When you hear the term 'equine therapy retreats', you might think of a hospital for horses, a place where animals are sent to recover from injuries or illnesses. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth. At an ETR, the horses are just fine. It's the people who need help.
This concept has really taken hold. There are certified retreat centers in many places - 250 or more in North America alone. It is part 'corporate team building', part 'get away from the rat race', part therapeutic riding, and all about learning your strengths, facing your fears, and finding peace. People can do it as individuals or as part of a group.
The idea of a retreat involving horses grew out of the therapeutic riding programs begun in the 60s. While helping people with disabilities enjoy riding and being around horses and ponies, therapists saw more than physical improvement. A child confined to a wheelchair could experience free movement when partnered with a horse. In addition to gaining in balance, core strength, and motor skills, the child could see the world in a new way - not from knee-high to everyone else.
It didn't take therapists long to realize that the mental and emotional benefits were as profound, if not more so, than the physical. This truth existed before, of course. An old saying states that 'The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man'.
People build walls against a hurtful world. They hide behind social or professional masks. They fail to try because of past failures. Horses seem to intuitively respond to the real person, to hidden tensions or fear or to aggression, and people have to change to succeed with them. Horses are also willing to forgive and quick to react to firm kindness. Successfully guiding a horse is a wonderful experience to someone who lacks self-confidence.
Anxiety, depression, self-doubt, inability to relate, and even despair yield to an atmosphere of peace and the presence of horses. Horses are prey animals, so they have to be alert and sensitive to their surroundings. However, they choose to trust people, and this can have a profound effect on someone who has closed the door to human relationships and lost hope in the future.
Business executives who are overwhelmed by the challenges they face can gain perspective to make a new push. People can get to know themselves better by working with a horse. Some retreats include meditation in their therapy, while others use the simple skills needed to care for animals in ways that reveal hidden issues that people have. Psychology employs the intuitive understanding that many horses have to help people find emotional balance, release, and refreshment.
'Hippotherapy' is getting rave reviews from those who have tried it and found it life changing. Go online to find centers in Colorado, North Carolina, or England. Read about how people surrender their goals, objectives, and personal agendas to engage in the present with a horse, a prey animal who is willing to trust them implicitly.
This concept has really taken hold. There are certified retreat centers in many places - 250 or more in North America alone. It is part 'corporate team building', part 'get away from the rat race', part therapeutic riding, and all about learning your strengths, facing your fears, and finding peace. People can do it as individuals or as part of a group.
The idea of a retreat involving horses grew out of the therapeutic riding programs begun in the 60s. While helping people with disabilities enjoy riding and being around horses and ponies, therapists saw more than physical improvement. A child confined to a wheelchair could experience free movement when partnered with a horse. In addition to gaining in balance, core strength, and motor skills, the child could see the world in a new way - not from knee-high to everyone else.
It didn't take therapists long to realize that the mental and emotional benefits were as profound, if not more so, than the physical. This truth existed before, of course. An old saying states that 'The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man'.
People build walls against a hurtful world. They hide behind social or professional masks. They fail to try because of past failures. Horses seem to intuitively respond to the real person, to hidden tensions or fear or to aggression, and people have to change to succeed with them. Horses are also willing to forgive and quick to react to firm kindness. Successfully guiding a horse is a wonderful experience to someone who lacks self-confidence.
Anxiety, depression, self-doubt, inability to relate, and even despair yield to an atmosphere of peace and the presence of horses. Horses are prey animals, so they have to be alert and sensitive to their surroundings. However, they choose to trust people, and this can have a profound effect on someone who has closed the door to human relationships and lost hope in the future.
Business executives who are overwhelmed by the challenges they face can gain perspective to make a new push. People can get to know themselves better by working with a horse. Some retreats include meditation in their therapy, while others use the simple skills needed to care for animals in ways that reveal hidden issues that people have. Psychology employs the intuitive understanding that many horses have to help people find emotional balance, release, and refreshment.
'Hippotherapy' is getting rave reviews from those who have tried it and found it life changing. Go online to find centers in Colorado, North Carolina, or England. Read about how people surrender their goals, objectives, and personal agendas to engage in the present with a horse, a prey animal who is willing to trust them implicitly.
About the Author:
You can find details about the benefits of receiving equine therapy and more info about equine therapy retreats at http://www.horsesenseandthehumanheart.com right now.
