Oct 30 • Lessons from the Herd
How horses help us be better people
Spend a little time with a horse and you’ll notice it: your breath deepens, your attention steadies, and you start listening with your whole body.
Horses invite us to show up congruently and to be calm, clear, and honest, because that’s how herd life works. When we meet them there, we often feel safer, more regulated, and more connected to ourselves and others.
That’s the heart of equine-assisted work.
WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS
Our vagus nerve plays a key role in our rest-and-regulate system. It helps slow the heart, deepen breathing, and bring the body back to calm after stress.
Researchers don’t put sensors on the vagus nerve directly, instead they track heart-rate variability (HRV). This is a standard proxy for parasympathetic (rest-and-settle) activity, and for stress hormones like cortisol.
When HRV goes up, it usually suggests stronger vagus-nerve influence and a shift toward parasympathetic balance (the calm, steady state that supports learning, connection, and emotional regulation). When HRV stays flat or drops, it suggests the system may be staying in alert mode instead.
A 2020 systematic review found that equine-assisted activities often shift HRV in a direction consistent with relaxation, though results vary by person and task (context matters!). (PubMed)
There’s also encouraging evidence for psychological and social gains. A large randomised controlled trial of therapeutic horseback riding for autistic children showed improvements in social communication and sensory responsiveness, with some effects persisting at follow-up. That points to real-world changes in how people relate and engage. (PMC)
For stress regulation, a randomised trial of an 11-week equine-facilitated learning program showed shifts in adolescents’ basal cortisol, suggesting the routine, relational rhythm with horses can help tune the stress system over time. (cabidigitallibrary.org)
With veterans and trauma-exposed adults, several studies and reviews report reductions in PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms after equine-assisted programs.
New work even tracks simultaneous HRV in horses and humans during ground lessons, showing that different session components nudge the autonomic nervous system in different ways. In other words, the choice of activity (grooming, leading, mounting block skills, quiet standing) matters. (PMC)
A recent meta-analysis also concludes that equine-assisted services benefit key social skills in autism, aligning with many practitioners’ day-to-day observations about confidence, communication, and connection. (ScienceDirect)
This is all very promising, but we still need bigger, tighter trials.
SO WHY ARE HORSES GOOD FOR PEOPLE?
· Honest biofeedback.
Horses respond to what they sense from us in the moment, such as our posture, breathing, muscle tone, pace, and even the clarity of our intention. They don’t overthink, judge, or pretend. Their responses are natural and immediate. When a horse steps forward, steps back, softens, or becomes alert, it gives us real-time information about how we’re showing up. This helps us to practice clear communication, emotional congruence, and healthy boundaries through direct experience with a sensitive, responsive partner.
- Regulation through rhythm and presence
Horses live in the here-and-now. Their breathing, movement, and energy tend to be slow, steady, and rhythmic, which naturally supports down-shifting from stress and staying regulated in the moment.
Grooming strokes, leading steps, and the rhythmic motion of mindful riding can gently influence our nervous system, helping activate our vagus nerve and supporting parasympathetic ‘rest-and-regulate’ responses. This calm, embodied pace encourages us to match the energy of safety rather than the pace of stress.
Think of horses as large, breathing reminders to slow down, settle, and be fully present.
- Relational awareness and emotional honesty
Horses are social herd animals who depend on subtle communication for safety and cohesion. They value clarity, trust, and consistency. These are qualities humans benefit from practicing too.
Through interaction with horses, we begin to notice:
· How emotions show up in our bodies
· What happens when we communicate clearly vs. unclearly
· How trust and consent feel in a relationship
· How to stay grounded while connecting with another being
This builds self-awareness, empathy, compassion, and relational confidence in a natural, embodied way.
- Confidence, competence and responsibility
Caring for and working alongside a large, sensitive animal builds a healthy sense of capability. People learn that small, calm, consistent steps can influence a 500-kg partner. This an empowering realisation for many of us.
Tasks like grooming, haltering, leading, and observing the herd support:
· Confidence and personal agency
· Responsibility and follow-through
· Patience and emotional regulation
· Problem-solving and decision-making
Horses help us to understand that gentle strength and quiet confidence often work better than force, which is a life skill that transfers everywhere.
- Mutual respect and consent
Ethical equine-assisted environments prioritise the horse’s comfort, choice, and wellbeing. We learn to watch for signs of readiness, overwhelm, boundary-setting, and curiosity in the horse, and to respond respectfully.
This models healthy relationship skills:
· Asking rather than pushing
· Listening rather than assuming
· Adjusting instead of dominating
· Pausing instead of forcing
People often say, ‘I learned how to respect myself better by learning to respect the horse.’
- Good for people means good for horses
Ethical programs are centred the horse’s welfare, including herd time, forage, space to move, consent-based handling, and a workload that fits each horse’s individual needs and abilities. Recent reviews call for standardised welfare monitoring and remind us that positive human–horse interactions start with the horse’s needs being met.
WHAT WE CAN SAY
SUPPORTED: Equine-assisted activities can help people regulate stress, communicate more clearly, and build confidence and social skills, with evidence ranging from randomised trials (especially in autism and adolescents) to emerging physiological studies (HRV/cortisol). (PMC)
STILL LEARNING: : Effects are individual and task-specific; not every session will be relaxing, and stronger trials are needed in some populations (e.g., veterans). (PMC)
BRINGING TO LIFE IN PRACTICE, THE HORSES CONNECT WAY
In all Horses Connect sessions, we deliberately create a safe, steady container where both humans and horses can show up as they are. We keep sessions fluid and well-paced, honouring nervous systems and allowing time for grounding, curiosity, and gentle experiments.
We pair each activity with breath and body awareness, encouraging clients to notice their internal state and the horse’s responses. This supports vagal engagement, emotional regulation, and authentic connection, from the inside out.
We choose tasks that align with the person’s goals (confidence, connection, boundaries, clarity, self-trust) and the horse’s preferences, needs, and consent. The horse’s wellbeing and agency are not optional extras. They are central pillars of ethical, effective practice.
KNOW YOUR WHY!
Every choice - which horse, where in the space, which activity, how much time, when to pause - has purpose. We coach with intention, not habit.
As facilitators, we lean into attuned presence, clear structure, and a curious, non-judgmental stance. We observe what the horse mirrors back, and instead of ‘fixing,’ we invite tiny shifts:
· Slow the breath
· Soften the hand
· Clarify the request
· Adjust your posture
· Pause and reset
Then we watch together:
What changed?
What did the horse do?
What did your body tell you?
This is co-learning and co-regulation in action. It’s not one being changing the other, but both finding balance and clarity together.
Over time, this gentle, relational practice helps people grow steadier, clearer, kinder, and more congruent, not by being told what to do, but by accessing their Knowing Brain and sensing their way into it, with the horse as a sensitive, honest partner.
That's the Horses Connect Coaching Method at work.
Connection first. Curiosity always. Consent at the centre. Learning through lived experience.
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How horses help us be better people
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