Working with Respect for Humans and Horses

Note: I’m an Equine Guided Educator and Coach. My goal is to provide personal growth and learning opportunities for people by introducing them to experiences with horses, who I respect as equal partners in the process. I create a safe, supportive environment for both people and horses, offering a chance for my clients to gain different perspectives and apply new insights and lessons to their lives.

As an educator and coach, I’m quite clear about my scope of practice. I do not practice psychology. I do not diagnose or treat mental disorders. I do not counsel or advise on mental health issues.

My field is related to Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) in that we facilitate growth and learning in our clients. Our approach and purpose may differ, but there is a common thread that runs through both practices: recognizing horses as helpers and healers.

One concern I have with regard to this work is the unethical treatment of horses in the growth and learning process.

The entry below was inspired by conversations with an intuitive horse trainer/teacher and an article titled “EAP’ed Off” that appears on Chris Irwin’s web site. (The link to Chris’ article is: http://www.chrisirwin.com/articles-chris-eapdoff.php )

It’s not at all my intention to criticize the whole of the EAP community or to say that mistakes aren’t also made by other practitioners in related fields. We all make mistakes. I simply want to add to the larger discussion about healing with horses. This is intended to shine a little light on the subject with the hope that learning continues for all of us in the field of Equine Assisted, Facilitated and/or Guided Learning.


Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is the practice of working with horses to facilitate improved mental health in humans. Practitioners of EAP introduce clients to a variety of activities with horses. By observing and commenting on the interactions between clients and horses, therapists and counselors are able to diagnose and treat mental disorders. Because the mental health professional may not have a thorough working knowledge of horses and horse behavior, a trained facilitator often works in tandem with the counselor, supporting the experiential learning process.

One of the organizations that supports this work is the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA.) This is generally a highly regarded organization. Personally, I’m familiar with the work of several EAGALA certified practitioners, all of whose work I admire.

In reviewing the Code of Ethics for EAGALA, however, I find that there’s something vital missing. While the code specifies that members retain a high level of ethical behavior and professionalism, including providing for the safety of participants, it says nothing specifically about the safety and well being of the horses that are used in the process of human healing.

Though most practitioners might never overtly or intentionally traumatize a horse in order to get results for their clients, it happens. There are several questions that present themselves in relation to this issue. One is this: Is it acceptable to psychologically damage a horse in the process of improving mental health for clients?

A close friend and experienced intuitive trainer and instructor shared the following story with me after reviewing an article she’d found online. It illustrates the ways in which a horse can be damaged in the process of human healing.

The client and therapist come together at the barn to explore the client’s personal issues. The therapist sets the client to the task of moving the horse into a small, enclosed space – something like a stall -- without the aid of a halter or lead line and without touching the horse in any way.

The client struggled with the task. The horse, apparently unsure of the exercise or the goal, was uncooperative and resisted. The therapist urged the client to continue. Be more assertive. Eventually the task was accomplished, representing success to the client and the therapist.

The photo accompanying the article, taken at the end of the session, showed a beaming client and therapist. The horse, on the other hand, showed clear, visible signs of distress that could be identified by anyone with a basic knowledge of equine body language.

At first glance, neither the therapist nor the client seems to have done anything wrong. Mission accomplished, right?

However, at a deeper level, there is something terribly wrong with this scenario. The horse was pressured into a place where it didn’t want to go by some one who didn’t know horses or horse behavior and probably didn’t notice (or care?) that it was scared. The client’s behavior was witnessed and applauded by a mental health professional.

By asserting herself in this way, what did the client learn? The comment I made to my friend was this: “It sounds like she got in touch with her inner bully.”

A client with psychological issues learned how to bully an animal into doing what she wanted. If this client had been abused at some point in her life, how would her behavior in this situation be different than the bullying once visited on her? Suppose she’s experienced personal boundary or assertiveness issues. How does it heal the client to ignore the horse’s boundaries or assert extreme pressure in order to get results?

The horse in the story lived. It wasn’t physically hurt. Nonetheless, there was some level of emotional damage done in the process. Is it acceptable to emotionally damage another being in pursuit of a client's improved mental health?

How could the therapist have facilitated a session without trauma to either the human or the horse? What can we do when the horse seems uncooperative or confused? How do we support our clients in this exploration? To me, the answer is clear: First, understand what constitutes unnecessary stress and anxiety in each situation we put people and horses into. Next, drop our personal agendas and work with what’s happening in the moment.

I can only speak from my own experience. Here’s what I’ve done.

I held a demonstration session in 2007. In the round pen, I asked a volunteer to move one of my horses using a lunge whip, with which the woman was totally unfamiliar. The task was simple. Just get the horse into motion. There were no instructions about how to do this or in what direction. She tried in a half-hearted manner. At one point she stopped and stood near the mare, who eyed the woman with some confusion, but not fear. I put a halt to the exercise and asked, “What’s happening?”

“She doesn’t want to move.”

“How does that relate to what’s happening in your life?”

“You know, I really don’t want to move, either.”

She proceeded to tell me about a career change, how she just needed time to sit in a place of transition and not do anything.

“How does ‘not doing anything’ look” I asked.

She laid down the whip and walked over to the horse where she (and my mare) visibly relaxed. The woman began to pet and talk to my mare. Then she walked over to me. Without halter or lead or direct invitation, my mare followed and stood beside this woman, head relaxed and clearly wanting to be present with her.

Ta da!

This woman didn’t need to move a horse in order to get results. She simply needed to dance in the moment and discover her own truth. In her case, she needed time to just relax and be. Truth is in the Journey, not in the Destination.

To me, it’s not important that a client “successfully” completes a task that I’ve provided. The experience, just as it is, in whatever way it takes shape, resonates with an inner “aha…” for the client. It can’t be about my expectations or goals.

The task itself gave my mare openings for retreat, if she needed it. She’s familiar with a lunge whip and it didn’t frighten her. I watched very carefully to be sure that she wasn’t in any kind of distress. In fact, an observer to this demonstration commented that she watched the horse for signs of fear or anxiety. She’s a horse person and was pleased to see that my mare wasn’t scared at any time during the demo session. That was intentional on my part and I’m glad some one noticed.

As practitioners in the trailblazing fields of Equine Guided Education and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, our purpose is to facilitate healing, growth and learning in others. We have to be clear that a session isn’t about our own agendas or what a client and horse partner “should” do. We share an obligation to act ethically and humanely. The substance of the work must include consideration of the well being of human and horse.

If we can simply allow the experience to unfold, rather than dictate what it should be, we create an environment that supports and honors all beings.