Equine Assisted Learning

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Equine Assisted Learning and Psychotherapy
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can be explained in many different ways. However, the basis of all of these definitions have been experimental approaches of working with people. What is meant by experimental approaches is that the client learns about his or her behaviors, feelings, and patterns though working with horses (Frewin, Gardiner, 2005). The clients can also learn about others in the group, if a group therapy session is held, in hopes to help the other with any behaviors they notice during the session. One thing that is worked on in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is the setting and acknowledgement of boundary setting (Shultz, Remick-Barlow, Robbins, 2007) . Just like many humans, horses do not …show more content…

The therapists in Equine Assisted Learning are designed as learning and communications mediators and help provide a calming effect during the initial sessions of the therapy (Burgon 2011). Clients of the program can include socio-economic factors such as poverty, class and cultural expectations, and childhood exposure to stressful and traumatic events. Many times, when a child is introduced to these situations, they do not know how to care for themselves, and rely on any other adult or person, even if they are teenagers or older. Through providing Equine Assisted Learning, these individuals can learn how to care for themselves and others through the use of horse. They can understand the needs of a household as well as how to care for other people, an essential requirement if they decide to start a family. The horse can act as the child, being completely dependent on the client for food, love, and grooming. This simulates how it would be to have a child that they have to take care of. Being on the farm and doing barn chores can simulate the needs of the household, giving the client an idea as how much work it takes to keep a house tidy and orderly. With horses being sensitive to physical abuse, clients can see how a child or a spouse would react if they hit them or used a stern voice. Knowing this, the client can adapt their coping mechanisms to a way that does not hurt the horse, and would therefore not hurt a person. Individuals can also cope with alcohol or drug abuse, both from personal experience and experience from parental abuse. By being able to move such a large animal, they can learn that they actually do have control of their life. The horse can be used as a physical representation for the substance that is being abused. Moving the “substance” will allow the individual is able to see that the alcohol or drug can not control them, but in reality,

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