An equine therapy retreat is not a place where horses are sent for rest and rehabilitation. Equine therapy retreats are actually designed for people; the horses are part of the program that helps clients find answers to problems that keep them from living life to the fullest. This way of enhancing mental health is rapidly gaining in popularity.
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.
Therapeutic riding began in the 1960s as a way to help people with disabilities, both adults and children. Riding helps improve core strength, posture, and balance for someone who has limited capabilities. The walk of a horse moves the rider's spine like walking on two legs does - which is an amazing thing for someone confined to a wheelchair. Being on a horse lets a crippled child see the world from a 'normal' perspective. Autistic children open up around a pony.
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 executive, young professionals, older people finding retirement stifling, or children who are afraid of life can all benefit from the skills of the therapists and the allure of the horses. Some centers encourage meditation and intentional self-examination. Others, however, rely on the simple tasks of a ranch and caring for a horse to help people understand the issues that are defeating them in life. Horses seem to have an intuition about people that penetrates any mask or disguise.
'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.
Therapeutic riding began in the 1960s as a way to help people with disabilities, both adults and children. Riding helps improve core strength, posture, and balance for someone who has limited capabilities. The walk of a horse moves the rider's spine like walking on two legs does - which is an amazing thing for someone confined to a wheelchair. Being on a horse lets a crippled child see the world from a 'normal' perspective. Autistic children open up around a pony.
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 executive, young professionals, older people finding retirement stifling, or children who are afraid of life can all benefit from the skills of the therapists and the allure of the horses. Some centers encourage meditation and intentional self-examination. Others, however, rely on the simple tasks of a ranch and caring for a horse to help people understand the issues that are defeating them in life. Horses seem to have an intuition about people that penetrates any mask or disguise.
'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.
