You may be wondering what horses have to do with therapy. Or you may associate horses with physical therapy only. But in the past 30 years in the USA therapy with horses has become increasingly popular for cognitive and emotional or behavioral issues. (In Germany and other European countries it has been used for a much longer time.) There are many, many programs across the US. You need only Google EAP “Equine Assisted (psycho) Therapy” or EAL “Equine Assisted Learning” and more programs than you can review will pop up. The programs range from nonriding learning activities to vaulting to riding as adjunct therapy in formal clinics. Some programs advocate non-mounted activities (ex. EAGALA). Some programs use mounted activities (ex. NARHA, now PATH). Many programs have a trained therapist (this is a counselor such as a LSW or even a PhD).

There are only a few programs with MDs. For example Dr. Hamilton, a neurosurgeon in Arizona, has a ranch teaching EAL, and Dr. Kane, a Stanford physician, instructs medical students in a Medicine and Horsemanship program in California. Some programs are run by people who do not have letters after their name but have a lot of horse/people experience. It is important to familiarize yourself with the range of programs available before choosing one because the differences from one program to the next are significant. For additional resources, please take a look at the research paper in Doc Ann’s EZine.

Link to it here:  E-zine.