. We discuss goals, intentions and/or challenges of importance. This time is an opportunity to gain clarity about what you would like from your session.

Once you feel ready to proceed, we'll move into grounding. This isn't with the intention to be completely "Zen", but to become more embodied and clear about your emotional state. From there we move into observation. The horses will be communicating with you- through where they stand, how they move, whether they turn towards you or away. You will also be in observation of yourself- emotions and stories experienced with different horses. Nothing about this requires horse experience. What it requires is noticing.

Inside An Equine-Assisted Therapy Session

This depends on our collaboration and your unique treatment plan. You may halter, groom, walk with a lead rope or without, complete obstacles together, or simply stand with and breathe in rhythm. Simple, physical, unglamorous tasks- and underneath each one, a question worth sitting with: what happens when you ask for something and don't get it right away? What happens when trust wavers, even for a moment, and has to be rebuilt? What am I needing but not saying? Where does this pattern show up in my relationships? Those small moments, worked out with an animal that has no reason to perform politeness for you, tend to say more about a person's patterns than an hour of talk-therapy ever could. This is experiential therapy where the focus is nervous system regulation.

90 Minutes, Not 50 Minutes

We work in horse time. Slow, steady, and grounded. Sessions run longer than a typical therapy hour- 90 minutes, at a facility in Pasadena. This isn't work you can rush into or wrap up on a clock. Some of it is quiet. Some of it doesn't look like much from the outside. That's often where the real material shows up.

Why A Horse and Not Just A Conversation

A horse responds to what's actually happening between you- not what you meant to project, not the version you'd explain out loud. This isn't the horse reflecting you back. It's a real relationship, with real time feedback, with an animal that is seeking congruence. For a lot of people, that kind of direct, unfiltered exchange is unfamiliar- and that unfamiliarity is often where the work begins.

What Comes To The Surface

Boundaries, self-worth, communication style, and beliefs about ones self. It may be your role in relationships, or specific relationships- the accommodating one, passive one, or in-control one. How your nervous system responds to threat, avoidance, or rupture. These aren't abstract themes. Your interaction with a 1,200 lb. sentient being can bring to light in real-time emotions, beliefs, and patterns that are familiar.

Is This Right For Me

That depends on your history and if you're wanting something different- something experiential and embodied. If an equine-assisted therapy session sounds like what you've been looking for, contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Sydney Burkhardt, MA, LMFT #161269 is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pasadena, California. This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute clinical advice or establish a therapist-client relationship. If you are experiencing significant mental health symptoms, please consult a qualified mental health or medical professional.