EFP describes the process by which a horse and qualified mental health practioner (counsellor) cofacilitate together to generate and support the client’s psychological and therapeutic journey. EFP sessions can be inclusive of being in the presence of the horse, sitting on the horse, feeding the horse, grooming the horse, and riding the horse. Rector, a pioneer in the field of Equine Facilitated Mental Health Services, highlighted that “one of the basic principles of incorporating horses into any therapeutic process is the experiential learning that can occur if we step back, ask the horse, and allow the process to unfold.” (Lac, V. (2017) in Equine-facilitated psychotherapy and learning: The human-equine relational development (herd) approach. London: Academic Press, p. 14,15). It is the experiential component that is at the heart of all Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. The horse’s presence is the catalyst for behavioural change; they hold space for the client in a non-judgemental way and have an instinctual emotional intelligence.

If we are in a quiet, open state of mind, horses may communicate with us through the heart field. https://www.heartmath.org/resources/downloads/heart-heart-communication-horses/

Being in the presence of these majestic (500 – 800kg) sentient beings is what makes them a powerful, natural-born antidepressant, capable of initiating deep psychological healing.