« When the relationship with others is damaged, when communication is nothing more than a meaningless word for children who have been hurt by life, it happens that the animal is involved in therapy. » (Mermet, 2012)
After having done an internship in equitherapy, which I really enjoyed, I decided to introduce this activity in this article.
What are the objectives of equitherapy?
Equitherapy = a psychological treatment mediated by the horse.
Equitherapy seeks to improve psychological difficulties (anxiety, language delay, intellectual delay, lack of self-confidence, communication difficulties, body pattern disorders, behavioural problems, etc.), and excludes from its scope the treatment of somatic difficulties such as paralysis, infections, tumours or metabolic disorders.
However, this does not mean that patients with somatic pathologies cannot benefit from equitherapy. For example, a person suffering from cancer can quite easily resort to equitherapy. However the objective of the work will never be to cure cancer, but for example to help the person to live as serenely as possible this difficult period. Indeed, the objective is to work on the psychological repercussions of somatic disease.
The notion of mediation by the horse
Mediation, which is central to equitherapy, is based on the idea of a tripartite relationship. In equitherapy, as is the case in all mediatized therapies, we are always 3 : the patient, the therapist, and the horse.
Contrary to popular belief, the horse is not a therapist and it is not enough to be in contact with a horse to feel better.
The horse plays a third party role : he provides an interface between the patient and the therapist, he is a point of balance and focus in the therapeutic relationship. The horse is an intermediate, he facilitates exchanges between the patient and the therapist. It sends, transmits and receives messages. His behaviour, reactions and temperament are read by both the patient and the therapist.
Conclusion
The common point of all equitherapy activities is to involve the horse with the intention of solving a difficulty encountered by a person. Mediation is a mean of facilitation that promotes interaction by moving the therapeutic relationship out of the traditional face-to-face relationship.
Indeed, equitherapy allows an effective rehabilitation of communication and socialization, as well as cognitive-emotional regulation. It also allows appropriate exchanges, cognitive, sensory and motor skills. The child is soothed by the horse’s movements, he interacts with the equitherapist in an appropriate way and becomes aware of the effect of his actions on the horse, who is an excellent co-therapist who also promotes attachment.
an article on france culture about equitherapy : https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/sur-les-docks/therapie-avec-le-cheval
Bibliography :
- Mermet, L. (2012). Équithérapie. Du corps vécu au corps relationnel. Le Journal des psychologues, 303(10), 68-71. doi:10.3917/jdp.303.0068.
- Hameury, L., Delavous, P., Teste, B., Leroy, C., Gaboriau, J.C. Équithérapie et autisme. Annales Médico-Psychologiques, Revue Psychiatrique, Elsevier Masson, 2010, 168 (9), pp.655.
Key Words :
- equitherapy : équithérapie
- the equitherapist : l’équithérapeute
- psychological difficulties : difficultés psychologiques
- the popular belief : la croyance populaire