Where Healing and Evidence Meet
For many people who have experienced trauma, healing doesn’t start in an office or with words; it begins in a moment of stillness, when a horse simply stands beside you and breathes. In that quiet space, something shifts. The body starts to remember what calm feels like. The heartbeat slows to match theirs. And for the first time in a long time, you feel safe enough to exhale.
At Waterford Equine-Assisted Healing, this is where therapy begins, not by fixing or forcing, but by reconnecting with the parts of yourself that already know how to trust, rest, and belong again. Each session begins with choice, inviting people to connect with the horses in ways that feel safe and authentic. Our work blends the art of human connection with the science of how relationships, safety, and presence help regulate the nervous system and restore wellbeing.
This page explores the research and guiding principles that shape how we work.
Sound On
Sound On
Why Horses?
Horses live fully in the present moment. They sense energy, tension, and intention long before we put words to them. This is what makes them powerful partners in trauma recovery. They respond honestly, without judgment, to what’s really happening beneath the surface.
Their sensitivity is more than instinct, it’s a mirror for regulation, relationship, and safety. From a neurobiological perspective, horses help people reconnect with their natural rhythms of calm and alertness. Their nervous systems are finely attuned to the environment and to those around them.
Research shows that horses can distinguish between human emotional cues, facial expressions, tone, and even scent and adjust their behavior and heart rate accordingly (Smith et al., 2019; Merkies & Franzin, 2021; Sabiniewicz et al., 2020; Nieforth & Craig, 2021). This attunement allows humans to experience co-regulation, a process where one being’s calm presence helps another’s nervous system settle.
In our approach, horses are never used to perform or comply. They are collaborators in the healing process, active participants whose responses help us understand what safety, trust, and connection feel like in real time. By engaging with horses who respond authentically and non-verbally, people begin to rebuild awareness, trust, and the capacity to stay present, the very foundations of healing after trauma.
“Healing happens through connection, not control.”
What the Research Shows
Research from around the world shows that spending time with horses in a therapeutic setting can help people recover after trauma. Studies link equine‑assisted psychotherapy with calmer stress responses and fewer symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. These findings come from different settings, from clinical programs for veterans to community mental‑health initiatives and recovery projects for people overcoming violence and addiction.
Across studies, equine-assisted programs have been shown to:
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Healing from violence and rebuilding trust: For adults recovering from domestic abuse or addiction, equine-assisted programs were linked to greater wellbeing, connection, and hope for the future (Hemingway & Sullivan, 2022).
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Feeling calmer after trauma: In a study with military veterans, participants experienced fewer PTSD symptoms and described the sessions as safe and helpful (Fisher et al., 2021).
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Building emotional balance and confidence: A randomized controlled trial found that adding equine-assisted sessions to regular therapy improved people’s ability to manage emotions and strengthened self-confidence and self-esteem (Soulim et al., 2023).
Flexible, Individual, and Unstructured Work
Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. People arrive with different histories, needs, and nervous-system capacities. Around the world, mental-health care is moving toward the right care, at the right time, for the right person, rather than a rigid, pre-set sequence.
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When support is matched to each person’s level of need, outcomes improve and care becomes more effective and efficient (van Straten et al., 2015; Rivero-Santana et al., 2021; NICE, 2022; Clark, 2018). Mental-health guidelines also emphasize personalized, adaptive care instead of a one-size-fits-all approach (NICE, 2022; Clark, 2018).
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Studies show that single-session therapy can lead to meaningful improvements, especially for anxiety and related challenges, without long waits or ongoing programs (Schleider & Weisz, 2017; Bertuzzi et al., 2021; Kim et al., 2023; Dochat et al., 2021).
What does this mean for Equine-Assisted Therapy?
It means we design care that follows you, not a script.
Each session is participant-led and consent-based. We adjust the pace, level of structure, and even the number of sessions to fit your nervous system and goals.
Early equine-assisted studies echo these principles:
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Relational, present-moment experiences, whether unstructured or lightly guided, are linked with improved emotional regulation, a greater sense of safety, and stronger engagement in daily life (Hemingway et al., 2019; Carlsson et al., 2014).
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Programs supporting people recovering from domestic abuse and addiction report meaningful gains in emotional well-being and social connection when equine work is included (Hemingway & Sullivan, 2022).
Taken together, this research supports an adaptive, consent-based, relationship-centred approach, one that honours each person’s readiness and is especially helpful for those who may not initially respond to talk-only or highly structured models of care.
Our Approach: Trauma-Informed and Relational
These findings form the foundation of how we work at Waterford Equine-Assisted Healing.
Both the research and our own lived experience point to the same truth: healing happens through connection, not control.
When people feel safe, seen, and supported, their nervous systems begin to settle. From that place of calm and curiosity, real change becomes possible.
That’s why our approach is relational, responsive, and trauma-informed.
We don’t follow a rigid formula or one-size-fits-all model. Every session is built around the person, the horse, and the moment, blending story-based reflection with body-based awareness, guided by the principles of safety, consent, and mutual respect.
At Waterford Equine-Assisted Healing, sessions are:
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Non-riding and choice-based — both humans and horses can opt in or out, ensuring consent and trust.
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Flexible and individualized — the pace, level of structure, and frequency of sessions adapt to each person’s readiness and needs.
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Co-regulated and embodied — horses model calm presence, helping people rediscover what safety feels like in their own bodies.
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Clinician-supported — each session is facilitated by a licensed mental-health professional and a trained equine specialist.
Grounded in evidence showing that personalized, relationship-centred care leads to stronger outcomes (van Straten et al., 2015; Schleider & Weisz, 2017; Souilm et al., 2023; Fisher et al., 2021), we meet each person exactly where they are.
Our goal is simple: to create a space where survivors of trauma and the horses who stand beside them can both find safety, connection, and the courage to begin again.
References
Carlsson, C., Nilsson Ranta, D., & Træen, B. (2014). Equine-assisted social work as a recovery method for young people with self-harm and/or violent behavior. Human–Animal Interaction Bulletin, 2(1), 60–81.
Fisher, H. L., et al. (2021). Equine-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. psychiatrist.com/jcp
Hemingway, A., et al. (2019). An exploration of the mechanism of action of an equine-facilitated programme: An equine-facilitated environment for therapy. Healthcare, 7(1), 24. doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010024
Hemingway, A., & Sullivan, P. (2022). Reducing the incidence of domestic violence: An observational study of an equine-assisted intervention. Family Process / Perspectives in Public Health. doi.org/10.1177/17579139211049740
Ijichi, C., et al. (2020). Emotional transfer in human–horse interaction. Animals, 10(11), 2067. doi.org/10.3390/ani10112067
Merkies, K., & Franzin, O. (2021). Enhanced understanding of horse–human interactions to optimize welfare. Animals, 11(5), 1347. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051347
Nieforth, L. O., & Craig, E. A. (2021). Human–animal interaction as a social determinant of health: Examining mechanisms of action in equine-assisted services. Health Communication, 36(11), 1393–1402. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1785376
Sabiniewicz, A., Tarnowska, K., Świątek, R., Sorokowski, P., & Laska, M. (2020). Olfactory-based interspecific recognition of human emotions: Horses (Equus ferus caballus) can recognize fear and happiness body odour from humans (Homo sapiens). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 230, 105072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105072
Smith, A. V., et al. (2019). Horses categorize human emotions cross-modally based on facial and vocal cues. Scientific Reports, 9, 8685. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45235-1
Soulim, L., et al. (2023). Equine-assisted therapy effectiveness in improving emotion regulation, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Healthcare, 11(19), 2853. doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11192853
Soulim, L., Bénony, H., & Nandrino, J. L. (2023). Equine-assisted therapy effectiveness in improving emotion regulation, self-efficacy, and self-esteem: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 23, 182. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-03916-9