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Perhaps the most important element in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy(EAP)can be undisputed as being the equine itself.  EAP is an experiential modality of treatment that incorporates horses for emotional growth and learning. While the use of the therapy team, an Equine Specialist and Mental Health Professional, differs from traditional ‘talk’ therapy, perhaps the most influential aspect of this therapy is how horses are used in the sessions. There is no riding involved, and all activities take place on the ground. Here aresome of the ways horses make EAP a truly amazing and beneficial form of psychotherapy.

1. Knowledge and experience working with mental health issues: While the horses are an amazing addition to treatment, the Mental Health professional has an extensive knowledge of diagnostic criteria for psychiatric diagnosis. This allows the MH to assist the client(s) to meet set treatment goals at an appropriate pace.
2. Emotional safety of clients: Often a session can help a client realize subconscious feelings and/or experiences. The MH is keen to the clients’ emotional safety, and knows how deep the session should go. Certain sessions may have the potential to unearth trauma or other past experiences that can be too much for a client to handle in one session. The MH will read the clients clues and can address the issues with the client without going too far.
3. Nonverbal communication: Since EAP is in essence not ‘talk’ therapy, much of the interactions during a session are nonverbal in nature. The MH has the difficult job of interpreting the clients’ nonverbal communication with the horses, the therapy team and any additional clients in thesession.
4. Processing the session: While the majority of an EAP session is experiential in nature, and with little to no talking, the processing that occurs at the end of the session is vital. A lot can occur during a session, and since most of the information the therapy team receives about the session is nonverbal, it is important for the MH to discuss the implications of what occurred during the session. It is also important at this point for the Equine Specialist to give input to the relevance of the horses’ behavior during this time, but the MH will be able to bring certain behaviors and actions to the clients’ awareness during the processing stage.

Temple Grandin has a huge impact in the areas of understanding both autism, and animals. Dr. Grandin has a vast experience with horses, and shares some of her experiences in the book, Animals in Translation. Here are some of her insights, and how they relate to the relationship individuals with autism may have with horses, and why the bond is so beneficial.

Temple Grandin is a remarkable woman, an individual who has autism that has done more with her life than most typically developing people. Viewing her vast list of accomplishments, it is hard to believe that at the age of two she was diagnosed as brain damaged, which ultimately led to a diagnosis of autism. Her life has transitioned from being unable to speak until the age of four, to holding a doctoral degree in animal science, being a renowned author and a pillar in her field. Her life gives hope to the many families that fear their child with autism may never reach their full potential. Her life is a lesson of how determination, structure, and early intervention can yield great opportunity for any individual. Dr. Grandin is remarkable in another way: she is noted as being one of the few individuals with autism who can describe what it is like to live with autism. Here are some things we can learn from her:

While there are many aspects of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) that make it a unique modality of treatment, the use of a therapy team definitely stands apart. While traditional “talk” therapy typically consists of client(s) and a clinician, EAP utilizes the knowledge and experience of a horse professional.
So what exactly does the Equine Specialist do, and what is their experience in the session? Equine Specialists need to first obtain at least 6,000 hours of hands-on horse experience and 100 hours of continuing education before being able to complete the EAGALA certification process. EAGALA certification consists of two separate intensive 3-day trainings specific to the skills necessary for practicing EAP. 

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders typically face a wide range of social,developmental and speech difficulties throughout their lifetime. There are numerous therapeutic interventions available to assist individuals in reaching their full potential. While many of these approaches are extremely beneficial in the targeted area, the use of therapeutic horseback riding can have endless possibilities for improving the life of an individual with autism. Here are 5 ways therapeutic horseback riding can positively affect individuals with autism:   

          Therapeutic horseback riding has the benefit of incorporating an endless amount of different goals into sessions. Knowing that so much can be integrated, it can sometimes be overwhelming for parents to decide on what is most important to include in their child’s session goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself for which areas to include when setting goals:
                1.            How is my child’s posture/muscle tone/pincher grasp/gait?
                If your child is lacking in any fine/gross motor skill areas, therapeutic riding sessions may be able to help. Try to focus on specific deficits, example posture, rather than muscle tone overall. This will help to target specific activities during the session that can benefit your child’s needs. 
                2.            How does my child react to social situations?
                Many new students get the assistance of a leader and side walker during sessions, in addition to their instructor. If your child is shy, talks over people, or has trouble maintaining conversations with numerous people, then consider discussing social goals. Be specific in what you would like to see changed, and try to work on similar goals at home in between sessions.  
                3.            Is your child exhibiting any behavioral difficulties at home or in school?
                This can be a question that is difficult to ask us, but can be an important part of your child’s assessment and goal planning. Again, try to be specific; it can be something as simple as he/she gets antsy when waiting in the lunch line. These types of situations arise during riding; your child may have to wait a few moments while waiting to get on his /her horse and patience can be taught throughout the sessions!
                4.            What is included in my child’s IEP?
                Carryover can be beneficial for many children. Incorporating the most important goals from his or her most current IEP can create a consistent environment. Even if these areas aren’t chosen as goals, it may be important for your child’s therapeutic riding instructor to be aware of implicated goals in the IEP.
                5.            What if my child is already working on too many goals?
                Some children can become overloaded with services; in school PT, OT, speech, ABA therapy, etc. Recreation and just having fun may also be an important part of your child’s week. Consider giving your child some time to work simply on taking a few moments to enjoy life, that is a goal in itself.  

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an innovative and effective way for K-12 grade schools to partner with community organizations in order to deliver interventions to some of their most difficult students. EAL is facilitated by accredited teachers and professional staff, with horse experience, that have been further certified by Equine Assisted Guidance and Learning Association (EAGALA). It is a model that integrates horses, equine-based activities and traditional learning standards to reach students that may be oppositional to learning, need re-engagement, be at risk for school failure or simply need a retooling of how education is experienced.

When looking for therapeutic horseback riding programs, you may ask yourself: Is there really a difference between therapeutic riding and horseback riding?  The answer is yes! Although there are numerous similarities, there are certain ingredients to the “therapeutic” portion that make it strikingly different. Therapeutic horseback riding is an accessible and adaptive form of horseback riding, tailored to the needs of each student with a disability. It can be used for individuals anywhere from two (2) years of age well into the sixties. Due to the integrative nature of therapeutic horseback riding, there is a wide range of benefits for many different types of disabilities. These are the reasons therapeutic riding is different than horseback riding:

Different horses are used for different types of work. The thoroughbred you see running at a race track differs greatly from the calm pony your child sits on at the county fair. Horses have been bred and selected for their specific line of work for centuries. Similarly, the horse chosen for therapeutic horseback riding should possess the following characteristics: