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Equine Assisted TherapyJill Charland, MS

What is Equine Assisted Therapy?

Effective for a wide range of mental health disorders including:• Addiction• Depression• Anxiety• Trauma

Clients connect with themselves, process their emotions and explore behaviors and relationship patterns that have become problematic in their day‐to‐day lives.

Horses are majestic, gentle creatures and their sheer size and strength can stir deeply buried emotions in clients. Clients are able to bond with the animals and learn valuable lessons about respect, empathy and communication that will help them in their recovery journey.

Cognitive Therapy

• Often used best, but not limited to, treatment for anxiety. 

• Because they are prey animals, horses have very good self‐awareness and are always cautious of their surroundings. Patients suffering from anxiety can often sense this from the horse and then relate to the horse, being able to then discuss anxious activities with the therapist while still focusing on the horse rather than ones self. This can greatly reduce the patients anxious responses and allow them to challenge their own automatic thoughts.

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Actively Scheduling

• Many people struggling with a mental disorder, especially anxiety, begin to avoid chores and other responsibilities that used to be part of their everyday lives. 

• Developing a planned schedule to care for a horse throughout the day will teach the patient a sense of responsibility and flexibility because the horses needs can change anytime. 

• Having to do this allows the patient to direct focus away from their disorder and become familiar with having a structured schedule again.

Practicing Activities

• Most patients suffering from severe mental health disorders become very contempt with their daily routines and schedules, making it hard to complete challenging tasks, getting out of their comfort zones and trying new things. 

• This technique allows a patient to choose a task that may be out of their skill level, like bathing, grooming or feeding the horse. 

• These things require coordination, planning and active communication. The therapist will then assist them with this task while talking about the emotions and thoughts that come along with each task.

Certification agencies

• Ground‐based therapy

• Formed in 1999

• 60,458 clients served annually

• Must be 18 years old to become certified

• https://www.eagala.org

• Rider‐focused therapy

• Formed in 1969

• 69,000 clients served annually

• Must be 21 years old to become certified

• https://www.pathintl.org/

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Populations Served

• Ages Children Adolescents Adults

• Specialties Veterans Autism Spectrum Disorder

Rolling Hills Philosophy

“Don’t go where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Rolling Hills companies blend the beauty of the outdoors with the experience of equine therapy to create a unique experience for clients of our programs.  

• The experience is unique in that it allows clients to get out of their shell through a different environment they have never experienced.  

• The fresh setting allows the client an opportunity to “start over” with themselves, redefining pieces of their lives that they have found struggles with.  Our experience includes trail walks, riverfront 

Personal Thoughts

Equine Therapy is learning to find yourself through vulnerability, awareness, gaining confidence, gaining trust and shedding those layers that have been built around you! Every person I work with is an inspiration. They come with a story and here they develop skills and tools to guide them with their growth and to find their self satisfaction or happiness in whatever they choose. This is Equine Assisted Therapy, where the magical transformation happens!

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Client Stories

Jill doesn't tell me what to do, we discuss my issue, and she tells me to go find it. My last session I have to say is the one I've learned most from. I was in pain, I was having self injurious thoughts, and I was suicidal. We

figured out that change is a big issue for me, and so she told me to go find change. I was beyond pissed at any and everyone. I was

throwing things yelling "this is change" and then said "is that good enough for you?" after I was finished. Jill said so change is movement. She said that's something powerful. I didn't get it

at first. Maybe because I was so angry and upset. All I know is that this equine business is legit. It works wonders and I'm so happy that I have Jill to work with. With the exception of

the last session, I've always left with a smile on my face. I never in a million years would have thought that an animal, a horse, could be so powerful. Thank you, Jill and everyone else I work with for this amazing opportunity to be

happy. I'm beyond thankful!

“This is the most powerful form of therapy I’ve ever

experienced! The emotions and feelings that came out were

some that I never knew I had!”

In one of my sessions, I was manic, my brain couldn't process much because there was so much going on inside of it, but I did realize one thing: there is a middle ground. In the arena, there was a circle on the outside, what I called my mania. I could run around it a million times and not get tired. Then there were lines going every which way, crossing one another, etc., those were

closer to the center. That's my depression. That's where my mind veers off into different directions and begins to get depressed. The center circle is what I call my middle, my happy medium. There, I'm not depressed, I'm not manic, I'm just there, being. I love that about the middle. The middle is what taught me that you don't have to be happy go lucky all the time in order to be okay. You could be bawling your eyes out, but knowing that there will be an end to

it, that this will pass, that's what it means to be okay.I've always questioned what the meaning of life was and why I'm here. I've

realized that life is without meaning. You bring meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. It took going around the outer circle, going

through the paths of depression to get to the middle. This middle is where I found my purpose. The middle is where I found the "meaning of life".

Trusting and believing in myself was a huge struggle, and still is, but now I realize that having that confidence in myself to do daily things, to do my job, is my biggest set back at the

moment. I need to really believe that I can do something and just go for it instead of second guessing myself.

Questions?

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