HOW HORSES HEAL

My first job in the mental health field was as a coach for women navigating challenging custody battles. I had never done that kind of work before, but to my great surprise, I was good at it. So, what allowed me to step into these fear and anger-charged spaces and evoke empowerment, competence, and grace without clinical expertise or experience? Horses.



In The Tao of Equus, author Linda Kohanov explains: "Respectful, empathetic interactions with horses also activate the ventral vagus nerve complex in both species, jump-starting feelings of safety through connection... the nervous systems of mammals, including humans and horses, are designed to connect to feel safe, and feeling safe is necessary for promoting wellness, for supporting regulated development of the nervous system, and for encouraging psychological growth and creativity."

Throughout a childhood spent on and around horses, I forged countless relationships with these powerful - and powerfully intelligent animals - respecting them, befriending them, caring for them, and learning how to keep them clean, safe, and healthy. It turns out they were doing the same for me - and modeling how to create trust and safety with others.

While the exact provenance of the quote, "Horses make us better people if we let them," is unknown, the sentiment behind it is widely hailed as truth. Clinical evidence proves that horses facilitate profound therapeutic breakthroughs.

UCLA Health PAC data tells us that Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) lowers stress, enhances recall, quiets our nervous system, and promotes the release of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin - hormones that help elevate our mood and encourage social bonding). Equine-assisted Therapy (EAT) harnesses horses' unique emotional attunement and capacity for non-verbal communication. The Journal of Clinical Psychology found that EAT participants showed a 42% reduction in PTSD symptoms, a 35% decrease in anxiety, and a 28% improvement in emotional regulation. What generations of equestrians have intuitively understood is now a well-documented healing modality.

Horses' ability to mirror our genuine emotions while modeling presence, patience, and acceptance invites us to be more present, fluid, and aware. Kohanov says, "Horses live in the moment, and their influence keeps riders from becoming mired in projections and tricks of the mind. Their nomadic nature encourages a fluidity of thought, emotion, and behavior that sedentary life subconsciously discourages. The simple act of grooming or riding puts people in a state of relaxed heightened awareness conducive to creativity and intuition."

My daughter Sarah has been riding since she was three and showing since she was 10, but when it comes to horses, her experience goes far beyond technical expertise. “Horses speak in a silent language - they are incredible communicators when they choose to be," she explains. "They are amazingly vocal, just not with words. When I ride, I feel how my horses feel that day, and I know what to do with them based on what they're telling me with their body language."

Sarah says horses keep us honest because they mirror our emotional states. "Until I stopped being nervous about water jumps, my gelding would stop at them," Sarah recalls. "Once I got over my fear, he did too. They read your energy - they have to feel confident that you're there for them."

This connection is as grounded as any relationship: patience, trust, respect, boundaries, and humility are key. "Sometimes, they're like little kids testing boundaries - they'll refuse to move until they get their cookie," she shares. "If you help them when they're scared, they'll help you back. It's a very balanced relationship - but if you break that trust, they won't try for you anymore. You have to go back to basic and learn together. You can't show up with ego and expect to ride well - horses are too smart for that."

Horses were my refuge from the tumult of adolescence, and, like Sarah, they ofered me more than just companionship - they gave me a masterclass in emotional intelligence. They taught me how to hold space for healing and growth.

Today, as rates of anxiety and depression reach unprecedented levels and we risk falling prey to quick "solutions" and false narratives, horses can teach us to breathe deeper, listen closer, and help us find our way back to ourselves.

"What these magnificent creatures are ceaselessly, patiently teaching us.....[ is the] courage and humility, focus and flexibility it takes for a human being to listen to those messages. It's about the quiet pools of reflection we experience in their presence. It's about the transformations that await us when we embrace our seemingly irrational suferings with the same grace and dignity that horses exhibit in the face of adversity."