Guest blog Growth Factory: Using a horse as therapy horse? Is that weird?

Written for Marjolein from @Dutch_Draft_Astor (@groeifabriek)

Using a horse for the learning goals of your client? Is that strange, airy-fairy, or actually just day-care instead of working concretely on learning goals? Almost everyone has heard at some point that working with animals, horses in particular, could have a healing effect. 'Very nice' I always thought, 'but that's all in your head'.

Horse coaching not the suitable term

Yet it did trigger something in me, I have been crazy about horses for years myself, and how cool would it be if I could combine my care work with my passion? But, being critical as I am, if I were to use horses for my clients, it had to make a very concrete contribution to their learning process. After a lot of searching on the internet, visiting open days, and gathering information from training providers, I noticed that the term 'horse coaching' actually does not suit me. As much as I am now convinced that horses can certainly be used to support growth processes in people, it remained too vague for me.

Using a horse as a tool, not as the coach!

Horses are a fantastic addition to a treatment, guidance, or coaching. However, the outcome of a session depends on the professionalism of the caregiver. Using horses is not the goal in my opinion, but a means to development. Horses can have a positive influence on people, but they are not the therapist themselves. It would not be fair in my opinion to burden our horses with the task of bringing humans to development.

So I do not let my client independently coach, guide, or support by the horse, but I use the horse to create learning situations. The horse is part of a situation set up by me. Because a horse does not speak with words, has a very different body from humans, and has its own agenda (in which the horse's priorities come first), collaborating with such a horse can be quite a challenge. Especially when, for example, you have to convince the horse to go along with your plan or idea.

For many clients, working with a horse is a pleasant change. It breaks the routine and sometimes also a standard mindset: the focus shifts so that tension, fear, and limiting beliefs temporarily fade into the background. This creates a situation in which there is room for growth and learning.

Horses must feel comfortable with it

And what about the horses, what do they think? I myself find it very important that the horses I work with have an escape: that they can get away from the situation. Much of the work we do is in freedom, the horses are truly free to go when they want. But that is very rare, the horses are usually at the gate when the clients arrive and are always very motivated to work again after a vacation.

I find it important that the horses feel good, both in the situation and in their body. In practice, this means that the horses already know and explore the obstacles and attributes I use before I start working with them. This stimulates the urge to explore and makes them confident. For a desensitization training, my horses don't even hesitate 😉. Physical health is of the utmost importance, good management is the basis of it. Unlimited roughage, the right amounts of vitamins and minerals, and where necessary, an additional supplement to support resistance or metabolism. Because if you want to take care of others well, it starts with yourself. In this case, with the horses, if they feel good, they can be there entirely for my clients.

If you are curious and would like to take a look at our practice and stable, check out one of the socials. Here you can follow our daily adventures and see which HELTIE horse products we really can't do without in our care routine.

Follow Marjolein and her horses on Instagram via @Dutch_Draft_Astor and her work via @groeifabriek.

Photo: Sab fotografie