Can a horse teach you mindfulness and other life skills? Yes, according to Amii Larsen, a psychologist at Guided by Horses. And after spending an hour with Amii and her 4-legged friends I’m convinced of this too.

I imagined that equine-assisted therapy would consist of just chillin’ out in nature with some lovely animals. That was partly true, but I also gained so much more than expected.

I met Amii and we sat in the shade of a tree and she talked about the benefits of horses on people’s mental and emotional wellbeing. This was followed by a short, guided meditation, opening our eyes at the end and focusing on the sights and sounds around us.

Then we wandered into the paddock to meet the horses. Three of them were happily munching on a pile of hay. With Amii’s advice, I let each sniff my hand to check me out, and felt their warm, horsey breath on my skin. I patted each one, but was drawn to a beautiful, chocolate-brown mare called Marley. As I patted her, my thoughts began to calm and float away. Amii guided me to become aware of what I was noticing and experiencing, and gave insightful feedback.

In recent years, there’s been a surge in the popularity of mindfulness, a type of meditation that involves focusing on the present. The benefits are huge – reduced stress, increased relaxation and improved general health. Who doesn’t want more of that? But let’s face it, it can be hard work to be mindful with distracting thoughts constantly flitting around your head. However, being with my new pal Marley, as she munched away, I could strongly feel that she was fully present in the moment. This made it easy for me to slip into that state too – a very comforting and relaxing experience. It was like spending time with a Zen master.

So it’s no surprise to learn that sessions can be useful for stress management. And recent research backs up these calming effects.

‘Being with horses has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone – cortisol’ says Amii.

But that’s not all. It can also help people with a variety of things from personal development to more complex issues. In fact, Amii is the first person in Australia to be trained in equine-assisted EMDR – a technique used to process and release trauma.

Being with Marley and friends, I felt a deep sense of patience and groundedness that was so pleasant and enjoyable I want to go back for more. I left in a gently blissed-out state (no drugs necessary), feeling like everyone needs to try this at least once. So if this appeals to you, make sure to put it on your ‘to do list’ for this year.

By Carolyn J Wild

For more info about Guided by Horses sessions and programs go to http://guidedbyhorses.com.au

If you would like to speak with Amii to discuss booking an appointment or learn more about equine-assisted therapy at SevenEight Psychology, please call her on 0419 836 416.

Photos by Rhett Gill