ABOUT US

Horses

are in the moment and can be a part of our relationship without the biases we humans put on each other.

What we do

In equine assisted therapy, the horse acts as a metaphor for relationships, which provides clients the opportunity to look at what works, what doesn’t work, whose needs are being met, whose problem it is, and to take responsibility for recognizing how personal actions affect others.

At Midway Equestrian our Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) learning programs are all customized for our client's individual needs. Our equine therapy activities assist clients of all ages to improve their self-esteem, build confidence, social skills, communication skills, relationships and personal awareness. With these equine-assisted activities, our clients learn to establish reasonable boundaries, earn respect and improve their communications skills.

The equine-assisted therapy teams at Midway Equestrian specialize in the treatment of anxiety, depression, mood and personality disorders, behavioral difficulties, ADHD, PTSD, major life changes such as environmental trauma, divorce, grief and loss, and other mental health or relationship issues.

Why Horses?

There are several reasons we choose to use horses in this work, but primarily it is due to their nature as a social and prey animal. As a result of this nature, they have an extraordinary ability to read our nonverbal communication – picking up on messages we are sending which we are not always conscious we are doing. With this, they start responding to us in familiar ways reminding us of other people and things in our life. It is through this they become metaphors (symbols) providing us the opportunity to work on ourselves in relation to those aspects of our lives. The horses tend to play out our life stories, and then may either show us or provide opportunities to change what those stories look like.

Horses do not know our past, education, gender, race or other labels we may apply to ourselves and each other. They are in the moment and can be a part of this relationship without the biases we humans put on each other. This provides even more value in the insight they can provide us about ourselves.

All activities are on the ground. No horse experience is needed. Horses are well suited to help individuals and groups develop leadership, teamwork and emotions needed for success, as they live in social groups within a hierarchy of leadership. They require good leadership and well defined roles to survive. They are clear in their communication and give immediate feedback to each other and to us! In order to be successful in working with horses you must develop self-awareness and an ability to regulate strong emotions.

Working with horses help you not just talk about change but actually practice change. Since horses are animals of prey, they are sensitive to the slightest change in our interactions with them. As such they provide honest, immediate and clear feedback and since you are experiencing change in the moment it is hard to forget!