# Therapists’ reasons for including horses into psychotherapy, a qualitative study

## TL;DR

This study explores why psychotherapists use horses in therapy, finding that they enhance emotional healing and build trust through nonverbal, authentic relationships.

## Contribution

The study provides novel qualitative insights into therapists' perspectives on using horses as partners in psychotherapy.

## Key findings

- Horses foster a strong therapeutic presence through safe, nonverbal relationships.
- Working with horses supports both client exploration and therapist well-being.
- Horses act as partners that enhance somatic awareness and experiential learning.

## Abstract

The integration of horses into psychotherapy has gained popularity over recent decades, offering unique therapeutic opportunities that may enhance emotional healing, empathy, and relational trust. This study investigates the perspectives of experienced psychotherapists on why they incorporate horses into their therapeutic practices. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten clinicians (eight female, two male) from diverse theoretical orientations. The data, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, revealed four key themes: “Supporting presence and getting to the heart of things quickly,” “The relationship to the horse as the primary factor,” “Going deeper, exploring further,” and “The horse as a partner providing support, direction and dynamics.” The findings highlight how the therapists described the presence of horses as fostering a strong therapeutic presence within a safe, authentic, and primarily nonverbal relationship. This frame was described as an “attachment laboratory” enhancing somatic awareness, and creating opportunities for exploration, experiential learning, and symbolic work. Importantly, therapists reported that working with horses not only benefited clients but also supported their own presence and abilities in therapy, as well as their professional satisfaction, offering a possible buffer against clinician burnout.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-025-05185-2.