C Horses

28/04/2026

The equine-assisted therapy approach

In a world where many therapy, educational and social settings are sterile, digital and stressful, equine-assisted therapy offers an alternative approach that is primal and profoundly healing.
It works because it aligns naturally with the most important principles of trauma-informed care. This includes fostering safety, offering co-regulation, reintroducing choice and control and providing a relational context where clients can slowly rebuild trust - not just in others - but in themselves.

Equine-assisted therapy is a helpful treatment for a wide range of mental health and social-emotional challenges across the lifespan. This includes veterans and first responders experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
It also includes domestic violence survivors, neurodivergent individuals, people suffering from grief, individuals with alcohol and drug dependency issues and those living with anxiety and depression.

An equine-assisted therapy session should be led by a qualified and accredited mental health professional such as a counsellor, psychologist, occupational therapist or social worker, who incorporates horses as part of a structured therapeutic support.

22/04/2026

🐴✨ Did you know?

Scientists have only recently uncovered the origins of modern domestic horses - and they did it using ancient DNA 🧬

In a landmark study published in 2021 in the scientific journal Nature, archaeogeneticist Ludovic Orlando and an international team of over 100 researchers analysed the genomes of 273 ancient horses from archaeological sites across Europe and Asia.

What they found was surprising…

👉 The horses we know today do not descend from the earliest horse populations humans interacted with.

Instead, modern domestic horses trace back to a single lineage (DOM2) that emerged in the Western Eurasian steppes (lower Volga–Don region in southwestern Russia) around 4200 years ago.

From there, this lineage spread rapidly across Eurasia, largely replacing other local horse populations within just a few centuries.

🧠 What made these horses different?

Researchers identified specific genetic changes in early domestic horses that were likely shaped through breeding:

GSDMC → linked to spinal structure and movement, potentially supporting physical adaptations related to carrying load
ZFPM1 → associated with behavioural regulation, including responses to stress and reactivity

👉 These findings show that early domestic horses were shaped by human-driven selection, that prioritised traits of strength and a more docile nature.

The domestication of horses is often considered a key point in the human–horse relationship.

22/04/2026

👨‍👧🐴As humans, we owe a lot to horses.

They have cooperated with us for over a millennia – to help build civilizations, fight battles, farm crops, travel long distances and inspire great art and creativity.

🧘‍♂️They also continue to help us learn about ourselves.

And for some people, horses provide a safer way to be in a relationship than people do.

🌿They don’t need individuals to talk or perform; they meet them exactly where they are.

Horses are highly intuitive animals who rely on their ability to quickly identify whether something feels safe and social or potentially threatening.

♥️They are incredibly sensitive to a person’s body language, physiology and emotional state, providing authentic feedback about an individual’s internal state without judgment.

Essentially, horses are curious about, and hyper-aware, of the humans in their presence, and they respond to the most minute shifts in our nervous system.

23/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C6sWGhFkZ/

🐴 ACA-Accredited Professional Development

Equine Assisted Therapy Australia’s 10th Anniversary Conference is now approved as an ACA-accredited Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) event, with attendees eligible to receive 12 OPD points ✨

Through this immersive, two-and-a-half-day experience, ACA members can earn more than half of their annual OPD point requirements.

Attendees will explore:
✨ Attunement and relational awareness in horse–human interactions
✨ Trauma-informed frameworks to support safety, regulation and trust
✨ Skills for working with diverse communities, including neurodiverse individuals and veterans
✨Internal Family Systems (IFS) and
EMDR approaches and how they apply to equine-assisted therapy
✨ Real practitioner case studies
✨ Professional networking opportunities

📄 All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance to claim OPD points

🎓 This conference is open to all mental health practitioners, students and anyone interested in equine-assisted mental health. Please share with anyone who could benefit.

🎟 Join us this September
🎫 Early-bird tickets on sale now: https://equineassistedtherapyaustraliaconference.eventbrite.com.au

17/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DT3RXJQSK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I'm bringing another article to you today from my column at "Psychology Today" magazine. Titled "Ask, Tell, Teach," this short article is my response to horse trainers who espouse the "ask, tell, demand" form of horsemanship. If a trainer has to DEMAND performance from a horse, something is wrong. Read more at
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/horse-brain-human-brain/202603/ask-tell-teach

16/03/2026

Hope to see you at the EATA Conference! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18QErfBFnV/

🌿🐴 Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale 🐴🌿

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend Equine Assisted Therapy Australia’s 10th Anniversary Conference at a discounted rate 💫

🧠Over two-and-a-half days attendees will deepen their understanding of trauma-informed equine-assisted therapy practice, explore established therapeutic frameworks such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR-informed approaches, and develop practical strategies for working with diverse populations, including neurodiverse individuals and veterans.

🐴The conference will also explore attunement in horse–human interactions and showcase real practitioner case studies demonstrating how counselling approaches can be integrated within equine-assisted mental health practice.

Alongside professional learning, the event offers space to connect and hear from leading equine-assisted mental health experts, including US-based psychologist Jenn Pagone.

✨ This conference is open to students, practitioners, mental health professionals and anyone interested in the equine and mental health fields.

🏘🛌 Sēlah Valley Estate is holding a wide range of modern accommodation options for conference attendees, including cabins, lodges and glamping or camping.
Enquiries email: accounts@selahvalleyestate.au

🔗 Tickets available via this link: https://equineassistedtherapyaustraliaconference.eventbrite.com.au
*Early bird available until June 30, 2026

We look forward to welcoming you. 🌿🐴

14/03/2026

Thanks so much to Jodie Riddock for supporting the newest NSW Equine Assisted Therapy Australia students at their first six-day face-to-face workshop. We wrapped up day five with a twilight ride.

07/03/2026

Looking forward to our collaborative Professional Development Workshop tomorrow. With Parihan Wyatt and Sonja Keller, we are investigating the ways in which Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) can be effectively integrated into an Equine Assisted Therapy program.

17/02/2026

🐴🌿 With our WA cohort settling into their new learning environment for the next 12–19 months, we’re looking ahead with excitement to welcoming our eastern state students very soon.

At Equine Assisted Therapy Australia, learning doesn’t stay in a traditional classroom.

Alongside dedicated indoor training spaces, students step straight out into the paddock where horses become part of the learning process during each workshop.

It’s in this onsite environment that an education in equine-assisted mental health really comes to life ✨

We look forward to opening the door on a new learning journey with our 2026 students

30/01/2026

“At the beginning, even just the idea of being around horses can attract people who find traditional concepts of therapy difficult to access – socially and emotionally.

Once engaged in equine-assisted therapy, new ways of being in a relationship (with the self and others), fresh ways of communicating and the powerful existential remedy of being truly seen and heard, all contribute to part of a process that is difficult – if not impossible – to replicate in a room.

Then there’s the physiological presence of the horse and the multilateral impacts on all our nervous systems ...”

✨There are many reasons why horses work so well in therapy sessions, but our NSW trainer Camilla Mowbray summed it up so well, with the above quote, in a recent story on her work with EATA.

Studying counselling with equine-assisted mental health offers a unique opportunity to learn alongside horses, deepen your self-awareness, and develop the skills needed to support others in meaningful, trauma-informed ways.

28/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aXzNErLEs/

When humans spend time with horses - especially in a calm and non-pressured way - a range of physiological changes can occur 🧠🐴
Here’s what research and clinical observation show:

🧠 Nervous system regulation
Many people experience a shift out of fight/flight and into a calmer, more regulated state
Breathing often slows and deepens
Heart Rate Variability (a marker of nervous-system flexibility) can improve

💙 Hormonal & neurochemical responses
Beneficial neuroendocrine effects have been associated with reduced anxiety and improved mood
Reduced cortisol (the primary stress hormone) has been observed in some studies
Oxytocin may increase during positive, relational interactions, supporting feelings of safety, trust and connection

🫀 Cardiovascular effects
Lower heart rate and blood pressure has been reported
These effects are associated with relaxation and parasympathetic (rest-and-restore) activation

🧘 Body awareness & regulation
Horses often encourage slower movement, grounded posture and present-moment awareness
This can enhance interoception - the ability to notice internal bodily signals

🌿 Emotional and psychological flow-on effects
Reduced anxiety and tension
Increased sense of safety and connection
Improved mood and awareness

✨ Importantly, these effects are context-dependent.
Safety, consent, relationship and attunement matter. When interactions are rushed, pressured or stressful, the nervous system can respond very differently - for both the horse and human.

This is why Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) should always place a strong emphasis on safety, relationship, nervous-system awareness and ethical, horse-centred practice