At the heart of our mission is a commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for healing and restoration through grounding and connecting with horses and the natural world. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential, somatic therapy offering unique, powerful healing resources and life skills which traditional talk therapy can complement but often can't achieve as effectively alone. EAP is a great alternative for therapy resistant clients and those navigating complex trauma, addiction, anxiety or depression, eating disorders, behavioral challenges, neurodivergence, and grief. 

As herd and prey animals, horses are keenly attuned, utterly congruent, and live in the here & now. They have massive electromagnetic fields emanating from their hearts that pick up our heart rate, breathing, and other signals sent out by our nervous systems. Their ‘listening heart’ (Leigh Shambo) responds accordingly: horses have a way of telling the truth, without judgment, that invites us to profound awareness and presence. Since their number one priority is safety, they naturally move toward authentic connection and balance, offering unparalleled coregulation while teaching us so much about ourselves and how we show up in the world.

As herd and prey animals, horses are keenly attuned, utterly congruent, and live in the here & now. They have massive electromagnetic fields emanating from their hearts that pick up our heart rate, breathing, and other signals sent out by our nervous systems. Their ‘listening heart’ (Leigh Shambo) responds accordingly: horses have a way of telling the truth, without judgment, that invites us to profound awareness and presence. Since their number one priority is safety, they naturally move toward authentic connection and balance, offering unparalleled coregulation while teaching us so much about ourselves and how we show up in the world.

In addition to the proven benefits of movement and time outdoors, EAP supports a range of therapeutic goals, including:

In addition to the proven benefits of movement and time outdoors, EAP supports a range of therapeutic goals, including:

  • Body-centered awareness and nervous system regulation

  • Confidence

  • Grounding, presence, and embodiment

  • Trust and communication

  • Leadership skills, responsibility, and mutual respect

  • Boundaries

  • Self-compassion, acceptance, and integration

  • Imagination and creative expression

  • Authentic connection and collaboration

  • Playfulness, awe, and a sense of aliveness

Resources

Resources

There are many meaningful ways to engage in EAP, from exploring personal stories through narrative metaphor (bringing what’s hidden into the open, allowing the ‘there & then’ to surface in the ‘here & now’), to practicing specific skills and goals, or simply being present with the horses and their natural environment.

If you’re curious to learn more, here are some of my favorite resources:

There are many meaningful ways to engage in EAP, from exploring personal stories through narrative metaphor (bringing what’s hidden into the open, allowing the ‘there & then’ to surface in the ‘here & now’), to practicing specific skills and goals, or simply being present with the horses and their natural environment.

If you’re curious to learn more, here are some of my favorite resources:

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”

~Winston Churchill

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”

~Winston Churchill