When you think about all the things that Veterans need when transitioning out of the Military or recovering from combat experiences, you generally don’t think to yourself “a bunch of time with some horses” – but that is EXACTLY what one of the answers might be.
Equine Assisted Therapy has been found to be very effective in helping Veterans with transition stress and PTSD. One program run by the Veterans Administration in Albany, New York, found that Veterans with PTSD that have difficulty controlling emotions or physical outbursts were much more in-control around the horses in their therapy sessions. Two of the major ideas they theorize for this are that the horses are so large that the Veterans know they cannot be intimidated or attacked, and since the horses are hyperaware, just like the Veteran themselves, there is some immediate “kinship” that develops allowing the Veteran to more easily maintain calm (MacLean, 2011).
Most of these programs consist of friendly games or familiarization exercises that are meant to create comfort between the participants (both human and horse) as well as begin to establish the human as the alpha or leader in the relationship. These activities generally start with simple leading and especially focus on grooming. The grooming activities get the horse and human in direct contact, which helps develop that mental closeness and the beginnings of trust.
In her study MacLean also noted that while the humans have to be assertive, they cannot be aggressive, or it will alienate the horse. She indicates that the horses, unlike many other pets, do not trust humans initially – and that the program participants must work to gain the trust of the animal. Many of the comments from her study of the VA program revolve around the Veterans learning to communicate in a way that isn’t forceful, and learning to apply that skill to other parts of their lives (MacLean, 2011).
There are two major themes that repeat from source to source about Equine Assisted Therapies – and those revolve around the human having to become a member of the horses “family” or herd. The horses won’t trust or accept or work near the human until this happens. The other idea is that as prey animals, horses’ hypervigilance matches well with PTSD sufferers and creates a situation where both participants understand that the other is warily watching every move (Masters, 2010).
I spent some time researching the topic and put together a video talking about it – and I spent some time with horses myself. Although I had some experiences as a young man on my grandfather’s ranch when I was a teenager, it’s not quite the same – especially since I am a much ‘different’ person now.
Some of the aspects of hangin’ with horses revolve around the learning to trust each other. Horses are fairly skittish and are extremely large. They can be quite intimidating until you find a way to connect with them. My friends Lee and Cherise let me film them with their horses. Lee and I are both Veterans and we talked a bit about the therapies that are happening with horses and PTSD sufferers. We both agreed that from our limited experience with horses that there really does seem to be a kinship and friendship that must be learned, and that the horses very much reflect the mood that you, the human, are in.
I think after talking about it, and making this video about the how EAT can benefit Veterans, I am probably going to find a program near me and participate…
Take a look, and thanks to Lee and Cherise for their time and attention.
Links to some of the bigger programs:
https://warhorsesforheroes.org
http://www.battleflagranch.com/index.html
https://www.buildingbridgesfoundation.org/
https://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/veteran-horse-therapy.html
References:
MacLean, Barbara. “Equine-assisted therapy.” Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, vol. 48, no. 7, 2011, p. ix+. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, https://link-gale-com.concordia.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A267610582/HRCA?u=txshracd2498&sid=HRCA&xid=257f635d. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.
Masters, N. (2010, Nov 19) “Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for Veterans with PTSD” (Unpublished master’s thesis). Washington State University – Vancouver College of Nursing. Vancouver, Washington.
TRANSITIONS: veterans change to civilians 