FAQ's

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Individual Sessions
Individual sessions are offered in 50- or 80-minute formats and provide a confidential, hands-on experience. Each session is guided by an Equine Assisted Psychotherapist, an Equine Professional, and your equine partner. Together, this team supports healing through safe, structured interaction with the horse. Sessions are generally available on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. 

Two different types of sessions are offered and selected by your professional team: Ground work or Rhythmic Riding.

Ground Work
Most of our sessions take place on the ground, where clients work alongside their equine partners to build trust and connection. These sessions happen outdoors and may include observing, handling, or grooming the horse. With the support of specially selected horses and trained professionals, clients learn to connect side-by-side — experiencing safety, calm, and relationship in a new way.

Rhythmic riding takes place on horseback and is designed to help clients practice both self-regulation and co-regulation. As the horse walks, its natural gait creates a gentle left-right and forward-backward motion in the rider’s body. This rhythmic movement helps calm the nervous system and restore balance. During sessions, the client works with staff to focus on specific areas of the body that may be holding the tension of anxiety or trauma, allowing the horse’s movement to support release and healing.

The Science Behind Rhythmic Riding
Our brains and bodies are closely connected, especially when it comes to stress and trauma. The right side of the brain, where the amygdala is located, acts like an alarm system — it’s in charge of emotional responses and survival instincts. The left side of the brain is responsible for executive functions: decision-making, logic, language, and putting things in order.

When the alarm system on the right side is triggered too often, it can get “stuck.” The logical left side goes offline, leaving the right side in charge. The body notices first: muscles tighten, the heart races, breathing quickens, and stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol surge. This is the body preparing for fight, flight, or freeze.

To restore balance, we need to activate the left side of the brain again. One of the most effective ways is through rhythmic, bilateral movement — movements that gently shift the body left to right, forward and back. These patterns signal the brain to calm down, reduce muscle tension, slow the heart rate, and restore steady breathing.

This is why riding can be so powerful. When a client is on a horse, the horse’s natural gait creates a rhythmic left-right, forward-back motion in the rider’s body. This movement helps regulate the nervous system, release stored tension, and bring the body and brain back into balance. With awareness and practice, clients can then learn to relax, breathe, and better manage their thoughts, feelings, and reactions.