Therapeutic animals come in numerous forms and offer multiple types of aid. Some animals provide service support while others help soothe unruly anxieties. Although cats and dogs mainly fill the job title for therapeutic support, horses are among the most effective and healing animals. Here are three reasons why equine species offer effective therapeutic benefits.

Emotional Mirrors

Horses are hyper-vigilant and sensitive. They observe others and pick up on people’s emotions. Like empaths, horses mirror collected feelings, displaying one’s uneasiness, confidence, and other sensed moods. Most of the time, people bottle up their emotions or find it hard to fully express themselves. Since horses mirror others, they create a visual and tactile representation of one’s emotions. They help people become aware, connect to, and express their own feelings. Spending time with a horse is like looking back at an emotional reflection of oneself.

Equine Gait Therapy

One of the most poignant healing qualities of a horse is its gait. Throughout the history of equine therapy and hippotherapy, many people have used a horse’s gait to benefit their minds and body. Equine gait training uses the movement of a horse’s walk to strengthen, rehabilitate, and improve people’s bodies, skills, and mental fortitude. Hippotherapy combines multiple treatments, from occupational to physical, into one therapeutic technique. Equine therapy now ranks as one of the most effective forms of alternative therapy.

Non-Judgmental Accompaniment

Horses operate more with their heart than with their head. They reflect people’s emotions rather than build their own judgmental responses. Therefore, horses provide non-judgmental accompaniment, making them great therapeutic partners. They don’t care about how you look, your age, or your life history. All they desire to do is keep you company and create safe, reflective spaces. When saddling up, you can enjoy peaceful support and feel heard and important as the horse senses your emotions rather than reacts to them.

Horses offer numerous effective therapeutic properties, from emotional mirroring to non-judgmental accompaniment. They make people feel seen and provide solutions to enhance one’s life. Finding different ways to heal with horses, like going on equine-guided retreats, helps you connect with these therapeutic species and receive their beneficial influences.