Straight From The Horse’s Mouth!
Horses As The New Therapists

by Darline Turner Lee, Physician Assistant, ACSM Exercise Specialist

Article Last Reviewed: Sept. 9, 2006

Veronique Matthews of Austin was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2001 after routine screening mammography detected cancerous cells. She subsequently had both breasts removed. She is currently cancer-free, but surgery and treatment ended her career as a massage therapist for horses.

Matthews has a unique gift for communicating with animals. As a massage therapist, she welcomed and encouraged movements and signals from the horses that directed her to the origins of their pain. Matthews learned that the horses make distinct movements that actually showed her how the injuries occurred. But the communication was not one sided. Matthews discovered that the horses observed her, read her movements and emotions, and adjusted their behavior to match her needs and demeanor. Matthews soon learned the priceless gift such communication offered.

A month into her cancer treatment, Matthews adopted her first miniature horse, Toby. Matthews had been visiting her neighbor’s miniature horse farm where she first met the foal. Toby had congenital dwarfism and clubbed feet so he was not suitable for exhibition. Many miniatures born with dwarfism are euthanized because owners mistakenly believe that the animals won’t have a good quality of life. Rather than end Toby’s life, the owner gave him to Matthews. Caring for him and exercising his legs to straighten them proved to be excellent therapy for Matthews and Toby, who is now just like any other healthy horse, although he’s just twenty two inches tall. He proved to be the perfect companion for her during her recovery.

“We did everything together,” says Matthews. “When I was too weak to lift my arms Toby would position himself at my bedside so that I could reach out and stroke him without straining.” As she grew stronger, Matthews and Toby traveled around town together. She was intrigued by people’s reaction to Toby.

“They couldn’t help themselves. They just had to touch him or smile at him. I wondered, if Toby could bring such comfort to me during my illness, and such joy to virtual strangers on the street, surely others could benefit from visiting with him.”

Inspired by this thought, Matthews founded and registered Hearts and Hooves as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization in January 2002. Her vision for the organization is to bring joy and hope to people who need it. Matthews and her miniature horses visit nursing homes, state schools, state hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools for the mentally and physically disabled as well as shelters for abuse victims.

Being small and house broken, the miniature horses are easily transported in a minivan to the bedsides of the ill and infirmed. Their docile and intuitive nature makes them perfect companions to autistic children and others with neurological disorders. Trained as helpers, the horses can assist people to get up from chairs and to walk, and they can pull wheelchairs. If someone has limited movement, the horses come closer, crouching down as necessary, to be patted and played with.

“One elderly nursing home resident was usually unresponsive, but when we came with the horses and one strolled right up to her bedside and laid his head beside her hand, she reached out and patted his head and was alert and responsive for the first time in days,” says Matthews.

Such stories are not uncommon, and because the response to the horses is so overwhelmingly positive, Hearts and Hooves is booked weeks in advance for visits.

As the horses adapt to accommodate the physical limitations, those with the limitations actually get stronger, stretch beyond their usual reach, move beyond their usual limits, and increase their mobility. Children with behavior problems learn boundaries, self-control and self-discipline and how to respect others by working with the horses. The “minis” are a huge hit at the Austin State Hospital where youths with mental illness and related issues are drawn to the “little horses that may not be perfect,” says Karen Sams, CTRS, director of the Education and Rehabilitation Department at Austin State Hospital. There is a mutual love and empathy between the horses and the young people.

Horses in general have a calming effect that is very beneficial for people with heart disease, chronic and terminal illnesses, anxiety disorders, depression and social withdrawal. Miniature horses are trained as companion animals and can assist with activities of daily living like dogs for the blind and hearing impaired.

According to Therapy Dogs International, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers, the bond between dog and man dates back to early history, but it wasn’t until recently that a correlation was acknowledged between this bond and the emotional health of humans.

The current popularity is credited to Boris Levinson, a child psychologist, who integrated animal-assisted therapy (therapy sessions using his dog Jingles) into his counseling sessions with children. In 1962 he published The Dog as co-therapist in the journal, Mental Hygiene. Initially Levinson’s work was considered suspect and even ridiculed. But in the nineteen-eighties animal assisted therapy gained popularity and researchers began studying the interactions between animals and people with physical or emotional disabilities. Current researchers validate what Levinson found: the presence of animals during counseling can reduce anxiety and engage children and adults who are otherwise withdrawn and uncommunicative. Individuals with physical disabilities, neurological disorders, or other limitations make significant improvements in functioning and general health by engaging in animal assisted activity, according to the Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: theoretical foundations and guidelines for practice, by A.H. Fine.

Horse-Sense Coaching
Aline Gaubert, founder and owner of Horse-Sense Coaching, is a professional therapist, licensed chemical dependency counselor, and holds a Masters degree in pastoral ministry and counseling. Gaubert has taken her lifelong love of horses and translated it into a thriving counseling and coaching business. Gaubert wrote about her work in Horses As Healing Archetypes, A Manual for Service Providers.

“Horses are extremely well suited to assist physically and emotionally impaired people. Horses are pure prey animals and as such they never hunt but are always the hunted. They are keenly aware of their surroundings, and the slightest movement or suspicion sends them fleeing. In the wild, horses travel in herds and their very survival depends on their ability to detect danger in their surroundings and to stay in tune to the movements of the herd. There is a leadership order within the herd yet every horse has a responsibility to help the herd survive. If danger is suspected, a signal goes out and the entire herd disperses with lightening speed,” Gaubert wrote. “It is this keen awareness of environmental change and the ability to notice subtle nuances in movement and mood from those around them that allow horses to be so effective interacting with disabled people and in a therapy situation. Horses never intentionally harm someone else. And they take their cues from those around them, essentially mirroring and responding to the moods and emotions that they perceive. Based on these reactions, therapists can help clients see how their behavior is affecting those around them and what contribution their actions may be making to their current situation.”

Gaubert says she begins many of her counseling relationships with her clients with this simple statement,

“If you’re not getting the outcomes you want in life, look at yourself and see what vibes you are throwing off to identify why you are attracting what you are attracting.”

Working with adults and children, Gaubert gently facilitates self-evaluation and transformation. Many of her clients come because they are not getting the results they’d like in their professional or personal lives.

“They are often plagued by self-doubt or hold onto negative beliefs that really don’t reflect their true selves. They are completely unaware that the vibes they are giving off may directly alter their success or failure,” says Gaubert. For these individuals, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is very effective.”

Mikail McIntosh-Doty says, “Aline really restored my daughter’s self-confidence around horses. She had a really negative experience at another stable when a horse had gone out of control, fleeing with her, and came away with the mistaken belief that she was no good with horses. At nine years old and already quite shy, especially in new situations, I did not want her to internalize this belief.” McIntosh-Doty called Gaubert and arranged for her daughter and a friend to work with the horses at Gaubert’s stables.

“Aline encouraged positive actions in the girls’ interactions with the horses,” McIntosh-Doty says. “She taught them basic safety maneuvers that allowed them to handle the horses confidently and set the girls at ease. She was clear and calm with her instructions, and taught the girls how to respect the horses and how to be respected by them. They were taught how to handle the horses responsibly and as a result came away feeling like capable horse handlers. They understood the horses’ power, but also understood their power to control them. My daughter may never be a skilled horse trainer, but I was pleased that she came away from this experience feeling capable, knowing she could at least handle a horse.”

Many of Gaubert’s clients are professionals looking to improve their work performances and interpersonal relationships. She facilitates work retreats and uses the horses in counseling sessions with couples and parents with children. Working with the horses requires clear communication between participants to direct the horses. If the communications aren’t clear or if there is bickering, the horses will either do what they shouldn’t do, or do nothing at all. As the participants learn to work together to guide the horses, they also learn how ambiguous communication styles may have failed in the past and may be the cause of current conflicts they are now experiencing.

To get a better understanding of how Gaubert works with her clients and how horse coaching works, I accepted her offer for a two-hour session at the stables, and learned quite a bit about my own communication styles. I was drawn to Schooner, the leader of the herd and a beautiful cafe-au-lait gelding. After leading Schooner into the pen, I had difficulty moving him as I wanted. My line of influence was not as it should have been. At times I was not direct and authoritative, so Schooner did not do what I wanted. Gaubert explained that to get Schooner to do what I wanted, I had to learn some horse logic: How to heed him, lead him, and be more deliberate in my pace and rhythm. Being deliberate in thought and action is often the lesson Gaubert’s clients need to learn to resolve conflicts in their personal and professional relationships.

“You direct the horse using your body language,” Gaubert says. “Screaming and flailing will send the horse fleeing. You have to slow your movements and be very direct and decisive. If you waver, you won’t gain the horse’s respect or attention and he won’t do what you want.”

Communication is tricky in the best of circumstances. Add insecurity, disability, sensitive emotional issues, or lofty corporate expectations, and breakdowns in communication and relationships would seem nearly certain.

I’m sure if he could talk, Schooner, my new horse friend and therapist, would sum it up this way: “Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be authentic and show others compassion. They’ll know what you mean and respond as you like-without all the screaming, shouting, and flailing.” That’s sound advice that just makes good horse sense.

Resources

Delta Society® - This organization strives to validate the important role of animals for people’s health and well being. For more information, call Phone: 425-226-7357, e-mail Email: info@deltasociety.org, or visit
www.deltasociety.org.

Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) – This nonprofit organization addresses the need for resources, education, and professionalism in the field of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. For more information, call toll free (877) 858-4600 or (801) 754-0400, e-mail information@eagala.org, or visit www.eagala.org.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy – This is a website provides information and resources to psychotherapists and counselors who are interested n embarking upon work in this emerging field. For more information, e-mail Susan M. Taylor, MACP, LADC at staylor@naapinc.org or visit http://www.equinepsychotherapy.org

Hearts and Hooves – This nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing healing and inspiration through meaningful encounters between humans and animals. Hearts and Hooves is currently in need of a small cargo van with towing capacity, preferably a Chevrolet diesel. For other items on the organization’s wish list, contact Veronique Matthews, Executive Director and Founder at (512) 376-7667, e-mail Veronique@heartsandhooves.org, or visit www.heartsandhooves.org.

Horse Sense Coaching – Aline Gaubert is a professional therapist and licensed chemical dependency counselor who utilizes horses to help people develop a sense of themselves and overcome fear and self-doubt. Contact Gaubert at (512) 560-2584, e-mail alinegaubert@hotmail.com, or visit www.alinegaubert.com.

North American Riding for the Handicapped Association – This national nonprofit organization promotes the benefits of horses for individuals with physical, emotional and learning disabilities. For more information, call 800-369-RIDE (7433), e-mail NARHA@NARHA.ORG or visit www.narha.org.