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Why Do We Ride Horses in Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?

Why Do We Ride Horses in Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?

…Why Do We Ride Horses

In Natural Lifemanship, mounted work is an integral part of our model of trauma-focused equine assisted psychotherapy (TF-EAP).  However, I recently read a published article arguing that horseback riding is contraindicated in the treatment of military veterans with moral injury.  The authors suggest that mounted work victimizes the horse and puts the client in a place of power, domination, and control. While we do not disagree that relationships characterized by power, domination, and control are indeed contraindicated for this population and for others, we feel this article begs two important questions with respect to equine assisted psychotherapy:  1) what benefits are accrued uniquely through mounted work that renders it an integral component of TF-EAP; and 2) is the aforementioned power dynamic an inevitable byproduct of riding, or is there a way to engage in mounted work that promotes its benefits without resulting in a damaging relational dynamic?  Natural Lifemanship strongly contends that riding has powerful therapeutic benefits that cannot be obtained by other means and is contraindicated only when it is not done in a connecting and mutually beneficial way.  Let’s explore why this matters – therapeutically speaking.

The physical benefits of horseback riding are well documented in the literature. Due to the many physical benefits, specifically related to balance, gait, and psychomotor difficulties, there have been many efforts to produce a horseback riding simulator for the purposes of physical rehabilitation and training.  A company in Japan claimed, “almost 100% reproducibility (of the horse’s movement) has been achieved.”  The simulator is not able to walk, but it does synchronize the six major movements of the horse while under saddle.  However, in a publication about this simulator, the authors note that it does not have a mechanism “which catches the center of gravity movement of the rider.” They go on to explain that this important aspect of carrying is “similar to the case where the mother who is carrying her baby on her back is able to keep her balance compensating for the baby’s movement.”  The simulator can reproduce movement, but it cannot reproduce the responsiveness of a sentient being carrying another.  The ability of the horse to respond to the rider’s body and balance, much like a mother carrying her child, is more than just convenient.  This responsiveness between the carrier and the one being carried activates physical attunement and connection in the relationship – the horse adjusts to the rider, and eventually, the rider adjusts to the horse.  Movement alone organizes the lower regions of brainstem and diencephalon, but movement with attunement to the other and responsiveness is the relational connection, which reaches higher in the brain, targeting the limbic system.  So while the movement of a horse can be reproduced, even the scientists responsible admit that there are limitations to riding a non-responsive machine.  This is merely the beginning of what makes riding such an important part of treatment for mental health disorders.

 

In Natural Lifemanship there are two major components of TF-EAP – Relationship Logic and Rhythmic Riding.  Relationship Logic takes place on the ground and Rhythmic Riding takes place on the horse’s back.  Whether mounted or on the ground the connected relationship is the goal.  This is the most important aspect of why riding a living, breathing horse is more valuable than using a tool – connection between horse and rider can make all the difference.

 

So why does connection matter so much? The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), developed by Dr. Bruce Perry, is one of the primary problem-solving approaches that guide the sequence and progression of treatment in TF-EAP, for example, when and in what way mounted work is used.

All rights reserved © 2007-2017 Bruce D. Perry

Dr. Perry divides the brain into four main regions:

1.  Brainstem

2. Diencephalon

3. Limbic System

4. Neocortex

We do realize that this is an oversimplification of very complex neurological systems.  Nonetheless, we have found that simplification makes this information more accessible in clinical practice.

 

In Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, our primary goal is to integrate these 4 major regions of the brain so that the different regions can communicate effectively.  For health and well-being, it is necessary for them to do so because they are responsible for all the major functions that support us.  The brainstem is responsible for automatic systems like breathing and heart rate, as well as our survival responses of fight/flight/freeze.  The diencephalon directs our movement and motor skills.  The limbic system is responsible for connection, bonding, and emotional experience.  And finally, the uppermost region, the neocortex is responsible for our abstract and concrete thought.  Imagine if any of these major regions were to be significantly hindered – leading a typical life would be quite difficult.

Why does an integrated brain, one that communicates easily across regions, matter in everyday life?  Ultimately, it makes self-regulation, and therefore self-control, possible – the neocortex is able to guide the entire brain and when necessary override impulses for fight, flight, or freeze in the lower regions.  When the neocortex is integrated with the rest of the brain, we can think before we act.  For this to happen there have to be actual neuronal connections (think of roads in our brain) going from the lower regions of the brain up into the neocortex.  This can only happen when all 4 regions have gotten that rhythmic, predictable input that helps them grow and operate in an organized fashion.  The limbic system is in charge of connection…bonding, attachment, and therefore key in having healthy relationships.  It is also crucial to understand that the limbic system is nested between the upper region of the neocortex and the lower regions of the diencephalon and brainstem.  Without an organized and functioning limbic system – not only does one’s ability to connect falter, but the rest of the systems do as well.  The disorganized limbic system interferes with all other cross-brain communication.

Additionally, an integrated brain with adequate cross-brain connections or pathways (making it possible for the entire brain to work together) results in a secure attachment pattern.  Children and adults with a secure attachment pattern are able to feel connected and secure in their intimate relationships, while still allowing themselves and their partner to move freely.  Numerous longitudinal studies have shown that infants and toddlers with a secure attachment to a primary caregiver do better during adolescence and adulthood in a variety of areas related to self-regulation, and relationship with self and others.  With this foundation in place, they are more resilient when traumatic events occur.  For example, research has shown that securely attached individuals in the military report far fewer incidences of PTSD symptoms.  For those who didn’t develop a secure attachment in childhood, intentional therapies like Rhythmic Riding can form the cross-brain connections necessary for brain integration, what people in the attachment field call an “earned secure attachment.”

Lastly, an integrated brain can better process traumatic events and memories.  Be on the lookout for a blog explaining how and why we use mounted work to process trauma through the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

While brain development, integration, and attachment all begin in utero, I would like to focus on what happens after birth to continue this process.  In reference to the primary caregiver, I am going to use the terms “Mommy, Mama, or Mother”, primarily because my experience as a primary caregiver is as a mother. Also, I will utilize some pictures throughout the remainder of this blog for two reasons:

1.  To illustrate some core concepts, and

2.  As an excuse to show you some pictures of our adorable child!  ☺

Okay, so something like this scenario represents the ideal situation:  When a baby cries, the mother picks up the baby and starts to rock or bounce him, while talking with a soothing tone and cadence, or maybe singing.  All the while the rhythmic heart rate of the calm and regulated mother is regulating the heart rate of the baby.  The electromagnetic field of the heart, the rocking, and the calm, rhythmic sounds of the mother’s voice passively activate the brainstem and the more this rocking, singing, and talking occurs the more the brainstem continues to develop in an organized manner.  Passive movement causes an active movement that happens even more as the baby grows and begins to manage some of his own balance when being held and rocked.  This develops and organizes the diencephalon. When a child is upset in some way the mother feels a deep connection to her baby.  Oxytocin is coursing through her body as her limbic system is activated and she is overcome with love for her child.  As the brainstem and diencephalon develop and organize it makes it possible for the child to connect to the one holding him, and the limbic system of the child begins to further develop and organize. This occurs most remarkably, between 18-24 months, the sensitive period for attachment learning.

Each time the child is rocked, carried, touched, and moved in a rhythmic manner while also experiencing love and connection, pathways throughout the lower regions of the brain are formed – the beginning of integration.  When these parts of the brain are integrated, it creates the ideal environment for the neocortex to optimally develop.  The baby starts to explore and learn from his environment, and thus begins the development of concrete and abstract thought.  The activation and organization of the limbic system is the crux of an integrated brain because it touches every part of the brain.  For example, if the mother is disconnected, depressed, or struggling with something that makes it difficult for her to emotionally connect with her baby, the lower regions of the brain may develop through rocking, but limbic system development will be compromised.  When the limbic system is shut down or disorganized, it is like a roadblock from the lower regions of the brain to the thinking part of the brain (neocortex).  Remember, in an integrated brain the neocortex guides (and sometimes overrides) what is happening in the lower regions of the brain.  Basically, connecting to and bonding with the one who carries and rocks me sets the foundation for an integrated brain and secure attachment.

 

This is a Mommy.  She can simultaneously provide rhythmic, regulating movement AND connection.

This child (who is quite adorable, indeed!) is connecting to and bonding with the one who carries and rocks him.

It’s worth noting that this was a tough night and I had to work the next day!  Just sayin’

 

 

 

 

This is a Daddy.  Just to be fair, he too, can simultaneously provide rhythmic, regulating movement AND connection.

Please disregard the “do NOT take a picture of me!” look. (It’s somewhat genetic!  ☺)

This was taken after a full day of Christmas shopping – thank goodness there was a rocker at Toys ‘R’ Us!

 

 

 

Many children (and, therefore, adults) do not get what is needed for their brains to integrate.  Both sensory input and connection are needed for optimal brain development.  When this input is unpredictable and arrhythmic the brain will be disorganized.  When it is lacking, like in cases of neglect, development and organization are compromised.  Additionally, trauma that occurs later in life, like military combat, can compromise integration.  When we live in a situation for a period of time in which the survival centers are hyper-activated and the limbic system is hypo-activated, our brain changes, much like a muscle can, to accommodate the manner in which it is being used.  In the trauma world, we understand the importance of somatosensory and sensorimotor input for organizing the developing brain and re-organizing the traumatized brain.  In fact, numerous sensory tools are used for just this purpose – I have quite a few of them in my office.  Understanding how to best utilize these tools is an important part of trauma informed care, but this is not the focus of our conversation today. Many of these tools (pictured to the left) help to organize and regulate the brainstem with passive sensory input.  However, they do not move our body or require that we move our body.  They do not have the ability to form a relationship or connection with us.   They can, though, work wonders for the dysregulated brainstem alone.

 

Another of my favorite tools is the rocking chair or glider.  I think every therapist should have one of some sort in their office and every equine therapy program should have them in the barn and next to the spaces in which they meet with clients and horses.  Rocking chairs provide rhythmic, patterned, repetitive movement that is passive (activating and organizing the brainstem).  In order to maintain posture and balance in the rocking chair, the muscles contract which is an active movement.  Passive movement thereby causes active movement, which moves us up a bit higher into the brain – the diencephalon.  The rocking chair is not, however, alive.  It does not have a limbic system or the ability to connect, bond, or love another.  Brainstem?  Check!  Diencephalon?  Check!  Yet, still no connection.

 

 

This rocking horse cost about $40 (a bit inflated, because it’s “vintage”). There has been absolutely no upkeep or cost since the day I purchased it!

 

It offers rhythmic, regulating input, and earned its keep in Cooper’s one-year pictures, but still. . . it is not alive. No connection. You get what you pay for!

 

 

This is where horseback riding distinguishes itself.  Being on the back of a horse can calm the nervous system through the movement that is inherently rhythmic, patterned, and repetitive.  When a person is sitting on a horse, they do not have to create the rhythm or the movement, so the brainstem is passively regulated.  Additionally, the sound of the horse’s feet and the movement that can be seen (like the movement of the horse’s head) all passively regulate the brainstem.  As the horse moves, the rider’s muscles actively contract to maintain balance so the diencephalon is able to regulate.  This is really great, but isn’t this something that could just be done with a rocking chair?  It could definitely be argued that the movement of the horse is much more complex than that of a rocking chair.  The physical and psychological benefits of this movement are so great that much effort has been made to re-create this complex movement.  Yet, even if a simulator is able to fully reproduce this movement, the simulator still lacks the ability to activate and organize the limbic system, something we believe a live horse is definitely capable of …if we allow the horse to be more than just a “sensory tool.”

So, how do we ride horses in a way that fosters rhythmic limbic input? When the horse and rider are able to form a relationship based on attunement and connection, the limbic system is activated and organized.  But, a paramount distinction is this kind of relationship is not possible when we operate from a paradigm of power, control, and domination.  Pause for a moment and consider how often humans utilize power and control with horses – even if done gently.  When the horse is encouraged, even through kind or humane techniques, to appease, submit, or dissociate, the horse becomes no more than a rocking chair or a horseback-riding simulator.  When connected to the rider, the horse can help the rider to connect (engaging the limbic system), just like the mother who connects to the baby. The rider’s brainstem is passively regulated as the horse moves.  The diencephalon is regulated, as the passive movement becomes active movement.  The limbic system is activated and organized when the rider and horse connect and begin to respond one to another.  Again, connecting to and bonding with the one who carries and rocks me is how an integrated brain develops and a secure attachment is formed.  If we are going to simply use the horse as a “sensory tool”, we might as well use actual sensory tools, rocking chairs, or the horseback riding simulator – all of which are much cheaper, require significantly less maintenance and carry less liability.  The horse’s ability to connect is where the real healing happens, and it is what differentiates her from the many other sensory tools to which we have access.

Many would argue that if connection is ultimately the goal – why couldn’t therapists simply work with smaller animals like dogs?  It is a legitimate question.  However – while connection is absolutely necessary for the rest of the integration to occur, most clients who have experienced trauma need the passive regulation and motor stimulation of riding, which offers the sense of being carried AND connected with, all at once. 

 

Lots of connection here!  However, generally speaking, riding of the dogs and chickens is frowned upon in our home.

Really, no matter our age, sometimes we just need to be rocked and deeply heard in a connected relationship.  I’ve watched horses do this in ways that still bring tears to my eyes.

 

This is a horse (Peanut to be exact!).  He, too, provides rhythmic, regulating input and movement. He is an alive, sentient being, and most definitely capable of connection! (He is not a rocking chair or sensory tool)

Arguably, the fact that the horse can carry us, rock us, and connect with us makes her different than any other sensory tool and most other animals.  With this comes quite the responsibility, however!  The mental health and equine professional must learn how to tell the difference between compliance, appeasement, submission and. . . connection.  Between dissociation and cooperation.  We must continue to learn what connection looks and feels like as we relate to humans and horses, which typically requires that we understand ourselves, and that our intimate relationships are characterized by genuine connection.  NOT an easy thing to do, but we believe it is necessary to really, intentionally help our clients reorganize their brains, learn new, healthy ways of connecting, and ultimately, heal.

Connecting with the one who carries me. . . the stuff brain integration and attachment are made of!

Let us return to the article I mentioned in the beginning.  In this recent publication about why horseback riding is contraindicated for the psychological treatment of military veterans who have suffered moral injury, the authors do a beautiful job of describing the difference between psychotherapy and recreational activities. There is also wonderful information to help the reader distinguish between PTSD and moral injury.  I very much appreciate the authors’ understanding of trauma and the insistence that clinicians need extensive training in a number of modalities to ethically work with this high-risk population.  The authors also make it clear that horseback riding is not psychotherapy.  In NL we definitely do not believe that horseback riding, in and of itself, is psychotherapy.  On the majority, I agree with the distinctions made in this article.

However, the authors described riding in a way that, I must admit, made me cringe.  There was talk about cross-ties which greatly restrict the horse’s movement and choice.  The authors described saddles “made of dead animal hide,” and cinching up the horse in a way that compresses the two areas of the body that are the most vulnerable to attack by a predator.  The description was quite graphic.  The authors then, correctly in my opinion, conclude with the following statement:   “We have rendered a horse docile and submissive and put a warrior in a position of control and dominance.  We have established a predator/prey relationship.  And for a war veteran, we have evoked the experience of being a perpetrator in control of a victim.  Within the context of this duality, morally injured military veterans, struggling with feelings of worthlessness, self-hatred and inner evil because of what they have done or witnessed in combat, are being obstructed from the deep healing of soul that they so desperately need.”

Yes, I agree 100% that if this is the only paradigm you have for riding a horse, then riding is, indeed, contraindicated not only for military veterans with moral injury, but for any person seeking psychotherapy services, especially those who have experienced relational trauma.  I strongly support that the authors challenged the status quo.  They shed light on one of the ways in which EAP can, indeed, be damaging to our clients. There is, however, an assumption made by the authors with which I do not agree.  I do not agree that the way they described the horse’s and the client’s experience of mounted work is the only experience possible.  Horseback riding is not the problem.  The paradigm of power, domination, and control is the problem, and this is a problem in any clinical setting, and honestly, in most horse-human relationships in general.

If your only paradigm is one of power, control, and domination, it is best that you utilize many of the amazing sensory tools available to clinicians, and don’t partner your clients with horses.  A paradigm of power, control, and domination is damaging and traumatizing (and often re-traumatizing) for both the horse and the client, even if the domination and control is done “gently”.  This paradigm is also a problem when building a relationship with a horse on the ground – this is not just about riding.  A partnership based on connection, attunement, trust, and mutual respect starts on the ground, and all that is built on the ground must transfer to the horse’s back if mounted work is going to be restorative and transformative for both the horse and person.  Again, this often requires an enormous amount of learning, practice, and a willingness to let go of old beliefs and patterns.  The most intimate we will ever be with a horse is on his back – the place we can experience much joy but also much risk and vulnerability.  If power, control, and domination are our only options at the height of intimacy, it might be worth dismantling the principles we employ, both mounted and on the ground.

Therapeutically speaking, the ability of the horse to carry, rock, and connect is powerful for brain integration, which all humans need and is at the core of the work we do with most of our clients.  While we do ride to reach other therapeutic goals, the primary reason we ride horses in therapy is because of the horse’s uncanny and unmatched ability to “re-parent” and restore that which was lost in an organic and powerful way.  Riding, then, is only contraindicated when that riding is not done in a connecting and mutually beneficial way.  When horses are allowed to do what they do best – connect, and sometimes carry, then riding can be an unparalleled therapeutic intervention for lasting change.  Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – what is necessary to do good work with horses isn’t just ‘what’ we do, it is ‘how’ and ‘why’ we do it.  That understanding is at the foundation of Natural Lifemanship, and it is why we can proudly say, “Yes, we DO ride in therapy!” 

References:

Escolas, S.M., Arata-Maiers, R., Hildebrandt, E.J., Maiers, A.J., Mason, S.T., and Baker, M.T. (2012) “The impact of attachment style on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in postdeployed military members.” U.S. Army Medical Department Journal. 

Kitagawa, T., Takeuchi, T., Shinomiya, Y., Ishida, K., Shuoyu, W., and Kimura, T. (2001) “Cause of Active Motor Function by Passive Movement.” J. Phys. Ther. Sci. Vol. 13, No. 2, 167-172.

Perry, B.D. and Szalavitz, M. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog and other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook:  What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing.  New York:  Basic Books.

Siegel, D. (2010). Mindsight:  The new science of personal transformation.  Bantam.

Siegel, D. (2012) Applications of the Adult Attachment Interview. PESI Publishing & Media

Usadi, E.J., & Levine, S.A. (2017) “Why We Don’t Ride:  Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Military Veterans, and Moral Injury.” Journal of Trauma and Treatment, 6 (2), 1-5

Living What We Teach

Living What We Teach

Today is August 7th.  August 7th, 2010, Tim and I were married.  We had a sunrise wedding at the family ranch in the Texas Panhandle.  It was outside on a plateau, overlooking a beautiful canyon, so sunrise was about the only time of day we could lessen the chances of enduring the kinds of winds that blow houses over the rainbow!  

 

We did our first dance horseback to the song “I Run to You” by Lady Antebellum, and I almost fell from Zeus, my trusted steed!  We shared a communion of coffee and homemade biscuits with friends and family during the ceremony.  We then had tequila sunrises and a delicious chuck wagon breakfast, prepared by a dear friend.  The day was perfect!

 

It is practically impossible to think about our wedding and engagement, without thinking about our business, our first “baby.”  The weeks prior to our wedding we built a website, with the help of my brother in law, and started a business.  We simply can’t separate ourselves or our relationship from Natural Lifemanship and the idealized belief system at its foundations.  

 

A few years ago, Tim and I wrote the statement you will read below.  Natural Lifemanship has grown well beyond the two of us, but these beliefs are the hands that continue to hold us personally and professionally.  They are still the touchstone of Natural Lifemanship’s principle-based and process-oriented model of therapy.  

 

We are terribly imperfect at practicing what we believe and what we teach.  Tim and I are quite complicated human beings, with all kinds of baggage, and a fly on the wall would attest to how inadequate our best is in the hardest of times. Actually, our closest family and friends can attest to this wholeheartedly, I’m sure.  

 

We are so very different from each other, and there is a rub that doesn’t work each and every moment but does seem to work out most days.  So much has changed for us in the last 7 years, but what we believe has not, and our daily choice to try our darndest to care more about relationships than anything else remains.  

 

The statement below is what our certification students agree to before they complete certification in Natural Lifemanship.  Today, Tim and I reflect on how these beliefs have affected our relationship, our mission, and our passion, and feel blessed to be part of a community that chooses to attest to such a statement. . . and humbled by the many people whose work and heart have contributed to our mission. . .  and by each moment’s grace to change, grow, and, above all, connect.     

   

NL Ethics and Beliefs Statement:

As a person certified in Natural Lifemanship I attest to the following:  I believe the most important thing in life is connected, attuned relationships with self and others (including relationship with animals, my Creator as I understand him or her, nature, the universe, etc.)  All of life’s healing happens in the context of attuned relationships based on trust, mutual respect, appropriate intimacy, and partnership.  I believe strength is found in vulnerability, and that conflict in relationships can be opportunities for growth that can strengthen the relationship.  Therefore, regardless of the task or activity, a connected relationship with self and others is always the goal.

I believe that a partnership can happen when each party seeks to control themselves only, and true partnership happens when each party appropriately controls themselves for the good of the relationship.  I believe that if it’s not good for both, it’s eventually not good for either and that a one-sided relationship is damaging to both parties.  

Regardless of what is going on around me, it is possible to control what is happening inside of me.  Relationship with others, quite simply, flows out of the relationship with self (what we sometimes call regulation or my way of being in the world).  Therefore, WHO I am is more important than WHAT I do.  I realize that I can’t teach someone to do something I can’t do.  Likewise, I can’t teach someone to live a life that I don’t live.   As a result, personal growth becomes the foundation for ethical therapy.  The most important thing is to do my best to do what is right for my client.  I understand that what is best may not be what is easiest.  In order to do what is right for my clients, I have to know myself – my biases, my blindspots, and at the moment, I have to be connected with my own reactions and impulses so I can filter them.  Only then can I do what is actually, truly best for my client.  The team approach in NL affords me the opportunity to model a relationship where the NL principles play out and provide a space for the therapy team to notice and discuss biases and blind spots.  It is, therefore, my ethical obligation to foster a healthy relationship with my therapy partner.  Clinical consultation is a regular part of ethical practice, especially if I am working alone in therapy sessions.  

I believe animals are sentient beings, who have relational and thinking capabilities, and can be capable of partnership if given the chance to develop.  I believe that a good principle is a good principle regardless of where it is applied.  Therefore, all NL principles apply equally to relationship with self and others.  The relationship between horse and human is a real relationship in which relational patterns emerge, just like in any other relationship.

When NL certified, I become part of a community of individuals who are deeply committed to connecting with self, connection with others, and who strive for connected relationships the way it was intended.  As such, this community of practitioners strives to foster relationships that bring about healing for self, others, and the animal partners with which we work.

Study of Children Riding Horses Suggests Stress is Helpful in Improving Behavior

Study of Children Riding Horses Suggests Stress is Helpful in Improving Behavior

…Suggests Stress is Helpful in Improving Behavior

A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health confirms some of what we have come to understand in Natural Lifemanship. The study indicated that riding horses improved the child’s ability to exercise appropriate response and self-control, but it depended on the horse that was ridden, and whether or not a stress response was activated.

The study was conducted with three different horses, all of differing breeds and sizes. After riding two of the horses (horses A & C), children showed an increased ability to appropriately perform tasks that required them to press a space bar when green or blue appeared on a computer screen and to avoid pressing it when red appeared. This required them to use an appropriate response and exercise self-control. However, after riding one of the horses (horse B), more children were unable to successfully complete this test than showed improvement in it.

Here is what happened. The researchers tracked the three-dimensional movements (up & down, left to right, front to back) of each horse along with the heart rate variability of the children. Riding horses A & C increased the sympathetic nervous activity of the children, indicating a fight or flight stress response. Riding horse B increased the parasympathetic nervous activity of the children indicating a rest response. Riding horse B did not activate a sympathetic nervous activity. Horse B had a significantly greater up and down movement than horses A & C. It seems the difference in this up and down movement, at least for this study, made the difference in the activation of the stress response in the riders, leading to a difference inappropriately performing the response and self-control tasks. Interestingly though, it did not have a significant effect on the improvement of performing simple arithmetic problems.

Put simply, the children who experienced a stimulating effect from riding horses A & C performed better in self-control than those who experienced the calming effect of riding horse B. In Natural Lifemanship trainings, we often talk about the benefits of appropriate levels of stress. That’s why, contrary to what many believe about therapeutic work with horses, using the horse to calm the client is not the goal. In many cases, this is not what helps the client activate good decision making.

This also highlights important implications for your Rhythmic Riding practice. It is important to understand your client’s needs and your horse’s natural gait and movements. Pairing a client with a horse whose movement increases activation of the parasympathetic response when they need an increase in sympathetic response is likely going to be counterproductive to your therapeutic goals. The reverse is also true.

One important aspect that was not mentioned in this study, was the effect of the relationship between horse and rider and whether or not that would change the stress response of the child. As in everything we do in Natural Lifemanship, connected relationship is the thread that flows through all of our interventions and ties everything together. Does a connected relationship with the horse change the activation of the stress response? We certainly think so.

Here are some other questions to consider. Would having a connected relationship with the horse change the results of this study? Would the movements of the horse change depending on whether or not the rider was connected? What does your experience with Natural Lifemanship and Rhythmic Riding tell you?

Journal Reference:

  1. Ohtani N, Kitagawa K, Mikami K, Kitawaki K, Akiyama J, Fuchikami M, Uchiyama H and Ohta M (2017) Horseback Riding Improves the Ability to Cause the Appropriate Action (Go Reaction) and the Appropriate Self-control (No-Go Reaction) in Children. Front. Public Health 5:8. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00008

Interview with Buck

Interview with Buck

Rhonda Smith is the CEO and founder of Spirit Reins, a non-profit that provides treatment to children and families who have experienced traumatic events. She interviewed Buck, the main character in the book, The Gift, at his home pasture for Spirit Reins’ Amplify Spirit Reins campaign for Amplify Austin. Alicia Nance is Buck’s friend and lends a hand as a translator.

Rhonda: Buck, thank you for joining us via satellite for Amplify Spirit Reins. The weather looks gorgeous up there in North Carolina.

Buck: You are welcome Rhonda. I’m happy to do it and glad to help out a friend of Pip’s. The sun is shining today. It is very, very warm here. I like to stand down by the lake where the wind is a little cooler.

Rhonda: It is warm here as well. What do you think of the story that The Gift tells?

Buck: I think it is an important story that helps folks understand that just because they think something is one way doesn’t mean it is. All that time Pip thought I was a mean ol’ guy, and I’m not. I think that having friends and knowing how to make them is important. The part that I think is the most important for horses is we don’t like to be alone. We want to be with our herd—that’s where we feel the safest.

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