Horses have a long relationship with humanity. They have been around us since the beginning of our civilization. The first horses were tamed around 4,000 years ago, in the region of Mongolia, although the exact date is not known. At that time, most domestic on farms work was done by cows. However, horses could do the same work much faster. Horses were also used for transportation, because they can travel much farther than humans on foot. They also have served us in the battlefield, as they have advantage over armies composed only from foot soldiers.
Horses also provided us with companionship, and were a source of fun. Horses have been proven to have a historic therapeutic influence, which is not insignificant. It was the Greeks who first found the horse’s therapeutic value in 600 BC. Later in 1875, the French physician Cassaign came to the conclusion that equine therapy helped certain kinds of neurological disorders. Now equine based therapy is a well established field of treating psychological disorder ranging from autism to addictions, depression, or even PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) in traumatized soldiers.
Equine therapy consists of different interactions between the patient and the horse. It involves activities such as feeding, grooming, haltering or leading a horse. These activities are monitored by a psychologist, who is often accompanied by a horse professional. Both during and after an activity in which the patient works with the horse, the equine therapist can observe and talk with the patient, to identify behavior patterns and how thoughts and emotions are being processed by the patient.
While equine therapy can be a tremendous help for handicapped people with disabilities, be it mental or physical, anyone can benefit from encounters with this wonderful animal. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have time, or adequate access to this wonderful resource. For them, we have found this video about “the most beautiful mini horses in the world”:
We hope you will enjoy the video, and experience some of the beneficial effects that a horse can have on the human heart. As Winston Churchill once said: “There’s something, about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
