The term 'equine therapy retreat' does not refer to a hospital or rehab center for horses. Equine therapy retreats are places of great serenity where people go to connect with nature and a horse. In doing so, they are restored and refreshed - and in the process of becoming so learn a lot about themselves.
This concept has really taken hold. There are certified retreat centers in many places - 250 or more in North America alone. It is part 'corporate team building', part 'get away from the rat race', part therapeutic riding, and all about learning your strengths, facing your fears, and finding peace. People can do it as individuals or as part of a group.
The idea of a retreat involving horses grew out of the therapeutic riding programs begun in the 60s. While helping people with disabilities enjoy riding and being around horses and ponies, therapists saw more than physical improvement. A child confined to a wheelchair could experience free movement when partnered with a horse. In addition to gaining in balance, core strength, and motor skills, the child could see the world in a new way - not from knee-high to everyone else.
It didn't take therapists long to realize that the mental and emotional benefits were as profound, if not more so, than the physical. This truth existed before, of course. An old saying states that 'The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man'.
Abused children suspicious of everyone in their world found they could trust the horse. Women who felt powerless in domestic or professional situations found inner strength as they learned to direct a huge animal; they also could allow their inner child to fall in love with their horse. People with impenetrable social masks found that horses knew instinctively how they were really feeling.
Retreats are traditionally places where you go to escape stress and pressures of the 'real' world. The centers are located where beautiful scenery and great peace abound. Interacting with nature and with magnificent, huge, gentle horses seems to have a magic of its own. Some places also have other animals - chickens, sheep, dogs, cats - that enchant refugees from the city.
Business executives who are overwhelmed by the challenges they face can gain perspective to make a new push. People can get to know themselves better by working with a horse. Some retreats include meditation in their therapy, while others use the simple skills needed to care for animals in ways that reveal hidden issues that people have. Psychology employs the intuitive understanding that many horses have to help people find emotional balance, release, and refreshment.
The science of 'hippotherapy' is fascinating. Horses, who are prey animals and naturally would rather run than fight, have chosen to trust the people they encounter and seem to welcome the interaction that helps so many find balance and rest. A stay at a retreat is a chance to forget the past and the daily grind and live in the present, enjoying peace and equine companionship.
This concept has really taken hold. There are certified retreat centers in many places - 250 or more in North America alone. It is part 'corporate team building', part 'get away from the rat race', part therapeutic riding, and all about learning your strengths, facing your fears, and finding peace. People can do it as individuals or as part of a group.
The idea of a retreat involving horses grew out of the therapeutic riding programs begun in the 60s. While helping people with disabilities enjoy riding and being around horses and ponies, therapists saw more than physical improvement. A child confined to a wheelchair could experience free movement when partnered with a horse. In addition to gaining in balance, core strength, and motor skills, the child could see the world in a new way - not from knee-high to everyone else.
It didn't take therapists long to realize that the mental and emotional benefits were as profound, if not more so, than the physical. This truth existed before, of course. An old saying states that 'The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man'.
Abused children suspicious of everyone in their world found they could trust the horse. Women who felt powerless in domestic or professional situations found inner strength as they learned to direct a huge animal; they also could allow their inner child to fall in love with their horse. People with impenetrable social masks found that horses knew instinctively how they were really feeling.
Retreats are traditionally places where you go to escape stress and pressures of the 'real' world. The centers are located where beautiful scenery and great peace abound. Interacting with nature and with magnificent, huge, gentle horses seems to have a magic of its own. Some places also have other animals - chickens, sheep, dogs, cats - that enchant refugees from the city.
Business executives who are overwhelmed by the challenges they face can gain perspective to make a new push. People can get to know themselves better by working with a horse. Some retreats include meditation in their therapy, while others use the simple skills needed to care for animals in ways that reveal hidden issues that people have. Psychology employs the intuitive understanding that many horses have to help people find emotional balance, release, and refreshment.
The science of 'hippotherapy' is fascinating. Horses, who are prey animals and naturally would rather run than fight, have chosen to trust the people they encounter and seem to welcome the interaction that helps so many find balance and rest. A stay at a retreat is a chance to forget the past and the daily grind and live in the present, enjoying peace and equine companionship.
About the Author:
You can find details about the benefits of receiving equine therapy and more info about equine therapy retreats at http://www.horsesenseandthehumanheart.com right now.
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