Equine therapy studies are hard to find. And perhaps even more challenging to find, studies that utilize sound research protocol. Of course this leaves many well intentioned mental health practitioners to question the validity of equine therapy. On the other hand, there are many potential recipients of equine therapy who wish that there insurance company would cover equine work so that they may partake in it.

So, that being said, lets take a look at a few good equine…

There is no shortage of stress reduction strategies, particularly these days. And for the most part, these interventions can be incorporated into the traditional psychotherapeutic model quite easily. When this occurs, a triage like form of care can be offered to the patient which leaves less room for unmet needs that may cause problems later.

No other area is this more true than in the case of substance abuse recovery. Addicts have often more than one additional…

Recently, a member of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA), www.narha.org. posed an important question. New to the field of equine therapy, and only just beginning to amass an understanding of the practice, this horse enthusiast was wondering which, of the many certification now available if the horse healing world would be best.

The question is worth pondering for sure as with the recent growth of equine therapy, new…

Intra-Family violence can be one of the most challenging issues to treat in therapy. Much of the complexity results not only from the family’s likely mistrust of the system and the professionals that are a part of it -- particularly in cases where Child Protective Services may have already intervened -- but also, the prevalence of co-occurring disorders, such as addictions.

Often, these family’s will minimize the extent of the violence, possibly target one family member…

Horses have been domesticated for many years, and from the very beginning, it was us teaching them. We attached our ropes, harnesses, saddles, and ideas unto them, We taught them what to be, think, and do.

And amazingly, they went along. Horses obliged us. When we asked them to carry us just where we wanted to go -- and sometimes in the most dangerous circumstances -- they did. After all, horses were the very first war vehicle.

And when…