Equine-assisted therapy and learning, though an emerging form of therapy, is as vast and varied as it is valuable, from courses in workplaces to helping people dealing with trauma and mental health problems.
The growth and development of this industry over the past few decades has been fast. One of the leaders in this field is Pam Seccombe. She has been the senior consultant at Horsanity since 2013, when it was first founded by Sandra Banister and Lynn Jenkin, and has seen the significant benefits of working with horses.
“I was running my own coaching business and then I heard about the concept of doing equine-assisted coaching and development. I went ‘that’s for me!’ To me it was a match made in heaven because it was a love of horses and an absolute fascination for human behaviour.”
Pam is the perfect balance of city and country. She grew up in the bush, spent most of her career involved with major corporate businesses, before returning to the bush to start her own consulting business. This evolved into a coaching business and led to being involved with Horsanity, operating out of her home in Blandford in the Upper Hunter with her (now retired) dressage horses, Frankie and Gus.
Pam believes horses are the perfect animals to help people gain self-awareness and understand their own issues and challenges.
“They are modelling so beautifully, being in the moment, being mindful and just staying present in life, which I think is so crucial.”
Pam says horses are extremely alert to their surroundings. This enables them to respond intuitively to the actions of people and changes in their mental and emotional states. Horses help remove a mask we might be hiding behind or discover unconscious true emotions.
In Pam’s experience, working outside with horses allows people to be more vulnerable and open than what they would be in a workshop room or classroom. Pam says, “you can’t not be affected by them.”
Equine-assisted therapy involves individuals engaging in activities such as grooming, feeding, and leading a horse, all under the supervision of a mental health professional.
Equine-assisted therapy might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to getting help for a mental health problem but as more practitioners offer alternative therapies, these sorts of non-traditional options are showing some great results. When considering what help to access, don’t be afraid to consider something outside the box, there are all types of ways to get help, and the help helps.
Photo credit: Lynne Jenkin