In the United States, almost a third of people deal with an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. Because anxiety is so prevalent in our society, it is important to know a variety of ways to manage and treat it. Today, we’re asking an important question: do we know if horses can help with anxiety? The short answer: yes.
Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders
Before we talk about how horses can help with anxiety, let’s dig a bit deeper into anxiety itself. What is anxiety and who suffers from it? In short, anxiety is a feeling of unease or discomfort; sometimes it is directed at a particular target or comes about because of a specific situation; other times its general and persistent. Nearly everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives, though the majority of people experience anxiety that does not rise to the level of a disorder.
Still, anxiety disorders are increasingly common in America. The most common form of anxiety disorder is social anxiety disorder, or SAD, for short. SAD affects around 15 million adults in the United States, or around 7.1% of the population. Additionally, generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, affects another 6.8 million people in the United States.
In other words, anxiety is a huge deal in the United States. As anyone who experiences it can tell you, anxiety is extremely unpleasant and sometimes even debilitating. However, there is good news: regardless of the type of anxiety you suffer from, horses are here to help!
Horses and Anxiety
Now to our main point: horses can help with anxiety. Over the past few decades, equine-assisted therapy or horse therapy has become increasingly popular as a form of treatment for people with anxiety disorders (as well as a number of other conditions). The reason for this is because horses are incredibly intelligent and sensitive creatures who can mirror our emotions back to us.
So how does this process work? Well, it’s really something that you need to experience for yourself to truly understand, but we will try to put it into words. Essentially, horses are able to read humans better than we can read ourselves. If you are anxious around a horse, the horse will pick up on your anxiety and act anxious in return. As such, spending time with a horse allows you to actively map your emotions and see them expressed in another animal. This can go a long way for those attempting to understand their anxiety. Horses are a constant reminder of the signals that we give off, which we do not consciously pick up on.
Spend Time With a Horse
Although in the previous section we made mention of therapy, don’t think that you need to experience equine-based therapy to get benefits from spending time with a horse. Particularly if you are not someone with an anxiety disorder, there are plenty of ways to spend time with horses that aren’t clinical in nature.
Studies show that spending time with horses leads to an overall decrease in stress and anxiety, as well as an overall increase in happiness. There are a variety of reasons for why this is. For one, horses are incredibly intelligent creatures that form deep, meaningful bonds with humans. Additionally, once someone is bonded to a horse, they feel a sense of responsibility toward it, and people with such responsibilities tend to lead happier and more fulfilled lives. Also, spending time with a horse typically means spending time out in nature. As you probably know, spending time outdoors is linked to a decrease in stress and an increase in mindfulness and happiness.
Where to Find Horses
Now that you know horses can help with anxiety, you may be thinking to yourself: “This sounds great and all, but where am I going to find a horse?” This is a perfectly reasonable question. Most people are not – and should not be – horse owners. However, there are still plenty of ways to spend time with horses. If you are looking for horse therapy, you might be surprised at how readily available it is. Try doing a search in your area and see what comes up. Although horse therapy isn’t as prevalent as some of the more traditional therapeutic methods, it has grown significantly in the past decade.
If you aren’t looking for therapy, but want to spend time with horses, you have a lot of options. For instance, check out nearby horse farms or sanctuaries. Horses are a lot of work to look after and there are many people and organizations who are in need of volunteers.
Additionally, there are all sorts of places you can go to see horses if you want to take a vacation or long weekend. Of course, there’s Artemis Hill if you are in or around New York (read more below) and if you live elsewhere there are likely other similar experiences that allow you to spend time with horses. Ultimately, the point is that horses are not as out of reach as they may seem. Now that you are aware that horses can help with anxiety, do some research in your area and spend some time with a horse ASAP!
Artemis Hill Farm
Looking for a place to spend time with horses? If so, then come to Artemis Hill Farm. Artemis Hill is located in Orange County, New York, just over an hour from downtown Manhattan. Artemis Hill is home to 24-acres of beautiful, natural land and amazing horses. We are a horse sanctuary as well as the home to Cavalli Healing Hearts, a non-profit with the goal of forging long-standing connections between humans and horses.
Please keep in mind that no one at Cavalli Healing Hearts or Artemis Hill is a licensed therapist so if you suffer from a severe anxiety disorder, unfortunately we are not the place for you. However, if you are someone who is feeling a bit stressed or anxious and wants somewhere to find some inner peace, then Artemis Hill is the place to be!
Thank you for reading our blog “Feeling Anxious? How Horses Can Help With Anxiety.” For more blogs from Artemis Hill, click here.
