Using horses to provide healing therapy to humans is often called equine-assisted therapy, therapeutic horse riding, or adaptive riding.

Horses are a large animal and need to be cared for. By giving people, especially children, the chance to care for these loving animals brings them closer to a breakthrough either in emotional or physical stability.

Equine therapy promotes both types of stability by teaching patients about themselves by letting them become attached to a beautiful animal that does not pass judgment.

Because horses do not have expectations for relationships by bonding with one of these four-legged beauties, a person in this type of therapy can actually help to define a healthy relationship by letting the person explore boundaries, patterns, and recovery.

Horses respond to the emotions put forth by the patient and, in turn, the patient responds as well.

Either performed in a group setting or one on one, equine therapy combines the therapy of the patient with a professionally trained therapist working with a specially trained horse, first on the ground getting to know it and its surroundings until the horse and patient are connected enough to become one and ride together.

From social disabilities to slow cognitive skills, training with horses has proved to be a wonderful way for people with these types of disabilities to interact positively.

Although equine-assisted activities are targeted for people with disabilities and children with slower than average social skills, they are also great for healing people with depression or relieving anxieties or stress.