Spending time at an equine assisted program requires some planning and scheduling, from all involved, which is great benefit of this type of activity. For many people with emotional and behavioral challenges, organizing personal equipment and taking on tasks with horses helps them explore responsibility and the benefits of setting and sticking to a schedule. Other people, who depend on structure and become upset when it is changed, are challenged when those schedules are broken. Working with an animal requires some flexibility – if your horse makes an unpredicted quick get-a-way through an open gate, your plans have to be rearranged! Working with horses helps people learn how to establish and keep realistic expectations and goals, and also how to adapt when things suddenly change.
Who benefits from working with horses in the therapeutic process?
Individuals with the following:
Difficulty maintaining healthy relationships
Unable to trust or make contact with people
Low self-esteem
Sexual, Physical, or Emotional Abuse or Trauma
Boundary Issues
Attachment or Abandonment Issues
Addictions
Depression
Control Issues
Family Problems
Just About Anybody!
Equine Assisted Activities are also being used in Corporate Team Building Programs.