The Science of Horse-Human Interaction

A month or so ago, I did some reading up on long words like neurocardio synchronisation, electromagnetic energy fields, emotional resonance and coherent heart states. I wanted to know how all these concepts intertwined concerning our relationship with horses and each other and how they could be relevant to equine facilitated learning or therapeutic practices. I came across many interesting articles and videos. To relay all what I found here would be impractical, but I came across bombshell after bombshell of mind-bogglingly explosive information. For that reason, I thought 'best make it simple'. I will simply use this post to share and glorify two particular articles (which I thought about trying to put in my own words, but they have already been written too perfectly) which are perhaps the most user-friendly and yet at the same time in-depth and enlightening. I think the implications of what has been written here are not only fascinating, but could also have an extremely powerful and relevant influence on the way we view our interactions with horses.

• Heart to Heart - A quantitive approach to measuring the bond between horses and humans 

• Horses, Humans and the Frequencies of Connection 

Lifestyle of the Domesticated Horse in Light of Our Circumstances, Priorities and Perspective

A few years ago, a wrote a somewhat biased post on the various side effects of stabling horses and having recently re-read it, I would now like to re-write it. I'll put it out there, I still don't believe stabling horses for more than a few hours a day is ideal for their mental welfare. However, it would seem that instead of there being a right or wrong in these situations, circumstance, priorities and perspective tend to be the defining factors when it comes to how our horses live. 

Circumstances 

I could write all day about the effects of circumstance, for a lot of people, how they keep their horses is down to financial circumstance and what they can afford. In these cases they may ask themselves, 'Should we even own a horse if we don't have the money to provide everything we'd like him to have? But then would he be worse off if I had left him with that owner or if I sold him on to those owners?' etc. Health is a huge one too, our own and the horse's. A leg injury in a horse could lead on to months of box rest, or laminitis to restricted grazing or illness to the necessity of various medications. Finance and health are only a few, also think about time limitations, location and other commitments. This leads on to priorities... 

Priorities 

When people ask me whether or not I approve of racing, I can't give a flat yes or no because there are so many considerations. Racing is not just for horse people, in fact it is the second most attended sport after football which means it generates more money than any other equestrian sport. This in turn helps pump more money into the equestrian industry, funding research etc. which in the long run benefits horses around the world, including yours and mine. On the other hand, the individual horses involved in racing are often broken very young (while their bones are still developing), run hard and retired early because their bodies can no longer cope with the strain or they just didn't make the cut. They are either put to sleep or taken on by other owners or charities who may retrain them, but in a country already overloaded with horses and not enough owners, which of these is the kinder option is, in itself, another controversial topic. 

If our priority was to buy a horse who we could ride 5 times a week and take competing, it could just be plain impractical to have him living in a out in a muddy field 24/7, acquiring injuries from the other horses which will later turn into point-reducing scars in the show ring, getting so dirty that he takes a good hour to clean and dry and get ready, an hour which perhaps you can't afford within your schedule or with another 5 horses with whom you will have to repeat the process... Let's face it, there is a lot of money in the equestrian industry. We sometimes buy a horse to do a job and whether his lifestyle factors contribute toward his 'ideal' mental state may, within reason, not be our highest priority, in the same way that we personally work hard to achieve our goals often forfeiting that perfect diet or fitness regime in favour of other resources. Additionally, there are always comparisons to consider. The high-drive competition horse may not be living the 'ideal natural lifestyle', but he is obviously far better off than those hundreds of horses living in neglect, emaciated, permanently confined or in pain and this leads me on to perspective... 

Perspective 

At the end of the day, the horse in an animal whose fate is at the discretion of his owner and he could not be more helpless as to decide where or with whom he ends up. Everything is comparable and everyone has opinions as to what standard is 'correct'. Horses who are kept at grass 24/7 are still usually surrounded by an electric fence, however wide it may be. If we believed in horses living a truly natural life then surely we shouldn't really even be riding them? Instead, we should be appealing for the conservation of feral mustangs or for no interventions in the lives of the native herds we have running free in the UK, but of course, even here, there are too many impracticalities for us not to interfere. They would eventually over-populate the space allotted to them, which is in neither their nor our interest. Perhaps intervention in this case could be referred to as the lesser of two evils, and as so with the lifestyles of many domesticated horses today. 

Here are two perspectives of a single situation: 

1. My two ponies live a natural lifestyle because they are never stabled, but live at grass in a 2.5 acre field. I don't compete them, but only hack them out occasionally and practice natural horsemanship with them on the ground. I use body language and a good knowledge of their instincts instead of numerous gadgets so that I can communicate with them in a more natural way. I use them for equine assisted learning activities so all they have to do is be themselves! 
2. My two ponies live in a muddy 2.5 acre field surrounded by electric tape which prevents them from seeking dry ground. I expect them to allow me to ride them wherever I choose, including through unnatural surroundings (roads, bikes, trains etc.). They will submit to the training techniques I use and learn to perform unnatural movements in response to whatever aids I have taught them to respond to. I also expect them to behave quietly with any visitors I bring to meet or work with them. The visitors can give the ponies various commands in order to practice horsemanship, but because they are not very experienced, they could end up confusing the ponies. 

There are truths in each, but they sound like they were written by different people with very different opinions because they are written from two different perspectives. There is never harm in stepping back and looking at a situation through your horse's perspective as well as your own. 

Lifestyle of the Domesticated Horse 

With the principles of circumstance, priorities and perspective in the back of my mind I can now re-write what I was trying to construe two years ago when I wrote about the effects of the lifestyle of typically domesticated horses in the UK and around the world today. Having established that the ideal lifestyle for a horse is to be wild and free with his herd, roaming on an everlasting stretch of grassland and having also established that this is impossible, my aim is to provide the best lifestyle for my two ponies that I can, given my circumstances, priorities and perspective and hopefully to encourage others to do the same for their horses, by increasing awareness of some of the possible effects of stabling (one of the most impactive factors of equine domestication) on the horse's mental welfare. 

Many horses are kept in stables (usually a 12x12' box) for the majority of their day, particularly through winter. They have little to occupy themselves with for most of the time spent confined other than eating and in most cases have very limited social interaction. Horses are very sociable creatures and can form strong attachments to other horses in the herd. It is key to their survival in the wild that they constantly to maintain their social structure within the herd to ensure a safe and reliable communication system should they need to flee from danger.  Horses have a strong 'fight or flight instinct' and are naturally claustrophobic because to them, a small space means they can't run away from danger if they need to. Being confined to a stable inhibits a horse's opportunities to socialise and flee from danger. 

Horses who spend most of their time confined to a stable are reported to be more prone to developing what equestrian folk term as 'stable vices', otherwise known as stereotypical behaviours. These may include crib-biting, box-walking, door-kicking and weaving (to name a few). That is not to say these occur in every stabled horse, but it is important for each horse to get the balance that he personally needs. Through my own experience, I would say that the horses most likely to develop these habits are those who spend extended periods of times in the stable and do not get enough mental stimulation or exercise. When exercised properly, they can use more time to rest, but if not exercised enough, they will have an overload of forcibly contained energy, and this often results in what most people call 'bad behaviour', although I would refer to as 'totally-undesirable-but-understandable-given-the-circumstances-behaviour'.  When deprived of their natural habitat and lifestyle, horses develop these habits (they don't copy other horses) as an 'outlet', a way to channel their stress or energy into an activity. Denied the stimulation of their natural surroundings, horses look to these habits for stimulations because they often result in the release of endorphins. 

Above: Horse 'crib-biting' and Right: Cribbing collar

Instead of identifying and resolving the cause of the problem, many horse owners simply try to prevent the behaviour through such means as a cribbing collar (pictured above) or anti-weave bars. It is understandable the owners try to inhibit or prevent the growth of these habits, since they can damage the horse's health (eg, wind-sucking and cribbing can cause stomach ulcers and damage teeth) as well as become very annoying (noisy door-kicking). These habits should certainly try to be prevented, but putting a cribbing collar on a horse to stop him from acquiring the stress-release he needs (which he isn't able to acquire any other way) through a habit which he has already developed isn't going to benefit the horse's mental health.  

I believe more horse owners could think about how to get to the root of the problem and how to resolve that, instead of problems stemming from that problem. By checking the horse's lifestyle and time management in light of 'the ideal', giving him the opportunity to behave as naturally as possible and keeping him mentally engaged by allowing him to socialise and use his intelligence, they should be able to hugely benefit his mental health and consequently have a happier, healthier horse. 

How To Catch Your Horse

When Roux first came to me, he couldn't be caught. Now there's a funny phrase right there, 'can't catch my horse', as though we are fishing for them with bait or chasing after them with a net. I don't know about you, but I think of my horses as my children (and now I am thinking of the child catcher from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'!... goodness, what if our horses saw us like that?!), but if I had two actual children, I wouldn't run around after them trying to 'catch' them. 'Catching your horse' can mean several different things, and ideally I would rather not have to go to the inconvenience of chasing, sneaking up on or coaxing him, I'd rather he willingly came to me or at least allowed me to simply walk up to him and put on his headcollar, but for the sake of convenience I will stick to the term 'catch'.

I came to the realisation some time ago that if I can't catch my horse, it is because he neither trusts nor respects me (and when I say respect I don't mean fear, because hmm, if he feared me then he probably wouldn't trust me!). Personally, I believe being able to catch your horse in from the field is one of the most basic/important foundational steps in working with that horse. To the extent that I see no point continuing the training of a horse who I cannot catch in from the field safely and calmly until we have overcome that first step. Your journey with a horse is a bit like a staircase made up of many small, individual steps... if you skip building the important steps, you are likely to have a pretty wobbly staircase later on. Isn't it worth taking more time earlier to save a lot of time later?

I keep both my boys at pasture 24/7 and one of the first things I naively did with Roux the day he first arrived was attempt to remove his headcollar. Being as touchy as he is, he panicked as soon as he felt pressure on his poll and he bolted away from me. From that moment on, he associated me with that one instance and wouldn't come near me (unless I had a feed-bucket and even then, tentatively). Roux was a conundrum to me for a little while. I was working every day with Alfie, who is a happy-go-lucky sort of chap (irresistible bit of anthropomorphism there), and while we were making great progress together, I always felt a frustration in the back of my mind about Roux. I had tried coaxing him with food and had managed to clip a long line to his headcollar on a couple of occasions. I'd been very excited that I'd finally caught him and had done some work with him, but after the second time I realised that he was only responding out of fear and it broke my heart a little because that wasn't how I wanted him to see me. I decided that if he was to work willingly with me, it would have to be on both our terms; he would have to choose to accept being caught. I disposed of all ropes and resolved to use only myself and what knowledge I had.

I know I'm making this sound like a huge deal but it really was for me (and here's a shout out to all those who have the same problem, I know how frustrating it can be!)... And it wasn't just me; anyone who tried to approach him, he wouldn't let within 5 feet of him most of the time. I decided to use one consistent method and stick to it daily in the hope that he would come around.

So I began by looking at him. And then walking slowly and non-threateningly toward him. Non-threatening in this case meant head down, hands in pockets, shoulders slumped and walking sideways or backwards toward him with no equipment in hand, and pausing for a minute every two steps I took. Even this apparently posed too much of a threat for Roux however, which he confirmed by walking away in the opposite direction as soon as I entered his comfort zone. I had no round pen or arena and was working with Roux in an open acre of pasture. When he walked away, I immediately changed my body language and actively asked him to walk away from me. The reasoning behind this is that it would allow me to clearly incorporate negative reinforcement (see my last post) when he eventually turned in my direction because then I could reward and encourage that exact action by lowering my energy at the same moment. This was NOT chasing my horse around a field until he was so exhausted that he submitted. Neither was it a punishment for walking away. It was just a simple training principle being put to use in a big, spacious field. In simple terms, I was giving Roux a choice between two options: 1) allowing me to approach (slowly - it is only fair to make it as manageable an option as possible for him) or 2) moving away from me (not stopping to eat or relax).

He walked away from me and then he trotted away and he didn't stop for a long while, but there was a moment where he looked toward me. THAT was the moment I stopped. I stopped and transformed my body language back to that of the moody teenager (excuse the analogy), hands in pockets, head down, slumped shoulders. This was my use of negative reinforcement - rewarding his desired behaviour (looking toward me) by removing the unpleasant stimulus (my advance toward him). Of course, then he stopped too. I would like to say it was happily ever after from there, but there is rarely a 'quick fix' with horses and I was going to have to continue this process for a few weeks. I remember Roux high-tailing it away from me as I got too close sometimes, cantering around and around the field, taking Alfie with him, and I would calmly chase him away in accordance until he thought about changing his mind, in which case so would I. Gradually, his escapades became slower and less frequent. He would allow me to come nearer before he moved away and his circles around me became smaller and smaller. He learned that each time he looked toward me I stopped and before long he was looking in at me and we were stopping instantaneously. It became a bit like a dance, both reacting to each other in a predictable way. I believe that is one of the keys to good horsemanship - consistency. Roux learned that I was consistent and began to trust that if he was looking toward me, I would become non-intrusive, simple as that. The breakthrough came when he allowed me to walk calmly up to him and stroke his neck. For that, I was grateful and I showed this by simply walking away, satisfied. I wanted him to know that just because I went up to him and stroked him didn't mean I expected anything of him. He started showing signs of relaxation while I was near him, such as sighing and the 'licking and chewing' motion, which showed me he was beginning to truly accept my presence, such a difference from the tense and frightened manner he'd had previously. Eventually my walking toward him was no longer an 'unpleasant stimulus' and I began to instead use positive reinforcement to encourage him in his training.

These tiny little steps created the foundation of our journey's 'staircase'. We have never stopped building and now Roux comes over to me when I call his name. I don't know if you'd call that catching ... to me, it feels more like we've captured each other's hearts.

BACK TO BASICS - Conditioning and Reinforcement

Bear with me a while for I must write this post... I just want to revisit the very most basic of basic training principles as it is so easy to become lost in a world of various 'horse training techniques', be they to do  with dressage or happy hacking, desensitising him to this, or training her that... Do we actually understand why and how what we are doing is having an effect on our horses?

In my last post, I mentioned the importance of understanding learning theories when training horses. There are all sorts of different techniques and training methods out there, but to train the horse correctly we must understand how those techniques work and how they all stem back to the basics of classical or operant conditioning. If you don't know what those are, here are diagrams and links to help explain...

{ www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html }

{ www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html } 

So essentially, all learned behaviour (anything that is not instinctive) in horses is learned either through simple association or through this process: stimulus > response > reinforcement. In my experience, punishment as a form of reinforcement is not a constructive way to train a horse anything apart from, perhaps, teaching him not to do something (e.g. tapping his muzzle if he nips), because horses are creatures that are easily scared. When they are pushed too far out of their comfort zone, and further toward their 'fight/flight' zone (natural instinct as a prey animal), their concentration on learning a new concept is overrun by an alarm bell instilled in them literally for the sake of their own survival... so we can hardly blame them when they struggle to listen to us because they are scared by some other external factor. I try to not ever instill any kind of punishment when training a horse to do something as this 1) is pushing him further out of his comfort zone, 2) possibly marring his trust in me as his handler, 3) can easily be misconstrued if the timing is wrong and 4) is making him associate the whole situation with fear. That's a lot of reasons not to use punishment. Training horses in ways that encourage them to remain in a relaxed state (positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement) I have found to be the most constructive. Of course, it is not always possible for the horse to remain entirely relaxed and there is a place for the method of 'flooding', but generally I try to use a combination of positive and negative reinforcement, as do many people.  If I were asking a horse to move his hind quarters over, I might apply a slight pressure to them with my fingertips. As soon as he moves them, the 'uncomfortable pressure' from my fingertips is released (negative reinforcement) and I feed him a treat for performing the correct movement (positive reinforcement). The correct timing of reinforcement is key to successful training. 

When Roux first came to me, he wouldn't allow me to catch him in the field. I keep him and Alfie at grass 24/7, so this was far from ideal. Sure, I could slip the rope onto his head collar when he approached me for his feed bucket, but this was also, in my mind, far from ideal. Instead, I used negative reinforcement through a technique where I would increase pressure when he gave an undesired response (when he walked away, I walked toward him) so that I could decrease/release that pressure when he gave the desired response (when he looked/walked in my direction, I would look/walk away). Of course, there are all sorts of methods out there to catch horses, but they all boil down to conditioning and reinforcement and how you are going about using these principles. And the better you understand these principles (along with the horse's natural instincts), the better you can understand, choose and justify the training techniques you come across to use. 

I went on to train Roux to accept being caught through negative reinforcement (his reward was essentially me giving him time and space). His next issue was picking his feet up and having them picked out and for that, I used both negative and positive reinforcement, depending on the stage we were at (and it was a long process!). I've learned so much through all of this, but I just think it's so important to understand how these simple principles of conditioning and reinforcement form the backbone of all horse training and to remember them throughout. 

Meet Me...

Name: Aviva Stafford

Where I'm based: Cheshire, UK

Horsemanship/method of training practised and a brief description of application or principles: I certainly try to use a non-aggressive approach, but also a non-domineering one as much as I can help it. In horse herds there is often a ‘boss’ horse who will bully the other horses and some trainers try to emulate this behaviour so that they can be the ‘boss horse’. But I prefer to be like the horse whom the others follow because he has their trust and not because they are intimidated by him.

Whether I’m training a horse to actively DO something or desensitising him to an object/situation he finds scary, I try to break it all down into steps that he finds more manageable. Some need a process broken down into tiny steps while others will progress in leaps and bounds, but they are all different!

I think it’s quite important to understand some of the theories behind behaviour. A proper understanding of the theories behind ‘classical conditioning’ (Pavlov’s dogs, 1889) and ‘operant conditioning’ (Skinner’s rats, 1938) have had a huge impact on the way I understand horse training. I also think it’s important to understand the horse’s nature because then we can transfer all these theories in a way that will be constructive for him. Understanding how he thinks and his perception of the world generally, helps me understand why he behaves the way he does and so, needless to say, helps me figure out training solutions.

Summary of Previous Experience: I started riding when I was 11 and it wasn’t long before I was helping at local yards so I could spend more time with the horses. When I was 15 I met Pat and Linda Parelli at their 2010 summit and started getting interested in natural horsemanship. When I was 16 I went to study equine management at Reaseheath College. In those same two years I also listened to Andrew McLean at one his demos, took my Stage 1 and 2 BHS exams, attended a 5-day training course with Kelly Marks, undertook work experience on a polo yard (near Cowdray) and an equine-assisted learning facility (Hampshire) and I took on my first ‘loan pony’ as a project. After college I became a full-time volunteer for a charity and spent a lot of time on their equestrian side which they used to help vulnerable and disabled adults. By that time, I had discovered the healing power of horses and decided my goal was to become an equine-assisted learning facilitator as well as a horse trainer. I then went to Spain for 3 weeks, met Clare at Time and Space Horse Riding and experienced horses in a wonderful way there. And then I went for a year without horses and without riding (which was very difficult). BUT August of this year was worth the wait because all at once I attended an intensive 9-day facilitator training course with Tricia Day of EAQ and then took on Alfie and Roux, my two 6-year-old New Forest Ponies.

What I'm doing now: Backing and training my two young ponies (we love learning tricks!) and steadily building my portfolio toward becoming a qualified equine-assisted learning facilitator.

Idols and influences: Emma Massingale, Mark Rashid, Alexander Nevzorov

             

 Top left: Alfie making me laugh out loud Top right: Roux ready to ride (I currently use a bitless bridle and a bareback pad) Bottom: Alfie practising his bow 

Meet the Boys...

...Alfie and Roux. My lifelong dream came true when they arrived on 8th August this year. We've already come a long way in three months and I'm going to start writing about them regularly on here, partly because it makes a nice record for me and hopefully so others can benefit from what I've learned through them.

They are both 6-year-old New Forest Pony geldings who used to roam free on the New Forest, before being taken off by their owner. They were treated quite roughly and Roux is still affected to this day, a particularly sensitive horse by nature. They were rescued from being sold for meat by a lady who then passed them on to me a year a bit later so that I could eventually use them for equine assisted learning, as I am currently training to become a facilitator.

I will keep this post short and sweet, but do expect many more insightful ones to follow. ~

Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy

Equine-assisted learning (EAL) is an experience-based learning process, the purpose of which is to improve cognitive function (including social and emotional development) via interaction with horses with the aim that principles learned in the session will carry-over and be applied in everyday living. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is often similar to EAL but with a focus on an ultimately therapeutic value instead of a learning one, although often these values emerge hand-in-hand. EAL/EAP often involves setting up ground activities involving horses which will require the individual or group to apply certain skills. Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, empathy, taking responsibility, teamwork, relationships and confidence are several examples of traits that are developed through these sessions. EAL/EAP is becoming an increasingly popular choice for children or adolescent youth with additional needs  due to its capacity for restorative social-emotional practice and development of healthier, more mature psycho-social skills. Over time, this restorative practice literally allows the brain to remodel neural pathways of arousal, emotion and meaning, broadening the learner's perception of the world around them and their window of tolerance for emotion and capacity to form healthy relationships. 

Acceptance ~ Attention ~ Empathy ~ Emotional Bonding ~ Mutual Trust ~ Nonverbal Communication Skills ~ Patience ~ Respect ~ Self-awareness ~ Self-control ~ Self-esteem ~ Speech-language Skills ~ Well-being 

http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/07/02/what-is-equine-therapy-exploring-benefits-of-human-horse-relationships/

Horses can help a huge variety of people. EAL/EAP has been known to help people with conditions such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), a variety of learning disabilities including ASD (autism spectrum disorder), sufferers of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and substance misuse. EAL is also becoming a popular method of corporate team development because of its effectiveness at improving self- and social-awareness and communication skills. 

Role of the Facilitator / Therapist 
The equine assisted learning facilitator/therapist is there to do just that: facilitate learning and/or provide therapy. They will tailor sessions for each individual and set up safe scenarios from which they believe the learner will benefit from the most. They will give the learner as much support and input as they need to work alongside the horses without taking away from what the horses themselves give the learner through non-biased, authentic feedback. The facilitator/therapist will help the learner reflect on various scenarios from the session and turn it into constructive feedback that they can apply to aspects of day to day life. They are there to enable the learner. 

What Happens in the Brain? 
To understand how horses help change us from the inside out, it's helpful to know a little about what goes on in the brain. The brain is an incredible organism which has the ability to change its own structure in order to enhance its function – a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. The restructuring of emotional response is most affected by experiences because neurons are designed to change in response to activity. These experiences engage the limbic (emotional) region of the brain. The neurons in the limbic region develop new connections with each other and the more the person undergoes the same experience, the stronger those connections become. 

Take trauma for example; how does it cause a disorder in the first place? 'Our brain and nervous system were designed to ensure survival by functioning as a 'RESPONSE/MEMORY/PREDICTION' system, but trauma can set this complex and adaptive system on a semi-permanent false alarm... a brain that exists in a perpetual state of fear. In a child victim of abuse, for instance, these trauma-induced alterations have made their stress response oversensitive, overreactive and dysfunctional due to over-utilisation of primitive reactions such as dissociation and hypervigilance. These primitive reactions become entrenched over time and maladaptive preconscious memories function as a general template for that child's feelings, thoughts and actions.' (Bruce Perry, 2008) Chaotic experiences during the sensitive stage of child development create in turn chaotic, dysfunctional neural organisation that persists into adulthood. The good news is that, thanks to neuroplasticity, therapeutic activities such as EAL/EAP can put a positive spin on neural pathways meaning this need not be a permanent condition. 

So Why Horses? 

EAL/EAP is mostly based on experiential learning involving working with a highly emotionally-receptive creature, which is why it is such an effective method of personal development. 

Such sophisticated emotional work requires a trusting relationship in which the learner can sense their partner's feelings too, but in the case of people who have a deep-rooted distrust of other people, this can present a barrier. That's where horses come in. 

Horses are social animals for whom attuning to each other's emotional states is key to survival. They can attune to a human's emotional state almost immediately and far more accurately than humans can. 

Working with these incredibly emotionally-intelligent creatures, who make no presuppositions, gives the learner authentic and unbiased feedback about themselves. By learning to understand and acknowledge the horse's sensitive reactions to their own signals, the learner allows changes take place in their limbic (emotional) region, increasing their self-awareness and setting patterns for healthier emotional regulation in the future. 

Horses come with different personalities like people. One aspect of social awareness is attuning to different personalities. Working with different horses sharpens this awareness. For example, horse #1 is shy and you must be particularly gentle in the way you communicate with him, but horse #2 is confident and you have to set clear boundaries and exert more pressure in what you're asking for... even though you might be asking both horses to do the exact same thing. Overly confident people might struggle with horse #1 and nervous people may struggle with horse #2, but that's all part of the learning process. The learner can discover how to 'read the horse' and relate to him accordingly and then take those principles and apply them to relating to people. 

There have also been many cases of people with depression or anxiety benefiting hugely from working with horses, experiencing emotional regulation (just being around horses can raise levels of oxytocin - the 'bonding' hormone - in the bloodstream) within a real, working partnership. The process of developing this bond with the horse and the feeling of acceptance which accompanies it not only boost confidence and self-esteem, but also helps the learner to develop the tools for self-regulation that they can then apply to normal day-to-day life. 

The concepts of EAL/EAP are becoming more and more widely accepted although there are still some mixed views. One down-side is that it is inevitably expensive, and another is that many people struggle to see the science behind why it is so effective and so, understandably, are not prepared to invest precious time, money and energy into it. But the good news is, its extremely positive results are now beginning to become more widely-recognised and it is growing in popularity. 

I personally love the concept of equine-assisted learning as a form of therapy because I adore horses, but it's so much more than that too... stepping outdoors, breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the natural surroundings, living in every single moment, taking responsibility for a half-tonne animal, connecting emotionally with that animal and working with it to achieve goals you never thought you could achieve, realising that you can do so much more than you thought and having fun in the process. It's being accepted for who you are and coming away feeling empowered, inspired and enabled. 

References: 

• Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential - and Endangered, Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz 
• The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment, Babette Rothschild 
• Perry, Bruce and Hambrick, Erin (2008) The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Reclaiming Children and Youth, Volume 17, No 3. http://www.childtrauma.org/index.php/articles/cta-neurosequential-model 
• The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Bruce Perry and Erin Hambrick 
• The Listening Heart, Leigh Shambo 
• www.eagala.org/Information/What_Is_EAP_EAL
• http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/07/02/what-is-equine-therapy-exploring-benefits-of-human-horse-relationships/
• http://www.robinrisso.org/ (image)