Equine Therapy, also known as Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT), is a treatment that includes equine activities to promote physical, occupational and emotional growth in persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, Depression and a wide range of other conditions.

Horses make great companions for intensive therapy because they can mirror and respond to human behavior. Being herding animals, they rely on an acute stream of sensory data to sense safety or danger; they can also hear the human heartbeat within four feet, and research on heart-rate variability indicates that horses have a profound ability to synchronize their own heartbeat with that of human beings.

When people are introduced to the herd environment for therapy, horses respond within the same spectrum of physical and emotional responses that govern their own behavior, allowing therapists an insight into the inner psychology of the client. A horse picks up on the way people are feeling, mirroring their emotions and responding. As a herd animal attuned to stress and body language, a horse will move away from an angry person, follow someone it trusts and be unsettled when it senses fear.It has been clinically documented that just being around horses changes human brainwave patterns. We calm down and become more centred and focused when we are with horses. Horses are naturally empathetic. The members of the herd feel what is going on for the other members of the herd. It's especially good for people who don't take to talking therapies.

Counselling is not a 'one size fits all' solution. While you might forget a conversation you had with your counsellor a few weeks on, it's unlikely you'll forget what happened when you stood in a field with your counsellor and a horse. It's not like patting a dog; it's a big animal. This makes Equine Therapy 'sink in' a lot faster, and results are therefore seen and produced faster. One of the reasons Equine Assisted Therapy works so well is that everyone has a reaction to horses; nobody is indifferent. People either love them or fear them, so that's two big emotions that immediately reflect what most of life's issues revolve around. This makes Equine Therapy ideal for those who are reluctant to engage with others, on any level. If you can work with an animal like this and overcome the fear, then it isn't a bad starting point.