Benefits Of Equine Facilitated Mental Health And Equine Facilitated Learning

Nurturing animals (loving, caring, responsibility).
Learning about:
- horses
- training horses
- riding
- farming
- grasses
Socialization through interaction with others. Encourages the development of communication and interpersonal skills.
Developing relationships with others:
- Identifying feelings
- Identifying barriers to relating with others
- Risking/sharing with others
Teaches patience with people that have "hurry up" drives which creates impatience, low impulse control.
Increasing self esteem through mastering of concrete tasks.
The adult/child can feel accepted by the horse, "good enough," loved, significant to the horse, needed by the horse.
Children and adults can explore a new environment.
Horses teach limits in that they pull away when jerked on or mistreated (i.e., lay their ears back when they don't like what someone is doing to them).
Developing a nurturing parent ego state by receiving nurturing (through the form of understanding and caring from others).
Developing a nurturing parent ego state by receiving the acceptance of a horse through its responses to the rider.
The physical exercise of working on the farm and riding as opposed to the boring routine of a gym.
Increase self-esteem and confidence by mastery of riding techniques.
Developing a kinetic sensitivity/feeling for others instead of the detachment of a computer that lends itself to narcissism.
Reconnect lost feelings by learning about "good touch" for those individuals physically or sexually abused as children.
Meeting some of the thrill seeking needs in a healthy environment without drugs or alcohol.
It's difficult to measure the healing power of the horse and the rebirth of the person' s spirituality.
Getting back in touch with nature and God's gifts.
It may help heal feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy and depression that is essential to the whole process of mending broken lives.
The bond that so often develops between the person and the horse whether mounted or from interaction with the horse on the ground, is a powerful antidote to the ravishing affects of abuse.
A project at the barn can serve to pull members together in a positive way, with the same magnetism as a gang in the inner city or suburb. All of us need a place to fit in and belong.
It's just fun.
The blending of horses and human nature in order to achieve a sense of emotional well being (and enhance self-esteem).
Children can be exposed to healthy role models.
Self efficacy.
Being responsible for the care of another living being helps to develop nurturing skills.
Because horses are bigger than people, people learn boundaries and limits make sense - order prevails.
Children learn to follow directions, sequencing, working in a group, listening to the teacher, completing tasks, building skills, focusing, finishing a project, trusting adults, having confidence. This lesson enables the child to learn in other areas of life as well.
The bilateral stimulation of the neurological system may be effective in stimulating brain activity required to resolve trauma as in EMDR techniques used in psychotherapy.
Teaches responsibility.
Provides physical outlet for anger reduction.