If you wish to practice Equine Facilitated/Assisted Therapy or Psychotherapy you must have an appropriate qualfication which supports the practice that you are proposing to provide and this needs to be an externally accredited or regulated Diploma at an appropriate academic level (minimum Level 4 as defined in England and Wales by Ofqual).

This level recognises the standards defined in the UK by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

Similarly condtions exist if you wish to provide Equine Facilitated Occupational Therapy.

The Accredited Practitioner Register (PSA) provides a list of accredited and regulated qualifications which include those provided by Athena Herd Foundation.

Most insurance carriers that provide cover for professional therapy, as well as alternative health or holistic practices, recognise Equine Facilitated/Assisted professions and subject to proof of appropriate training and qualifications will provide cover.

Athena Herd Foundation always provide Balens or Holistic Insurance Services as options to consider for those seeking Professional Indmenity cover.

Horses generally respond to human emotions authentically, honestly and without judgement.

They are highly social animals and so highly attuned to the emotional and energetic state of others. Not just horses.

Humans and Horses share core mammalian emotional behaviours and motivations. Their social intelligence has a natural awareness.

To explain the horses’ reactions simply – they move towards or away from. Emotions in all mammals are motivators, those motivations offer rewards or threats. We are drawn to the rewards and or move away from threats. The horses’ behaviours are essentially scales of approach or retreat, do they want more of something, or to move away from it. It is the role of the facilitator to work with these actions on the part of the horse(s).

Science is increasingly understanding just how good the horses are at recognising and understanding human emotions, as well as intuitive “sensing” how we are, much as they do with each other.

The inital pioneering work of understanding animal emotional behaviour and its commonality to humans was carried out by Jaak Panskeep in his books Affective Neuroscience and Archaelogy of the Brain. Other pioneering work has been led by ethologists such as Frans de Waal and Lucy Rees.

The writings of Carl Safina are also a strong voice in support of recognising emotional behaviours in the animal world and their interaction with humans.

The range of services provided alongside horses these days is quite broad. It can include specific personal skills development, professional or personal development or therapuetic support such as Counselling or Psychotherapy.

The Accredited Practitioner Register (PSA) provides a clear outline of the different types of interactions that are provided under the umbrella of Equine Facilitated Interactions and/or Equine Assisted Services. 

It also provides an outline of the sort of interaction/activity that might be expected from these sessions.

Horses are prey animals and as such have a significantly heightened awareness to environmental factors and energy levels exhibited by other animals around them, not just other horses. Survival for a horse is principally about instinctive reaction, a comparable state of mind to those who have operated in a war zone.

Horses reactions are a silent, honest and dispassionate response the emotions of those around them. Horses respond negatively to negative emotions. They respond positively to positive emotions. They do not have agendas, nor intentionally mislead. Through facilitated interaction with horses metaphoric and impartial input can be applied as a complement to conventional therapy, and creates a non-threatening environment for revealing and accepting the authentic self.

This unbiased and immediate feedback can quickly draw out the heart of issues, Dr. Laurie Sullivan-Sakeada, a US Clinical Psychologist Practising in this field explains, “The horses are therapeutic and interactive tools that speed up the therapy process substantially …. one session of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in the barn is equal to five sessions “on the couch.”

One leading US horse trainer working with the Horses for Heroes therapy programme succinctly describes the horse as “1200 lbs of lie detector”. The subtle and wide ranging expressions that are portrayed through the horse’s body language provides immediate direct feedback and instruction to Veteran delegates, handlers and therapists alike.

The embodied nature of the interaction also supports the benefit. When interacting with horses we have to interact somatically (which our whole being). It is recognised that much trauma and emotion is held in the body. This can easily be filtered or ignored in conversation, but in action it cannot be. Simply our bodies do not lie. For this reason, even non-therapeutic sessions can be quite emotional for clients. The art of the facilitation is to provide a space where these experiences can be safely held and clients provided with means of managing or coping. This forms the important transferable nature of the work, whereby the experiential learning in the space can be applied to real life situations.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) can serve to support any therapeutic process which places the individuals experience at the heart of their healing. There are not specific “best cases”, for example though, in the treatment of traumas it can be highly effective, or for supporting those with neurodiverse conditions such as ADHD, autism and aspergers.

The horses create the space in which the therapeutic exchange can occur. The horses are not the “healers” per se, but along with the appropriate professional, facilitate a non-judgemental space in which problems and challenges can be explored.

The practice began in the USA and is now a recognized field that complements and accelerates traditional mental health counselling. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, EFP can be a strong and impactful addition to traditional talk-based therapy.

Traditionally in the UK are more aware of therapeutic riding schemes such as RDA. However the real benefits of EFP work are increasingly recognised with a number of dedicated trainers and providers now in place.

EFP is incredibly effective for quickly identifying sources of trauma which can then be used to design appropriate treatment plans. It can be used as a powerful tool for treatment of attention deficit disorder, substance abuse issues, eating disorders, expression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and low self-esteem.

There are no absolutes however evidence in the market place would suggest anywhere between £40 – £150 per hour.

In terms of providing the service full time and obtaining a meaningful wage it is suggested that practitioners consider the option of working as a not-for-profit organisation and garnering funding to support the work.

Equine Facilitated Interactions (EFI) or Equine Assisted Services (EAS) are umbrella terms that cover interactions a range of different activities aimed at providing clients and learners with benefits that range from personal learning and development, wellbeing instruction to Psychotherapy. Appropriate qualifications are necessary for the service being advertised.

To find out more about the specific disciplines please take a look at the Accredited Practitioner Register (PSA) more detailed definition.