Southern California Family Therapy
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    • Home
    • Services
    • Equine Therapy
    • Meet Our Team
    • Book an appointment
    • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Services
  • Equine Therapy
  • Meet Our Team
  • Book an appointment
  • Contact Us

About equine therapy

Using Equine Therapy as Mental Health Treatment

Animals can offer an extraordinary amount of emotional support. Beyond the pet-owner relationship that many of us have lovingly experienced, animals are sometimes used in therapeutic settings to help clients navigate challenging emotional experiences.


Equine-assisted psychotherapy incorporates horses into the therapeutic process. People engage in activities such as grooming, feeding, and leading a horse while being supervised by a mental health professional.  Goals of this form of therapy including helping people develop skills such as emotional regulation, self-confidence, and responsibility. With mature horses weighing anywhere in the range of 900 to 2,000 pounds or more, it might feel a bit intimidating to have such a large, majestic creature participating in your therapy sessions.  However, equine-assisted therapy is growing in popularity due to its experiential approach and some burgeoning evidence of its effectiveness.


A horse barn doesn’t seem like the typical location for intensive mental health work. Still, some people find that equine-assisted therapy is beneficial. Typically, equine-assisted therapy is a team effort where a mental health professional works with a horse specialist. Clients who participate in equine-assisted therapy are usually seeking help for emotional or behavioral problems.

What to Expect

Clients who enroll in Equine Therapy will meet with a Certified Equine Coach at the stable in Coto De Caza for 60 minutes. The 60 minute session will include interaction with a horse at Coto De Caza Equestrian Preserve. In the week following your equine session you will have a 15 minute follow-up appointment with one of our providers to combine the power of equine therapy with traditional therapy.

SCHEDULE EQUINE THERAPY

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