The smell of a horse, the warmth of placing a hand on their withers, the sounds of their breathing. Feeling their mane between our fingers on a sunny day. Or looking into their soulful eyes. These are the moments in which horses gift us their medicine. What are some emotional benefits of being with horses?
1. Safety
When we trust and understand a horse, we feel safe. And the horse in turn feels safe with us.
Horses can help us to feel safe, at home or at peace in our own skin even for a short time. This is because they usually accept us as we are. They are beings of the natural world, socialized to be in their herd and to grant humans access into their space when they choose.
When a horse willingly allows you into their space or energy field, it’s like magic.
You can feel the magic even if you haven’t been around horses much of the time, as long as you are connected to your five senses, your heart and mind, and to this other living being in your midst.
From an attachment perspective, we know that people are genuine and more vulnerable when they are with animals. Feeling a secure bond, where you can rest in the certainty that your horse chooses to be with you (if given the space to make the choice) and you choose to be with her, feels like home. Often, we feel able to share more with a horse than we ever could with another person, because of this safe feeling.
2. Relaxation
Being in nature helps us to feel connected to the natural world. Horses nurture relaxation if you feel comfortable around them.
Relaxation doesn’t come readily when we live fast-track lives filled with commitments, or when we have experienced unsafe situations in the past that teach us to always be on high alert to prepare for the next catastrophe.
Clients and horse lovers often describe feeling calm and feeling a sense of release in the body during quiet moments with horses.
When the body eases up even for a short time, we can attune to others physically and emotionally. We understand horses by reading body language as they read ours. They can sense our heartbeats when we are with them. Their hearts have large electromagnetic fields, and it is thought that this energy affects our physical and emotional states so we can unwind.
3. Connection
As humans we crave connection. Research shows heart rhythms syncing when a horse and human enjoy a deep connection. The bonds with these intuitive beings have been described as spiritual, as a soulmate or heart connection, as something that can only be felt and not explained. When we feel that safe, we let others in, and we give more of ourselves to others as well.
The safety we feel with a horse is only the start for something more profound, ultimately feeling safe and at home within ourselves.
Interested in connecting more fully with horses? Check out our Equine Facilitated Programs and experience relaxing horse medicine for yourself!
Love, Shreyasi
Founder and Mental Health Therapist, Mindful Mare Wellness
