What’s the Difference Between Horseback Riding and Equine Assisted Therapy? There’s a profound difference between riding in a show ring and standing quietly beside a horse in a therapy session . I’ve lived both worlds, and the path from one to the other has shaped not just my career, but my life’s purpose. I grew up in Louisiana, immersed in the competitive equestrian world. My mother ran a respected hunter-jumper training facility with over 20 horses. While most saw horses as competition partners, I saw them as my closest companions. As a shy child who struggled to trust others, I found safety in the barn. Human relationships were unpredictable, but animals offered a presence that felt safe and real. The barn became my sanctuary, a place where words weren’t necessary and authenticity mattered more than anything. Horses stayed by my side through childhood and adolescent traumas, offering steady, nonverbal support when life felt overwhelming. Whenever I needed to reconnect with myself, I returned to them. How a Life-Altering Injury Opened the Door to Holistic Healing By my early teens, I had built a name for myself. I trained horses for others, competed nationally, and tied my self-worth to ribbons and rankings. The show ring became another form of escape and validation. That world paused at age 15 when a serious back injury left me bedridden for most of my freshman year of high school. At a time when many teens were finding themselves socially, I was alone, asking big questions about purpose and self-worth. That quiet period became an unlikely doorway to spiritual growth. Exploring Yoga, Energy Work, and Mindfulness as Tools for Recovery During my recovery, I turned inward and explored healing modalities like yoga and pranic energy work. By 16, I had a daily yoga practice. At 17, I was leading meditation sessions. My identity began to shift away from performance and toward presence. The next eight years included recurring injuries, each one nudging me further down the path of transformation. At 19, I left behind the competitive world and moved to Australia. There, I studied mental health and mindfulness and became trained in pranic psychotherapy. A later stay in Bali further deepened my connection to spiritual healing and alternative ways of living. What I Learned From Working With Children Through Therapeutic Horse Riding Returning to the U.S. at 21, I found myself balancing two lives. I was teaching therapeutic riding to children with special needs while staying connected to the competitive scene. But it was the children, especially those with autism, who opened my heart to the magic of pure connection. Free from pressure and performance, these kids reminded me of the power of being fully present. Why I Chose to Offer Equine Therapy in Boulder, Colorado My final shift came when I moved to Colorado. In the calm of the mountains, I let go of the competitive world entirely and chose to work with horses solely for therapeutic healing . This wasn’t just a career change. It was a return to who I had always been. What to Expect From My Equine Assisted Therapy Practice in Boulder Today, in Boulder, Colorado, I integrate my lived experience, horsemanship, and professional therapeutic training into my equine assisted therapy practice . Alongside our equine partners, I support clients through: Mindful presence with horses Movement-based and somatic therapy Nature-based healing Trauma-informed care Experiential, body-centered learning What makes this work so powerful is that it’s not just based on clinical training. It’s rooted in lived experience. When I speak about healing through horse-human relationships , I speak from a place of personal truth and hard-earned wisdom. How Horses Help With Trauma, Anxiety, and Relationship Healing One of my deepest beliefs is that there’s magic in every moment, if we slow down enough to notice it. Horses taught me this long ago. As a young girl in the barn, I learned that connection doesn’t always need words. Whether you’re working through trauma, anxiety, relational challenges, or simply seeking a deeper sense of self, equine assisted therapy can create unexpected openings. The combination of horses, nature, and therapeutic guidance can unlock parts of you that traditional talk therapy may not reach. The show ring taught me discipline and technique. But it’s the quiet moments in the healing arena, when a client exhales deeply for the first time in weeks or sees their own strength reflected in a horse’s calm presence, that remind me why this work matters. Begin Your Equine Therapy Journey in Boulder Today Healing is personal. Whether you’re drawn to horses by curiosity, longing, or even uncertainty, there’s wisdom waiting in these relationships. As someone who has moved from the structured world of competition into the freedom of healing work, I can tell you that sometimes our greatest struggles lead us to our deepest calling. Ready to begin your journey? Let’s connect and explore how equine assisted therapy in Boulder can support your healing path.
Discover how equine assisted therapy fosters secure attachment by providing emotional safety, consistency, and healing through the unique bond between humans and horses.
This post was written by April Lyons of April Lyons Psychotherapy Group It's simple to assume that your mind is to blame when it comes to mental health issues. However, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that our symptoms are not limited to that one location and that nothing is merely mental. Cellular processing typically handles memories, feelings, and experiences. During times of severe stress or worry, you may experience physical symptoms like anxious ticks. Even when you feel OK, your body keeps telling the tale. Somatic therapy can be useful in this situation. When it comes to stress and mental health concerns, somatic therapy works well. It offers a different approach to symptom treatment than conventional talk therapy. Let's examine five typical methods. Increasing Your Somatic Awareness Teaching about body awareness is a key component of somatic therapy. This is an excellent place to start for any further somatic approaches. First, you learn how to recognize tension and how the body stores it. You also evaluate what can evoke feelings of security and serenity. Positive physical sensations can be enhanced and negative ones can be balanced with somatic awareness. Scanning the Body Body scanning is regarded as one of the fundamental methods of somatic treatment. This method aids in increasing awareness of the many body parts and sensations, such as stress, bodily sensations, and stored emotional reactions. You will start by concentrating on that particular location in your mind. You'll address whatever feelings you may have as you work your way down, piece by piece. Do you have stress in your shoulders? Do your hands feel cooler than your body as a whole? Does your lower back feel particularly compressed? You can better understand how stress is showing up in your body by using body scanning. Exercises for Grounding Another excellent technique to bring your body and mind back into the present is to do grounding exercises. This is frequently used to fight worry and stress, or if you start to feel overburdened. Simply recognizing how your feet feel on the floor can be the first step in this process. Identifying the places of touch between your body and another surface may be one way. It frequently includes meditation, which enables you to center yourself and let go of unhelpful energy and/or emotions. Another useful grounding method is breathwork, which uses appropriate breathing methods to help you control your body and relieve tension. It's crucial to keep in mind that it could take some time to become proficient at grounding exercises. Maintaining the procedure will assist you in the long run, even if you feel a little strange or like you're doing something incorrectly. Movement-Based Therapy Through a variety of activities, movement therapy helps you establish a connection with your body. Activities like yoga, tai chi, and dancing may fall under this category. These are movement-based exercises designed to help people express and let go of their inner feelings. The goal of movement therapy is to help you let go of any stress and emotional burdens you may be carrying. Connecting your breath to your motions is essential for movement therapy to be effective. During your guided motions, you should also be mindful of any unfamiliar or strange feelings you may encounter. Pendulation and Titration Panic, anxiety, anger, irritation, and depression are just a few of the emotions that can show themselves as physical symptoms. You can feel disoriented, stranded, disconnected from your own reality, or out of sorts when one of these sets in. Attempting to address such feelings from a conversational point of view isn't always the most effective method. By using this method, you can increase your resilience by switching between activation and regulation periods. To relieve tension in tiny doses, you alternate your attention between an upsetting and a non-stressful activity. Tools for reducing stress and fostering growth can be found in somatic therapy. Even though some of these methods can appear simple, it's important to get professional help if needed. If you are struggling with stress and worry and would like some more guidance with somatic therapy please reach out today .