Equine therapy, simply put, is therapy in which horses take on the role of therapist and equine therapists and specialists take on the role of facilitator. It is an experiential process where the experience itself becomes the intervention. Equine therapy is amazingly effective in accessing deeply seeded emotional issues and assisting young women in opening up to the process of change. Usually, girls connect with animals very quickly because they are non-threatening and affectionate. This is true with horses as well. Horses are also very adept at responding to human emotion and giving girls immediate feedback in non-threatening, non-verbal ways that provide many opportunities for self-evaluation and regulation of one’s own emotional states.

Furthermore, the girls' interactions with the horses are often affected by their current emotional state, much like their relationships with important people in their lives. An effective facilitator helps the girls recognize these similarities and relate the feedback they get from the horse-as-therapist to the feedback they have received in other areas of their lives. This often results in powerful insights into their life and relationships, and perspective shifts that lead to openness and lasting change.

We also include therapeutic riding in our equine activities. The opportunity to address fears or discomforts about riding a large animal are addressed, and girls develop increased self-confidence and self-efficacy as they learn to ride and control a large, powerful animal. Our equine facility includes a very large indoor arena, large outdoor riding arenas, and round pen, a classroom and many other resources. The facility boards over 50 horses that the girls work with and care for.