Healing through horses

CODY - "You picked the hardest horse," Tabitha was told more than once.

Tabitha, a client in the Cedar Mountain Center's substance abuse recovery program, didn't care. There were plenty of horses that were quiet and still and gentle. Pebbles wasn't like that - "She had a high, intense energy," Tabitha said.

For better or worse, Tabitha saw a little bit of herself in Pebbles, and she was drawn to the animal.

"I watched how the other clients interacted with the horses, and nobody was interacting with the horse I chose," Tabitha said. "So I picked her, because I felt a little bit like that myself. She pulled away from me at first, but we had a little talk about that, and then we got along fine."

The bond formed between Tabitha and Pebbles is just one example of the little magical moments that happen during every session of equine-assisted learning for Cedar Mountain Center patients. Mary Strobel, the office coordinator at Cedar Mountain Center, attended one class earlier this year, a skeptic about the program who left as a firm believer.

"I don't know what it is about the energy of horses, but there is something special happening in that program," Strobel said. "I felt it, and I know our clients feel it too."

The equine-assisted learning sessions for Cedar Mountain Center clients have been held off and on for three years, and are quickly becoming an integral part of treatment for many struggling with substance abuse, said Michelle Brenner. She's the in-patient case worker at the Cedar Mountain Center and also an equine specialist certified through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala).

"I know when I have a bad day, I just want to spend some time with my horses," Brenner said. "Our clients are going through some of the hardest times in their lives, and I wanted to be able to share the feeling I get when I'm with my horses with other people."

Clients in the equine-assisted learning program never mount a horse, as "all the work is done on the ground," she said.

The Eagala model used by Brenner focuses on how watching and interacting with a horse can provide clients with a view into their own inner turmoils and struggles.

"Horses are intelligent prey animals," she said. "They are extremely sensitive to their environment. They instinctively react and analyze our body language and other non-verbal cues providing us with valuable feedback and insights for other areas of our lives ... . Horses offer immediate feedback. They can sense emotions and respond accordingly - serving as a mirror to understand feelings you may not be aware of."

Many people dealing with addiction, trauma or other mental health issues struggle with how to cope with their feelings, Brenner said, and many use drugs and alcohol as a way to numb those emotions. Equine-assisted learning is a powerful way for them to get in touch with their thoughts and feelings.

Throughout the sessions, clients work on things such as setting boundaries, communication, building relationships and letting go, Brenner said. Strobel, who attended a session on the last topic, said it was a "life-changing experience" - one that allowed her to let go of a grudge she had been holding for many years.

"I didn't really expect it to work," she said. "But I could feel myself letting go, like a weight being lifted off me. When it was done, I was relieved. Michelle said she could see the change in me."

"I still can," Brenner said.

There is a lot of science behind what happens in an equine-assisted learning session, but also a lot of what Strobel refers to as "horse energy."

That energy - assertive, non-judgmental and gentle - has been known to have therapeutic benefits since the days of the Greek physician Hippocrates, Brenner said, and it's that energy that allows Cedar Mountain Center clients like Tabitha to start on the road to healing.

"One of the best things about this program, for me, is that it gives you a non-judgmental creature to confide in," Tabitha said. "Everyone who is struggling with addiction has deep dark things they don't tell anyone else - things that are difficult to acknowledge. Equine-assisted learning helps you say things to a horse that you might not be ready to say to a human. And once you get them out into the open, it is easier to bring those things back into therapy. It's one avenue to beginning healing."

For more information on the equine-assisted learning program and how it can help you or your loved ones, call the Cedar Mountain Center at 307-578-2531.