Equine Center at Smoky Mountain Lodge Stables

What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)?
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) uses horses in experiential based therapy sessions with a therapist and an equine specialist. The core concept of EAP is that it is an interactive modality that allows participants to successfully work toward addressing their particular treatment goals.

The focus of EAP is to promote growth and learning in an individual's life outside of therapy. There are many self-improving skills to be learned from participating in equine assisted therapy sessions, some of which include:

• Verbal communication
  
• Nonverbal communication
  
• Responsibility
  
• Imagination
  
• Accountability
  
• Increased self esteem
  
• Problem solving
  
• Assertiveness
  
• Creative thinking
  
• Leadership
  
• Teamwork
  
• Overcoming fears
  
• Increasing self-worth

Why Horses?
Horses are much like humans in that they are social animals. Each horse has a distinct personality and displays different attitudes and moods. Horses are also very aware of their environment at all times, and they respond to that environment accordingly. By observing the horse's response to participants in an activity, the horses are sending nonverbal messages about their human counterparts. The horse's behavior acts as the perfect avenue toward growth and learning through metaphorical learning.

More importantly, horses are non-judgmental and are said to never tell a lie. This is because they have the natural ability to be a mirror for participants. People have a tendency to project their understanding of the world onto the horse based upon their personal life experience. Participants will often make statements like, "the horse doesn't like me" or "this horse is stubborn." Such declarations can be processed as a statement that reflects how one feels about one's self.

How many horses are used?
The number of horses depends upon how many clients are participating and what types of feedback would be most appropriate for a given session. Here at Smoky Mountain Lodge Stables we have three trained therapy horses- Trouble, Lady, and Cherokee. We also have numerous other animals that are utilized as an adjunct part of our program including several rescued horses, a herd of very gentle goats, a pair of white donkeys and several miniature horses.