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PERUVIAN HORSES HEAL THE HUMAN HEART AT
What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?
Equine
Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a modality in which horses are used as an
“Assistant” in the therapeutic process of healing the human heart. “This
means that the participants can learn about themselves and others by
participating in activities with horses, and then processing their
feelings, emotions and behaviors.” (1) The horses have personalities,
attitudes and moods as unique as those of the individuals in therapy.
Because of this, EAP produces endless experiences and situations for
discussion, analysis, and learning. By getting involved with a variety of
activities with the horse
At the
Casa de Gloria we provide EAP to both children and adults who cannot
participate in, or benefit from, the typical one-hour therapeutic session
in the therapist’s office. Horses have been used as a tool in physical
therapy for children and adults with disabilities for many years. The idea
of using horses as
Some of the young folks in these pictures have serious emotional issues that our beloved Peruvian gelding, Tivo has helped them to resolve. Tivo, like many of the children who come to us, was a troubled horse who could not bond and had little use for us humans. With love and patience the Casa de Gloria helped him to see that he had a purpose in life and that purpose was “to heal the human heart.” Tivo is especially sensitive. He often snorts and tells us adults what he thinks of us. Bring him face to face with a child and he immediately becomes their guide! As you can see from the expressions on their faces the children love him dearly. Tivo is our most precious Assistant.
What has Tivo taught us? So many things, that I will only name a few: (1) aggression control and anger management, (2) patience, (3) a feeling of being in control of self, and most importantly (4) satisfying an emotional need to be loved and to develop a bond of “caring and belonging”. Throughout this process the person is developing a sense of responsibility for the care and the feelings of the horse, which is also being transferred into their daily relationships. Tivo glows in their love and reflects it right back to them.
The Peruvian
horses here are “holistic healers and spiritual guides, divine messengers
in a sense, who show us and point us in the direction that we need to go.”
(2) This includes the therapist as well as those who come to us for
therapy!! There is no horse that compares in intelligence, sensitivity,
energy and a loving spirit, nor in their ability to communicate their
feelings!! We thank Peru for sharing their “Best Kept Secret!”
(2) Drs. Adele and Marlena McCormick, Horse Sense and the Human Heart, Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, Fl. 1997.
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(90% of these activities do not initially involve riding) then processing
one’s feelings, behaviors and patterns, a person learns what their issues
are, and are not, and ways to appropriately address them. Horses can
mirror back to us how we interact with people. They can teach us how we
approach a challenge, how we react to responsibility and patience. They
also help us to develop confidence and self-esteem and teach us how to
communicate more effectively. Learning how to respect a horse teaches
important lessons about respect for others. Thanking a horse for letting
us pick up his hoof teaches us to thank others for trusting us with their
feelings. 
assistants in combating inappropriate behaviors is a newer concept. Drs.
Adele and Marlena McCormick were forerunners in the field of EAP and in
recognizing the very special gifts and spirituality of the Peruvian horse.
EAP has proven to be successful with individuals who have Conduct
Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Personality
Disorders, including antisocial, borderline, histonic, dependent and
narcissistic. It has also been used as a modality to assist with grief
relief and Attention Deficit Disorder. 
