Finding Balance - Changing Lives Serendipity Equine Assisted Therapy
finding balance -changing lives
EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association)
EAP (Equine Assisted Psychotherapy)
MH (Mental Health trained professional) Dawn
ES (Equine Specialist) Joanne
We work together with the clients and horses in an outdoor arena. We often ask the clients to carry out specific 'Exercises'
; for example building obstacles and then getting the horse to go through, over, around etc. The Exercises are all unique and designed with the clients personal goals in mind. Why do we use Horses? We use horses because they show us the 'herd' environment and how this can be adapted to help our own families and relationships function better. Horses are also very emotionally connected to humans; for thousands of years we have seen horses as a gentle, powerful and, at times, intimidating animals. They encourage us to see the world from a simple perspective of 'Am I safe or not?". This in turn helps develop new ways of seeing our personal world, encouraging movement towards a safer and happier 'Herd'. The Work:
On your first visit you will meet Joe, Dawn and the Horses. The horse is part of the therapeutic team. You will be asked to observe the horses from outside the arena at first and we talk about how the 'Herd' works. We look for the roles the horses naturally have in their herds, which helps make for a safe and workable herd. We then relate these back to your own 'herd' be it professional , personal or family. After this we move onto the work with the horses, this happens at your own pace with your goals in mind and each step is carefully explained as we proceed. EAP is a therapy which encourages self-reflection. It does not require the client to sit and talk; instead this therapy encourages the client to go with what feels right for them. The client is helped to examine the underlying meaning of what happens in each unique exercise. The horses are not specifically trained for the EAGALA process, they are just 'being horses’...they have much to teach us, all we have to do is watch, interact, and experience their world for a moment. If we can do this, we learn about a world which is simple, safe and ultimately happier.
