Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Today I am going to dedicate this post to the health benefits of "Equine Therapy" for everyone. Whether it is for a "special needs" person, a child with "severe anxiety" a military vet with "PTSD" or just someone who has experienced great "Trauma" in their life, equine therapy is for anyone. All across the globe horses have been healing people.
As many of you know my daughter has experienced tragic events at a young age and had developed at 9 years old "severe anxiety" and an "eating disorder". She has been doing "equine Therapy" since she was 9. She is now 13. This is her on the horse at the "Reigns of Hope" Therapy center.
When my daughter was first diagnosed, we had to stay in hospital for 4 months until she gained the weight need to leave. This is her with one of her friends who has cancer and was there with her for the entire 4 months. Here she is 10 years old but looks the size of a 7-8 year old.
This is her today, at 13. With the help of the "Equine Therapy" she has kept enough weight on the attend and join a gymnastic club and she excels at it. It has built her confidence up to be able to get on the bars and do her routine. The horses, being majestic in size and having the ability to over come the fear of the mere size of the animal and the gentle ways gave her inner confidence. She loves being one with the horses, feeding them, brushing them, and trail riding with them. She has learned that no matter the size she is in control of them. Taking that idea to her own self with the idea that she is in control of how she lives her own life.
Working for a few years now with the horses, has also given her enough confidence to overcome her fear of fishing, and can now take the fish off the hook as well. Today she continues to take therapy and advocates for the benefits back at the hospital were she spent 4 months. A true testament of her benefiting. When she was first diagnosed she was offered many many pills and medication to help with the anxiety but I refused and said we will do this as naturally as possible. So many many sleepless nights, and months of patients one spoonful at a time she is healthy and happy and thriving. So as a mother, I just want to say that medication for "Mental Health" in children is not always necessary. She was the most severe case that the hospital had seen and we prevailed.
Here on Steemit, there is another homesteader who also has seen the many benefits of "Equine Therapy". I had a conversation about it with @daddykirbs as many of you are aware he has a special needs son, and horses on his homestead. Here is a submitted paragraph from our conversation
"Luke has been riding horses for therapy for about 11 years now. When he first started he could barely sit upright in the saddle. After a few months of riding his posture and core strength greatly improved. Over the years we've seen a special spark in Luke's eyes when he's around horses. I believe horses do more for a person than just muscle exercise. They are good for the spirit as well. Luke can now confidently get on a horse and use the reigns to ride all on his own. There's no doubt in my mind that horses have played a very important role in Luke's physical, emotional and spiritual development."
Here is a picture of how it helps even those who cannot manage to ride.
https://www.abilities.com/community/horse-therapy.html
As many of you know, I live within a 10 minute distance to Canada's largest Military base, and we have many soldiers who use "equine Therapy" to treat their "PTSD" )Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Here is an excellent article describing the benefits of "equine therapy" for our Military vets who suffer.
Young or old, horses can heal, and I encourage anyone who struggles with any form of Mental health, be not afraid to branch out and find a resource like the "Equine Therapy". Sometimes that is all it takes, to heal. It is amazing alternative to medication sometimes. With this becoming such a movement, centers are being developed all across the globe. I encourage you to give it a try.
Happy "Equine Therapy" Trails
Thank you for including that bit about Luke. I'm so excited for your daughter that she has been able to connect with the horses to find healing. Keep it up! Here's Luke with Tao :)
I am going to edit the post to include this pic below your paragraph. thank you for your addition and advocating for the benefits of healing.
Fantastic post about horses and the help they can provide for we humans. So glad you did not take the easy way out but chose instead to help your daughter through other resources. She looks happy and content with her life. We have schools here that help by using horses. They are wonderful loving creatures. 🐓🐓
Thank you. So glad to hear more communities adopting this method or approach to healing
information that is very useful for us here, about the horse therapy
A couple here in my area run an equine therapy non-profit program. It helps children, battered women, the disabled, and more to gain confidence to move on and grow. What a wonderful program for your daughter to be able to participate in!
I love everything about horses - they have such a calming effect on the soul! It's awesome to see your daughter benefiting from being with them :)