Shayne HolzmanMy Experience With Horses
Growing up, riding horses was my life. I worked at the barn so I could lease a horse named Jedi. I rode horses from nine to age sixteen. I stopped riding horses due to mental health issues and a scary horse fall. When I leased the horse that I bonded with named Jedi, I felt we were the same in that we had similar fears and anxieties. Jedi was scared and skittish of people like I used to be. He was really anxious, and he had trouble desensitizing, as unfortunately, he was abused. I remember that in order to desensitize him to his fears I rustled a plastic bag in front of his face and when he got scared, I would pet him. To calm him down I would tell him that he was okay. I was there for him every step of the way. I spoke to him like I would any person going through something. I think speaking to animals like humans is very important because animals should be treated with love and respect just like any human can.
A Horse’s Sense Is a Human Sense
Horses are very stable and grounded animals. Did you know that horses are very therapeutic for those with autism? Equine-assisted therapy is helpful for those with autism. When people with developmental disabilities of any kind work with horses, horses create an everlasting bond for those who struggle with social interaction. People with autism who struggle to understand emotions and who are sensitive to tactile stimuli benefit from working with horses. This is because horses have an amazing ability to tune in to how people feel and behave. For instance, when someone is on a horse, a horse can sense apprehension in a split second and the same applies when people are working on the ground with horses, horses sense body language in a person, voice inflection and human touch.
Horses Eyes See Human Eyes
Communication between horses and humans provides extraordinary benefit to those with autism by introducing them to a welcoming understanding of safety and security.
Horses help those with autism by working together as a pair, communicating eye to eye from animal to human. Horses teach those with developmental disabilities about how emotions work. For instance, Individuals with autism struggle to understand their own emotions. Identifying emotions through seeing how horses react to emotion can help those with autism identify themselves, their emotions and how they feel towards others. When humans connect with animals, their bond and interaction can sometimes be much more powerful than human connection and interaction.
For instance, horses react to certain situations that humans experience as well. Horses interpret how a person feels through a person’s touch, body language and voice. Learning how horses behave, act and react help give emotional feedback to those with autism by creating real world human interaction. For instance, when you are scared of something your body language changes and you might widen your eyes. Your reaction to a fearful situation mimics the reaction of how a horse would feel in the same situation. For instance, when a horse responds to a fearful individual, horses might pin their ears back, or act skittish by stepping back with their hooves. This is an example of how a horse’s response resembles a human response and helps a person learn how to receive emotional feedback in the same way humans react to each other.
A Horses Touch Is a Human Touch
Another way people with autism can learn from horses is that horses provide an outlet for sensory issues and sensory needs. For instance, horses communicate through touch, just like we do. Sometimes loud sounds bother people with autism more than the average individual, or they have sensitivity when they are touched. Since we know that people with autism all deal with sensory issues, horses give them exposure to touch and show them how tactile stimulation feels. Individuals with tactile difficulties struggle less when they pet horses and animals in general. When they pet horses, the horse senses how the person feels and is able to show and reciprocate the feeling of tactile input and reduce overstimulation caused by having autism.
Personally, I have struggled with tactile sensitivity with light touch for my whole life. A simple touch on my hand or arm gives me pain, and my skin feels hot and very sensitive. I think the reason why I gravitate to horses and animals so much is because when I pet horses or animals my skin isn’t sensitive.
Horses affect us in beautiful ways. For me, when I pet horses I feel calm and secure, and the pain I feel in my skin goes away. What makes you feel secure and safe? The good news is, any animal can give you the gift of security and safety. Even if you don’t own a dog or a cat or a bunny, the next time you see someone walking a dog, try to pet them and notice how you feel. I hope that you enjoy animals as much as I do because animals are the best connection any human can have.