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Reconnecting

Horses are intelligent, sensitive and intuitive animals with remarkable memories. They are able to travel through our emotional landscape like the waves coming unto the shore. Horses are genuine and authentic. Their connection to our inner landscape help us to 'feel better' or 'feel understood'. This ability to attune to another life form has developed in this supreme survivor since the age of the dinosaur! Being herd animals, horses reach out and blend naturally.

“After a session with the horse I feel at peace with myself and the universe. I am rested, I am calm and once again centered.” ~ EM, Vancouver

A horse's authenticity is unquestionable: A horse does not practice deception or mislead. Touching honesty in all their actions, reactions and expressions draw us into their realm.

The workshops or private sessions are for anyone who feels disconnected, over-burdened, stressed out, isolated, depressed, loss, or out of sync. The reconnect workshops and private sessions can also focus on very specific behaviours such as eating disorders, abuse issues, OCD, anxiety or thought disorders.

Resource articles: Horse therapy helps people surmount personal obstacles

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Horse therapy and autism

Learning the language of non-autistic humans

Dr Temple Grandin, a world-renowned expert in autism who is on the spectrum herself has pinpointed a ‘special connection or identification’ that can occur when autistic children interact with horses.

Felicia Allen, Founder of the EANH horse therapy program, has observed that the associations and communications between an autistic child and a horse transcend simple communications in that horses sensory perceptions are so finely attuned that an autistic child feels 'understood'. Similarly, Dr. Grandin has noted one trait that is shared between people with autism and animals, “People with autism and animals both think by making visual associations.” Felicia is a specialist in understanding the language of horses (see her True Natural Horsemanship method of communicating and training horses).

Felicia has recognized that the horses possess extraordinary superiority in their sensory development (horses have been on earth for 45 to 55 million years compared to human beings six million years) which enables the horse to connect with the autistic child's sensory perceptual system and silently and unobtrusively 'guide' the autistic child as to how the non-autistic human processes and communicates with an experienced facilitator in attendance.

The extraordinary sensory apparatus of a horse with an evolution spanning so many more millions of years is difficult to comprehend for most people. Autistic children possess a different cognitive style and a different way of learning which a horse is able to discern.

The children begin to learn what the domesticated, therapy horse has already mastered, the understanding of the non-autistic human's communication and processing methods.

Eventually autistic children in horse therapy become so good at understanding the processing and communication (what Felicia refers to as 'the language of non-autistic humans') that people who communicate with the children have no idea that the child is autistic and has simply learnt another language, the language of the non-autistic person from a domesticated, therapy horse.

Felicia's book, Breaking Ground, Non-riding Horse Therapy and Autism will be available soon. Please contact EANH for pre-orders.

Although horse riding is experiential, EANH's focus is on cognitive growth, communications development including direct 'hands-on' physical motivation and engagement with the horse and not on horseback riding. A therapy facilitator is present in all therapy sessions.

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Youth At Risk

First Nations peoples believe the horse, as all living things, are profoundly sacred. The horse specifically has been identified as having a strong spiritual power and will lead individuals in the “right direction.”

Horses have clear action and re-action responses and youth at risk find a safety net in the touching honesty of the horse.

There is also kinship among horse and human since some of our horses have a history of abuse, of pain, of harsh and sometimes cruel treatment and have enduring physical injuries that they have overcome or continue to overcome. Further, the horses were rescued by the stable to spare them a cruel and horrifying death at the horse slaughter factories.

Horses genuinely feel deep within our beings and evaporate negative, destructive feelings. Many participants leave a session feeling good or happy and not really knowing why. Horses have a way of making life feel good.

Horses have the gift to befriend almost effortlessly. With their evolutionary heritage, horses are very adept at coming to know us even from afar.

The horse's way is to seek the company of others and horses will naturally feel their way through our inner beings - in a way, they show us a lot about ourselves just by being themselves. ~ Founder, EANH

There is much kinship to be shared, to learn from and to grow. Horses show us a path to healing, recovering and finding inner peace and happiness without us even knowing the transformative effects. Horses often mirror ourselves by their reactions - this can be helpful in personal growth.

Horses are honest and help us to see how we can act and re-act effectively rather than habitually. Horses touch our beings sensitively.

Most of all, horses teach us how to forgive.

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Horse healing and terminal illness

Individuals with terminal illness find relief from stress, worry, fears and pain being around horses.

Horses seem to have an ability to reach into tension and distraught areas of our being and ease the burden. Some describe this as 'evaporating' the distressing and persistent emotions and thoughts.

Children or adults are most welcome to meet a new friend and hang out for some fun and educational time!

Horses are not healers of terminal illness and are not a substitute for medical treatment. Horses however present a different kind of healing which frees the inner being and brings its own joy.

Patients with terminal illness are always welcome to visit with the horses (if patients wish to make a small donation for the horses upkeep and care we are grateful however it is not a requirement).

If you would like to attend an Equine Assisted Natural Healing with horses workshop where hands-on horse interaction, sharing and experiencing is included with a facilitator, there is a workshop rate of $65 for a 45 minute private session. Please contact us to schedule a date and time.

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Veterans and PTSD/OIS

Over two million horses have served in wartime beside our service men and women and continue to share kinship with their human partners.

Horses are gentle and compassionate helping our heroes struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and War-Related Stress. For a veteran living with PTSD/OSI feeling a sense of self and peace again has a positive impact on the journey of healing. It feels good to feel good, to feel oneself, to feel one's being. Horses can bring inner harmony out of chaos.

The horses in the EANH program are themselves rehabilitated former racehorses who understand what can happen to a living being when life reveals horrors, difficult experiences and what seems to be ongoing, insurmountable pain, memories and stress on some or all levels. Our horses have recovered stoically and show us by example that recovery, happiness and a good life is attainable and positive.

Loved ones often also live the pain and symptoms of PTSD/OSI and are encouraged to participate in horse healing sessions as either a couple or family. Thereby, the healing journey is experienced together rather than in isolation.

EANH sessions can be private or held together with loved ones.

Resource articles: For some traumatized veterans the best therapy can be stroking a velvety nose

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Relationship Therapy

EANH horse therapy brings peaceful and receptive communication as the primary means to resolve hurts, anger, conflict or disengagement among couples or family members.

Horses are by nature social animals and being highly sensitive will move away from friction, anger or conflict. EANH horse therapy encourages participant(s) to resolve communication conflicts, to search and find harmony with one another and to begin open dialogue in a respectful, quiet, patient and receptive manner.

Horse therapy assists participant(s) to find effective communication skills and behaviours to sort out conflicts, negative patterns and find meaningful dialogue and solutions.

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