The Horse as Teacher: Really?

Abstract

As domesticated animals with a long history of partnership with humans, horses are believed to be, by those in the equine field, experts at recognizing authenticity and intentionality in their human partners. Horses are always authentically present and living in the moment, an instinctual way of being that promotes their survival. To successfully engage the horse in various activities, one must also be fully engaged and in the moment, and the horse's body language provides immediate feedback regarding one's success. Equineassisted learning (EAL) has been shown to be effective in helping others gain success through improving communication skills, selfawareness, and self-control and confidence building (http://www. gallopventures.com; http://www.equine-psychotherapy.com). Anecdotal writings (Kane, 2007) report “success of EAL in authentic relationships with patients in verbal and nonverbal communication, awareness of incongruence of intention versus behavior, respecting boundaries, confronting fear and developing confidence, and improving attention, mindfulness, assertiveness, and focus” (Walsh & Blakeney, 2013). Increasing knowledge of the benefits of EAL provides opportunity for promoting this form of transformational learning. Creating opportunities for nurses to explore and discover ways of “being with” by partnering with horses in structured learning experiences including post event debriefings co-lead by certified EAL practitioners and health care clinicians can lead to important insights into the self that are essential in truly authentic presence with patients.