Day 29:

Equine Therapy:

I didn't write anything yesterday because I received some news that shocked and saddened me. I won't go into what the news was but I thought I should stop writing because, somehow, it felt disrespectful to continue. As the day has gone on, I have thought that I really need to finish what I started. It may even help me forget my sadness for a short time. I do hope I am not offending anybody by doing this and I hope you understand....

I have been doing some more research...

So apparently, there is something called Equine Therapy which is about the interaction between a person and a horse. It promotes physical and emotional growth in people with such disorders as depression, anxiety, autism and other mental illnesses. The horse has similar behaviours to humans, such as social and responsive behaviours, so it is easy for a patient to create a connection with a horse.

Horses can reflect our emotions to bring relief from stress and anxiety. They pick up on the way we are feeling, mirroring our emotions and responding. They pick up social cues. Just being around a horse changes human brainwave patterns, calming you down and focusing you. Horses are naturally empathetic.

There is a reason that I decided to talk about horses and anybody that knows me or knew me when I was younger, knows what I am about to say.

Most of my childhood was spent with horses. I ate, slept and dreamed horses. Of course, I didn't know about the equine therapy at the time, but it was clearly medication for me. Horses don't pre-judge you, they accept you for who you are. I had a rapport with horses, they soothed me and must have made me less anxious. I spent most of my time with them and, looking back, I know that they helped me get through so much. I would tell them my troubles, with the horse serving as a kind of therapist I suppose. Just thought I'd share that....