The use of animals within therapy can be traced back thousands of years. Their ability to read human emotion and their inherent honesty is perhaps why we look to them so often in times of distress. While a range of animals are well known for being therapeutic, horses are becoming particularly well known for their ability to foster change.

Equine therapy is not just something for people with autism, but available for anyone with any 'issue' who feels they may benefit from time with these wonderful animals.

I think it's important to firstly examine the term 'therapy' and 'therapist' as it's now used freely as a label for this type of intervention when in reality there are different levels of therapists with very different levels of training and education. For full psychological therapy there would need to be a therapist with the appropriate mental health training and qualifications to be able to offer advise and opinions on a clients condition. Most equine 'therapists' are more facilitators and actually what they are offering is an experiential session with an enabling or learning opportunity. In this sense the therapy is more therapeutic or guided; all terms used for this work. For ease however the phrase 'equine therapy' will pretty much always be used!

Equine therapy puts people and horses together along with a facilitator in an environment designed to promote emotional growth and learning. No riding experience is necessary and in most cases you won't be required to ride the horse at all.

Equine assisted therapy typically involves a horse and a facilitator who will work with individuals or groups to help them discover more about themselves and develop new ways of thinking. The role of the facilitator is to guide the individual or group along the way, encouraging them to reflect on their experiences and what it means to them.

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