Equine Therapy

The Equine staff at The Refuge is trained in Eagala techniques. Accordingly, we use our horses to provide our clients with vast opportunities for metaphorical learning. This program is very much a part of our experiential modality. We use horses because they have the ability to mirror exactly what human body language is telling them. The Refuge horses provide an effective technique when working with clients who are imprisoned by secrets, trauma, or failed attempts at recovery.

One of the most significant lessons that occurs for clients in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy is if they change themselves, the horses respond differently. Horses are honest, which makes them especially powerful messengers. Typically, clients will have several opportunities to work with our horses and seeing the change in a horse’s response can be more powerful than positive verbal feedback.

Currently, The equine program is led by the therapist whose group is participating with the horses. The therapist works closely with the equine professionals to create a safe and therapeutic environment for the clients. Our equine professionals have extensive experience with horses and are excellent at ensuring the safety of the riders. The professionals are skilled at assisting the therapist as needed to create the very productive equine therapy groups.