Equine Assisted Therapy
Are You Searching for a Different Kind of Therapy Experience?
Many of us long to feel more grounded, authentic, and connected — to ourselves, to others, and to something larger than us. Yet modern life often pulls us away from our natural rhythms. We adapt to expectations, stay busy, and slowly lose touch with our deeper knowing.
Equine-assisted therapy offers a different way of finding your way back — not through more talking or analyzing, but through direct experience, presence, and relationship.
Horses offer us a unique and powerful opportunity to experience healing in relationship. As sensitive, honest, and nonjudgmental beings, they reflect our inner emotional state and invite us into the present moment. When we slow down and engage with horses through relationship, we open the door to profound personal insight and transformation.
Growth & Development with Horses
Working with horses invites you into a grounded, embodied process of self-discovery. Horses are exquisitely sensitive, relational beings who respond to the energy, emotions, and intentions of those around them. They notice what is happening beneath words — the subtle cues of tension, avoidance, or openness that we often overlook in daily life.
In this work, you don’t need to have any prior experience with horses. You won’t be asked to ride. Instead, we engage with the horses from the ground through observation, mindful interaction, and relational exercises designed to help you become more aware of your internal experience and relational patterns.
This approach draws from Gestalt therapy, attachment and human development models, and depth psychology to explore how your early experiences have shaped the way you connect, protect, and express yourself in the world. Through guided reflection, somatic awareness, and contact with the horses, you begin to see these patterns unfold in real time — and to discover new ways of relating rooted in authenticity and regulation.
Why Work With Horses
Horses live fully in the present moment. Their well-being depends on their ability to stay attuned to the environment and to one another. Because they are so responsive, they provide immediate and honest feedback about how we are showing up — not to judge or correct, but to reflect our internal state in a way that helps us see ourselves more clearly.
When we are anxious or disconnected, a horse may respond with distance or uncertainty. When we come into alignment — grounded, open, and attuned — they often respond with calm and connection. In this way, the horse becomes a mirror, helping us experience our nervous system regulation and relational energy in real time.
These moments of attunement are powerful teachers. They help you:
Recognize and soothe patterns of anxiety, hypervigilance, or disconnection.
Build emotional regulation and confidence through embodied awareness.
Develop trust and presence in relationship.
Strengthen your capacity for authenticity and self-expression.
The horses are not tools or metaphors — they are partners in the process, offering a genuine, relational encounter that supports growth and healing on a level beyond words.
What to Expect in Equine-Assisted Therapy
Sessions take place at a barn in Bayfield, Colorado, where I work alongside a small herd I know and care for. Each session is experiential and collaborative. We begin by identifying what you would like to explore or understand, and then move into a relational exercise or activity with the horses. This may involve observation, approaching, leading, or other horsemanship skills.
Throughout the session, I’ll help you bring awareness to what’s happening, we will experiment, and explore with curiosity and kindness. We might explore how your experience with the horse mirrors patterns in your life, or how sensations in your body shift as you become more regulated or connected. This integration of somatic awareness, Gestalt exploration, and attachment-informed reflection helps bridge insight with embodied change.
We can solely meet at the barn or we can complement our work with individual therapy sessions — in-person or online — to deepen reflection, support integration, and apply learning to daily life. I also offer group experiences and community workshops, where participants explore connection and authenticity in a supportive, nature-based setting.
How This Work Supports the Nervous System and Attachment
Much of human suffering arises from disconnection — from ourselves, from our bodies, from others, and from the natural world. Early attachment experiences teach us how safe it feels to be in relationship, and these internalized patterns influence how we move through life.
Horses help us reconnect to the body’s innate wisdom and to the rhythms of regulation that underlie healthy attachment. When you learn to notice the subtle shifts in your nervous system, you gain the ability to make conscious choices rather than react from old patterns.
Over time, this process cultivates greater emotional resilience, trust in your intuition, and a sense of belonging — both within yourself and in the larger living world.
Why Clients Choose This Work
Many people who come to equine-assisted therapy have tried traditional talk therapy and are ready for a deeper, more embodied experience. They are often women who are self-aware and motivated to grow, but who still feel a lingering disconnection — a sense that they are living a version of themselves shaped by expectations rather than truth.
This work offers a chance to slow down, listen, and reconnect with what’s most real. It helps you rediscover your authenticity, restore balance in your nervous system, and cultivate relationships that reflect who you truly are.
Begin Your Journey
If you’re curious about equine-assisted therapy or wondering if it’s right for you, I offer a free 15-minute consultation. We can talk about your goals, answer your questions, and explore whether this approach feels like a good fit.
Sessions take place in person in Bayfield, Colorado, with ongoing individual therapy and integration sessions available in person in Durango or online throughout Colorado.
You don’t need to have any experience with horses — only an openness to learn, feel, and grow in relationship.
“If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
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