Frequently asked questions
Why horses?
While dogs and cats are used widely in animal-assisted contexts such as hospices and hospitals, horses have qualities that make them especially suitable for experiential learning: they are prey animals and therefore are particularly attuned to body language; they have been bred for thousands of years to have a close association with humans; they mirror the emotional state of the people around them; they carry none of the hidden agendas carried by humans; they do not judge; they respond honestly and forgive readily.
How can they help?
In activities with the horses, participants are invited to make comparisons with their everyday experiences. For example, does the horse remind them of someone? Does the horse's response seem familiar? Does the participant encounter similar problems in their relationships with people? By exploring the relationship with the horse and using it as a metaphor for everyday life, participants are alerted to patterns they might change or use more constructively.
What is Animal-Assisted Learning?
Animal-Assisted Learning and Animal-Assisted Therapy have been known for many years to have a beneficial effect on people in various contexts – Riding for the Disabled, Guide Dogs for the Blind, fish tanks in waiting rooms and hospitals, cats in hospices and dogs as hospital visitors.
Animal-assisted therapy has a long tradition in the United States and Europe and is recognised and accredited by mental health bodies in many countries. Increasingly recognised in Australia, animal-assisted activities are currently being incorporated in many youth settings, mental health and trauma areas. Most recently, equine assisted mental health training and education units are recognised under the national register of vocational education and training (VET).
What happens on the arena?
Activities may seem as simple as “Go and stand by a horse” or “Pick a horse and make some kind of connection.” Alternatively activities may be complex and highly structured, with conditions and time limits. They are often designed to be exploratory, offering participants the opportunity for ‘safe experiment’, without coaching or teaching. In this case, how they choose to complete the activity is up to them – there is no right way or wrong way. On the other hand, there are occasions when some degree of coaching can help participants to expand their range of available options. These are times when they begin to see the 'impossible' become the 'possible'. Either way, experiencing the responses of the horses gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their own emotional responses, their patterns of behaviour and their relationships in the everyday world.
When following the EAGALA model (see 'About Us'), two session leaders work together with the participants and the horses. One session leader is a qualified mental health professional, the other is a horse specialist. Both session leaders contribute to the devising of activities and the debriefing that goes on both during and after the activity is completed.
Why two session leaders? While one person may have both the mental health expertise and the horse expertise, under the EAGALA model, two people are considered necessary to maintain the ongoing safety, both emotional and physical, of participants.
Other Equine Assisted Therapeutic models work with a single therapist, along with the horse or horses. This provides a more intimate relationship with both horse and therapist and offers a more affordable model for clients. The use of metaphor and an emphasis on connection remain paramount, and clients are encouraged to develop increased awareness of their own emotional state and how it influences the horses' responses.
What is Equine Facilitated Learning?
Coaching young people in aspects of relating to horses is an alternative approach to therapy and involves active teaching of horse handling skills. Learning outcomes include confidence and self awareness, leadership skills, conflict resolution, negotiation and problem-solving, as well as motor co-ordination, focus and attention, impulse control and self-regulation. Developing a relationship with a horse allows participants to fine tune their communication skills, including their ability to monitor the process of communication.
Rules for undertaking the work on the arena are minimal, and relate mostly to safety of horses and people.
Maggie Broom 2024
While dogs and cats are used widely in animal-assisted contexts such as hospices and hospitals, horses have qualities that make them especially suitable for experiential learning: they are prey animals and therefore are particularly attuned to body language; they have been bred for thousands of years to have a close association with humans; they mirror the emotional state of the people around them; they carry none of the hidden agendas carried by humans; they do not judge; they respond honestly and forgive readily.
How can they help?
In activities with the horses, participants are invited to make comparisons with their everyday experiences. For example, does the horse remind them of someone? Does the horse's response seem familiar? Does the participant encounter similar problems in their relationships with people? By exploring the relationship with the horse and using it as a metaphor for everyday life, participants are alerted to patterns they might change or use more constructively.
What is Animal-Assisted Learning?
Animal-Assisted Learning and Animal-Assisted Therapy have been known for many years to have a beneficial effect on people in various contexts – Riding for the Disabled, Guide Dogs for the Blind, fish tanks in waiting rooms and hospitals, cats in hospices and dogs as hospital visitors.
Animal-assisted therapy has a long tradition in the United States and Europe and is recognised and accredited by mental health bodies in many countries. Increasingly recognised in Australia, animal-assisted activities are currently being incorporated in many youth settings, mental health and trauma areas. Most recently, equine assisted mental health training and education units are recognised under the national register of vocational education and training (VET).
What happens on the arena?
Activities may seem as simple as “Go and stand by a horse” or “Pick a horse and make some kind of connection.” Alternatively activities may be complex and highly structured, with conditions and time limits. They are often designed to be exploratory, offering participants the opportunity for ‘safe experiment’, without coaching or teaching. In this case, how they choose to complete the activity is up to them – there is no right way or wrong way. On the other hand, there are occasions when some degree of coaching can help participants to expand their range of available options. These are times when they begin to see the 'impossible' become the 'possible'. Either way, experiencing the responses of the horses gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their own emotional responses, their patterns of behaviour and their relationships in the everyday world.
When following the EAGALA model (see 'About Us'), two session leaders work together with the participants and the horses. One session leader is a qualified mental health professional, the other is a horse specialist. Both session leaders contribute to the devising of activities and the debriefing that goes on both during and after the activity is completed.
Why two session leaders? While one person may have both the mental health expertise and the horse expertise, under the EAGALA model, two people are considered necessary to maintain the ongoing safety, both emotional and physical, of participants.
Other Equine Assisted Therapeutic models work with a single therapist, along with the horse or horses. This provides a more intimate relationship with both horse and therapist and offers a more affordable model for clients. The use of metaphor and an emphasis on connection remain paramount, and clients are encouraged to develop increased awareness of their own emotional state and how it influences the horses' responses.
What is Equine Facilitated Learning?
Coaching young people in aspects of relating to horses is an alternative approach to therapy and involves active teaching of horse handling skills. Learning outcomes include confidence and self awareness, leadership skills, conflict resolution, negotiation and problem-solving, as well as motor co-ordination, focus and attention, impulse control and self-regulation. Developing a relationship with a horse allows participants to fine tune their communication skills, including their ability to monitor the process of communication.
Rules for undertaking the work on the arena are minimal, and relate mostly to safety of horses and people.
Maggie Broom 2024